PartyLines- photographs by Patrick McMullan

Do you read guilty-pleasure books? “If I want guilty pleasure, I'm not going to read a book.”
—Gay Talese

—Brooke Shields

What's it like having your books adapted for the screen? “There was one that was so bad that someone called me up and said, ‘Mary, they stole your title!’” —Mary Higgins Clark

—Dan Rather

Do you read articles about yourself? “If you look up all the clippings from 23 years of public life, you'll start saying, ‘I cannot believe this woman is still alive.’” —Sarah Ferguson

—Stephen Colbert

Did you guess that Dumbledore was gay? “It never entered my mind to think about his sexuality.” —Joan Allen

—Tiki Barber

Does the Sopranos cast still hang out? “Listen to me: The West Wing never partied like The Sopranos.” —Steve Schirripa

Spring Awakening has a rabid fan base.
“I spit a lot onstage. One girl said ‘Oh, my God, you spit on me in the show!’ So she asked me to sign her program and then spit in it. And I did.”
—Jonathan Groff

—Karenna Gore Schiff

Where did you get your dress? “A friend of mine made it. I wanted a Quill Awards dress, and this is what she came up with.” —Amy Sedaris

—Lorraine Bracco

What's the most ambitious book you've ever read? “A Winter's Tale. It took me over a year. We're chefs — we don't take much time to read.”
—Rocco DiSpirito

—Laura Lippman

What did you think of the “Dumbledore is gay” revelation? “I was not surprised. I always got the sense there was something between him and Hagrid.” —Al Roker

You met Sandra Day O'Connor at a writers' conference? “We were talking about growing up on ranches. I said, ‘Your ranch was twice the size of my family's ranch.’ And she said, ‘Yes, but yours had water.’” —Jean Halberstam