This may be hard to believe, but this is our final book tour recap. All scheduled tour stops have wrapped, and we have three last cities to share: New York, Charlotte, and Atlanta. If you missed earlier recaps, they’re linked on our site. This final installment is long too, but our encounter with Mark McGrath alone makes it worth the read.
Our New York stop was meant to kick off the tour back in November, but Hurricane Sandy forced a postponement to late January. It felt great to return to old haunts, including a walk past the midtown building where we first met.
Even though the trip was brief and both flights were delayed, we fit in a few extras. We had lunch with our book agent at one of Sherry’s favorite Manhattan spots, Dos Caminos — the first time we’d met her in person after three years of working together. Despite being terrible at photos, that lunch was meaningful. Huge thanks to Rachel for making it happen; she feels like family now.
We also grabbed a quick pre-signing meal with Roo from SemiProper, whom we first met at our Connecticut signing. Sherry and Roo have become fast text-friends, bonding over burritos and hip hop. Roo posted a fun photo from that meeting.
The signing itself was at a FLOR store in Soho, and there was a photobooth that we basically refused to leave. If you want to browse pictures from the night — find your doppelgänger or count how many photobooth strips we made — they’re posted on Facebook from that evening. You might even spot John and Lisa’s pregnancy announcement cameo.
The event was full of friendly conversations, laughs, and playful photos. One group of fans arrived in full Sherry-inspired outfits — black blazers and bird shirts — which made us smile. Michelle handed out paper mustaches that added to the silliness; she graciously left them at the photobooth for others to use, and even blogged about the night.
Goldie and a friend brought personalized latex gloves referencing paint or stain projects; after snapping a photo with them on, the peace sign I flashed made the moment memorable. We bumped into familiar faces too: a blurry reunion with high school and college friend Vidya, and a visit from former coworker Megan — an intern-turned-colleague who made those early advertising days survivable.
I also reconnected with my college roommate Marisa, who had shared a less-than-glamorous apartment with me in Astoria. She’s the one who supported me during a bed bug episode and brought a thoughtful present for Clara.
Although the signing was Wednesday night, Thursday was busy with publisher meetings and a taping of The Better Show. I demonstrated an intentionally simplified version of the first project from the book for TV.
The green room was the unexpected highlight of the morning. While Sherry fussed to get that day’s post live, two reality TV personalities from Vanderpump Rules (Jax and Tom) wandered in. Sherry excitedly chatted with them; Tom was talkative and Jax played it cool but still obliged a photo. The bigger surprise was Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray overhearing our conversation about the book’s recurring project tips — “one nightstand, three ways” — and joking that the phrasing sounded like his kind of book. After explaining it was a DIY book, he still feigned interest and stayed friendly.
Later, our publisher treated us to lunch at The Smith in midtown. The highlight was a bowl of cheese-covered potato chips that were dangerously moreish. The restaurant even had a unisex restroom with a photobooth — only in New York — and naturally we took advantage of it to prove to our publishers that photobooths were indeed irresistible to us.
After a long wait at LaGuardia we flew home — the last flights of the tour — and were excited to reunite with Clara and Burger. We had four days at home before packing again for a drive to Charlotte and Atlanta, bringing Clara along. Driving let us keep Clara’s routine intact and added flexibility for stops between cities.
Charlotte treated us to a stay at the beautiful Duke Mansion, thanks to an invitation to speak at a private blogger event. The Mansion hosted the blogger chat and our signing, and it was a lovely, convenient home base. The room’s sunporch begged for a Southern accent and a cup of tea.
Because we brought Clara, we hired a babysitter for the first time who came highly recommended. It felt nerve-wracking leaving her with someone outside the family, but the sitter was great and Clara had a wonderful time, which let us enjoy the evening at the UNC-Charlotte bookstore. We hadn’t realized a speech was part of the event, so we quickly adapted a talk we’d given before and enjoyed the Q&A, including a question submitted via FaceTime.
The crowd was warm, and fans brought creative gifts: incredible decorated cookies delivered in a paint can, and costumes that playfully impersonated us. One family even matched names across generations — a Sherri and a Klaira — which felt like kismet. A group arrived in full costume with name tags, and others made clever shirts that made us laugh.
We had a free day in Charlotte and took advantage of it with family time at Discovery Place children’s museum. Clara adored the hands-on exhibits, met a snake named Princess, and had a blast. I tested a bed of nails exhibit for fun — not recommended as a life choice but memorable nonetheless.
The drive to Atlanta took about three hours in rainy weather, and along the way we passed the giant peach in Gaffney, SC. We stayed with Katie Bower for a portion of our time in Atlanta, which included secondhand shopping, crafting, and filming — we’ll share those details separately. Katie’s mom kindly babysat Clara and Katie’s son Weston while we headed downtown for a FLOR signing.
Atlanta’s event was cold and rainy, a fitting final weather note for a tour that had several stormy moments. Despite the chill, attendees were cheerful. Pearl, who competed for Miss Georgia, let Sherry try on her crown; Miss District of Columbia’s crown had already made a cameo at an earlier event. Fans made creative photo prompts — including exaggerated reactions inspired by a creepy TV show — and we laughed at the results.
We met blog friends and readers in Atlanta, including Maria Fé and Helen, who had made felt creations for us over the years. Katie Bower, Jeremy, and little Weston also attended and stayed through the entire event, graciously chatting with everyone in line. Their presence made the night extra special and was a lovely capstone to the tour.
This book tour was an unforgettable experience and we’re deeply grateful to everyone who came out to support us. It was wonderful to meet so many readers in person and turn “internet friends” into real friends. Thank you for sharing your time, stories, and laughs with us — we couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate the book.