OMG you guys...we seriously heart New York City!
We just returned from a fantastic trip--we had a great time getting lost as hell (more on that later) as we ran to meetings with our publisher, editor, agent and some super cool fellow authors--all of us excitedly talking about the publication of our novel, Your Perfect Life in June (there was even some clapping involved!). The best news? We saw the cover! Y'all--it's absolutely perfect and we cannot wait to show you. (Soon, we promise!)
And just when we thought we knew everything about each other, even MORE things came to the surface of our ever-evolving friendship. Much like the characters in Your Perfect Life, Rachel and Casey, we discovered (without switching bodies!) that there are always more things you can learn--even about your best friend.
Some of you may recall our trip to the Big Apple back in May. Well, without rehashing it (because you can read all about the dramz here) let's just say it was kind of a shit show. And even though we don't mind watching other people's shit shows on TV (helllooo Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), we don't really care for it in our own lives.
The real lesson we learned? That sometimes you need to hit rock bottom so you can build your friendship back up. That it will be stronger once you do and you'll appreciate it more than ever. The bottom line? We aren't perfect, and our friendship certainly isn't either. But we wouldn't have it any other way.
And to celebrate our fabulous trip to NYC and how excited we are that our book is being published by Atria and in honor of Thanksgiving and, well, because we love you, we are giving away a bundle of 5 books by some of our fellow Atria/Simon & Schuster authors! The First Affair by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, Heart Like Mine by Amy Hatvany, The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen, The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner and Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winner on Sunday, December 1 after 3pm PST. xoxo
5 Lessons Liz & Lisa learned in NYC
1. Robots need love too
It's effing hard to be vulnerable. Especially now that we're forty. Talk about being set in your emotionally unavailable ways! But during a dinner that *might* have involved more cocktails than food, Lisa *might* have hugged Liz right there in the middle of The Dutch restaurant after Liz *might* have shed the first tear Lisa had seen from her since Bill Clinton was in office. And although Liz claims she hugged Lisa back, Lisa begs to differ. But it was still a hug and it was still a step. A step toward hanging up our hardware and embracing our inner softies. And maybe even finally abandoning our alter egos, Short Circuit and WALL E.
2. Separate hotel rooms are the key to...everything!
So who knew that this was the solution? After we almost killed each other on the last trip-we decided a little space might do us some good. And by space, we mean the half mile between our hotels. At first, it felt odd, almost as if we were failing by not being able to spend 24 hours a day together for four straight days. But when we realized how much more we LIKED each other after a twelve hour break each night, it was hard not to argue that it was the best effing decision we had ever made, not counting when we decided to get rid of our unibrows and start plucking our eyebrows back in college.
3. We are NOT photogenic AT ALL 
So we sort of already knew this, but, for some reason, we looked extra horrible in most of the pics we took on this trip. Someone kept closing their eyes (Liz!). And someone else had runaway bride eyes (aka "crazy") in every other shot. (Lisa!) We ruined several great photo opportunities, including one while signing the Atria wall and another with Emma and Nicola, the fabulous authors of The First Affair. Even on the ladder in our agent's dazzling office, we couldn't get our shit together. And somewhere along the way, when the double filters stopped working (you know, when you put the photo through Instagram and then through Facebook editing too?) we gave up and started posting all of our pictures in black and white. #photofail
We finally realized the answer was to go to our beloved DryBar! After that we were instant supermodels! #drybarcustomersforlife
4. Neither of us has a freaking sense of direction!
Okay, so maybe this isn't the biggest revelation considering Lisa ONLY knew how to find places in Cali because she used the ocean as her guide. Don't even get her started on the eye rolls her husband still gives her four years after moving to the Midwest when she asks "which way is North again?" But still. We had our trusty apps that were SUPPOSED to help us, yet we STILL GOT LOST. Like when we went anywhere. And once, we even went to the wrong restaurant (turns out there were six locations) to meet someone. (Not sure we can blame that on Google Maps?) But the important thing we learned through this process is it doesn't have to lead to a murder on the corner of 47th and 7th. (See #5)
5. Pleasantries go a long way
We couldn't have a convo without biting at each other on our last trip to NYC. This time? We couldn't Not agree. Lisa held the door for Liz, Liz let Lisa choose the restaurant. "Whatever you want" became the catchphrase of our trip. And for any of you that know us well, you know that is NOT something we usually say. Ever.
THANK YOU so much for following along on our journey and for understanding that we are human as we do it. Fights will happen. People will get lost. Bad photos will be the rule not the exception. But we're still doing what we love and that's what matters. And we couldn't do it without you! . We've only just begun this wild ride and look forward to you joining us all the way! #holdontoyourhats
xoxo