It was quite an unattractive room. There was a big lamp in one corner, three couches, and a shag carpet. A woman wearing a dress with pearls on was drinking coffee on the third couch. She was wearing patent leather shoes with peach bows on them. A young girl who must have been her daughter was holding her purse for her. The girl was wearing a pink sweater and had blond hair down her back. Suzanne glanced briefly at the man in green corduroy. He was probably the author, she thought. He looked like he was wearing a writing uniform.

Suzanne looked back at the monitor, where Richard Collins was still doing his opening monologue. The probable author got up to get some coffee, then came over and sat next to her. “Aren’t you the girl who was in Seventh Tea House?” he asked. “Suzanne Vale?”

Suzanne was startled and embarrassed, and said, “Yes,” as if the question had been an accusation.

“That was very good,” he said.

“Really?” she said. “Well, thank you. You liked it? You like that kind of movie?”

“Well, no, I don’t really, but yes, I did,” he said. “I thought it was a well-made film and I certainly appreciated how difficult it must have been for all of you to be in it. Are you on the show tonight?”

“No,” said Suzanne, grateful for his taking control of the conversation. “My friend Lucy is. She’ll be on in a minute.”

“I read an interview with you once and you were very funny,” he said. “I can’t remember what magazine.”

“Probably in Omni,” Suzanne said. “So, who are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “Jesse Templeman.”

“The author?”

“Oh,” he said, surprised. “You know my work?”

“No,” said Suzanne. “I knew there was going to be an author on the show. What have you written?”

“Well, actually, I’ve written a novel,” Jesse said. “It’s called The Appetite People.”

“Really?” Suzanne said. “And you’re promoting it, so you must be proud of it.”

“I am proud of it, yeah,” he said. “I worked on it for quite some time. It’s difficult to get a publisher.”

“Do you live in New York?”

“Well, actually I’ve just moved out here,” he said. “I’ve been living in New York, but they bought my book to make a film out of it and I’m writing the screenplay. I didn’t want somebody else to do it. I don’t know that I’ll be staying here after that. Hey,” he said, nodding toward the monitor, “isn’t that your friend?”

“Oh my God,” said Suzanne, realizing Lucy had already been on for a little while. She had promised to watch and tell her how she was. “Can they put the sound on? Can someone put the sound on?”