March 10, the Junior Women’s Club of Ridgewood and Bookends Bookstore, sponsored an author luncheon and benefit at Seasons Restaurant featuring Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times best-selling author, to launch her next bestseller, “Change of Heart.”

After reading, “The Tenth Circle” last year about a young girl who was raped, I e-mailed Jodi Picoult and briefly shared my own story and recovery from being assaulted in my home in 1979 and that I’d written about my experience in a book, “Nice Girl’s Don’t Get Raped.” She e-mailed back with a personable and touching response. Thus, upon learning she was coming to Ridgewood and that it was her only appearance in New Jersey , I knew I wanted to be there and meet her in person, if possible.

Picoult’s books aren’t sleeper books by any stretch of the imagination. Whether or not I even come near to understanding the complexity of the human dramas that typically unfold across the pages of her books, I’m still swept up by the dilemmas presented. 

I was first introduced to Jodi Picoult’s work through my friend, Gail, an avid reader who’d read her work. Picoult is known for crafting riveting stories that you just can’t put down. Now that I’ve finished reading “Change of Heart,” about redemption, justice, and love, I can say she’s brilliantly done it again. Even after being sick and laid out flat for four days straight, I still found myself up late one night wrapped in blankets reading this captivating story until the wee hours.

As a fellow author I marvel at Jodi Picoult’s literary proliferation. Even though she writes fiction and I, non-fiction, I still appreciate the writing process and her mastery at producing such compelling and provoking work. It’s still about the creative juices flowing and the process of getting published. The journey becomes like a treasure hunt of self-discovery and stretching your scope along the way.

Upon entering the Garden room where the sold out event was held, I noticed that my table, #28 was just to the right of the podium and also just across from the exit. I couldn’t have been more perfectly positioned for the access I wanted to Jodi Picoult. 

Over five hundred Jodi Picoult fans filled the room and were all talking at once over lunch while we waited for the acclaimed author to speak. During my ride on the shuttle, I learned that the lady next to me had received her ticket as a birthday gift. Grace, the lady who sat next to me at the luncheon table, also received her ticket as a birthday gift from her daughter, Marie, who sat next to her. 

When Jodi Picoult got up to speak, all eyes were riveted on her. She shared her life as a writer with her husband, now an at home dad, and three children in New Hampshire, and talked about writing her various books. She told us how she lived with an Amish family for a week while working on “Plain Truth.” And how she came across privileged information at Columbine while doing her research on “Nineteen Minutes” about a school shooting. She even shared how she sweet-talked her way into a prison in Arizona (most people are trying to sweet-talk themselves out of prison) for her research on “Change of Heart.”

Most of the questions I had were answered during the question and answer period, so when it was time for the short interview I had arranged with Jodi Picoult at the autograph table, it mostly consisted of introductions and a photo, and reminding her about the e-mail I’d sent – as if she would remember my email among the multitudes of e-mail she receives. But, she did remember and again, was affirming. 

With the event over, I walked back outside to the parking lot and joined the group of ladies already gathered waiting for the next shuttle to drive us back to our vehicles. Picoult’s limo was smack in front of us waiting to whisk her off to New York City . I happened to be perfectly positioned for snapping a great photo when Picoult came out and slipped into her limo. Her parting wave and smile was like a shot of adrenaline and made me more determined than ever to stay with my own dream of a second book.

Until next time… Top Blonde… on the run.