Wendy Diamond and her canine pal

At lunch yesterday at Manhattan’s Bricco on West 56th Street, I was lucky enough to meet the ebullient Wendy Diamond, the founder and editorial director of Animal Fair, the lifestyle magazine passionately devoted to saving animal lives by focusing on animal rescue. Wendy is also the author of many fantastic books, currently the indispensable It’s a Dog’s World: The Savvy Guide to Four-Legged Living, which will head up the bestseller list during Wendy’s upcoming 15-city book tour.

The latest issue of Animal Fair has Charlize Theron on its cover, pictured on the beach with her soulful rescue dog, Tucker. Previous cover interviews at Animal Fair include everyone from Beyonce and Halle Berry to Serena Williams and Kim Cattrall, all of whom support Wendy’s lifelong mission to save the lives of animals.

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Wayne Dyer

My great friend Wayne Dyer is a wise and generous spirit, residing peacefully in Hawaii listening to the rhythm of the waves as he writes his brilliant New York Times bestsellers, the latest being “The Shift,” also a movie starring Portia de Rossi.

It’s an illuminating expose on moving “from ambition to meaning,” away from ego, he says, and into “the afternoon of life where everything is influenced by purpose.”

Instead of constantly pursuing “more stuff–more accomplishments, status, and money,” we shift in the opposite direction toward feeling more meaning and purpose in our lives.

When I asked Wayne to read my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down The Hall, I couldn’t imagine what this charismatic sage might say about it.

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My Great Friend Jason

Last night was a magically-breezy evening in Battery Park City, (pictured below at sunset), the perfect temperature for dinner outside on the Hudson, the occasion being a 31st birthday party for my great friend Jason VanOra, a psychology professor at Kingsborough Community College. Over guacamole and chips, chicken quesadillas, and a chocolate brownie sundae, Jason, who looks about 22, made me feel a bit old, as I have a belt older than him! But I was very happy to celebrate, together with our close friends Peg and Beth.

Occasionally in life, you come upon someone who not only has great intelligence and charm, but also a warmly empathetic nature too. There’s an instant “click.” And that person, with whom you have great chemistry, gradually joins the category of “best friend.”

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Mario Buatta

I recently spent two incredible evenings with the legendary interior designer Mario Buatta, a longtime friend and frequent interview subject who appears in my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down The Hall. Mario stars in an especially fun chapter titled “Prancing With The Stars,” all about my dog’s tete-a-tetes with a host of celebrities, one of her favorite being Mario, the nation’s “Prince of Chintz,” the acknowledged master of the English Country style, his work often featured on the cover of Architectural Digest.

Mario is also a passionate lover of theater, comedy, cabaret, and any good performance in town. One recent night, he kindly ushered me backstage to greet Joan Rivers after one her hilarious performances at the West Bank Cafe, the proceeds of which go to her two favorite charities, Guide Dogs For The Blind and God’s Love We Deliver.

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