Literary Lunacy in NYC (A Multi-Post Story): Part 2

I stepped through the door of the HarperCollins building and gave my name to a guard at the front desk. She checked some information on a computer screen and printed out a visitor's sticker for me. "Put it here," she said, indicating a spot near my shoulder. Attaching something gooey to my brand new shirt just wasn't going to happen. I smiled innocently at her and stuck it to the side of my handbag.

A few minutes later a pretty dark-haired woman wearing cute bookish glasses and a...