The Charm Game

I've been watching other writers work their magic lately. Intensely watching. A few weeks ago, I went to a luncheon where my friend Dottie Frank was the keynote. And tonight, I went to a reading at my local bookstore by Josh Braff, whose book "Peep Show" came out this week. I'm studying them because I'm doing the donor reception at the Newark Public Library on June 22. I want to be charming and lovable and to sell books.

Dottie, whose books always make the best-seller list, is an old hand at t...