I wasn’t the only writer to come out of the first graduating class of Brooklyn’s South Shore High School. Donna Grant, with whom I worked on the school newspaper (back when I looked like the scruffy guy in the icon at left), went that route, too, only she took a far more interesting path than I did. What’s more, that road took her to bestsellerdom.

First, she became a plus-size model, where she met Virginia DeBerry, another model who was vying with her for the same assignments. Instead of becoming rivals, the two became friends, and they teamed up to found Maxima, a fashion and lifestyle magazine for plus-size women. Eventually, they decided to try writing a book together.

Their collaboration turned into the 1997 novel Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made from St. Martin’s Press, which became a bestseller. Now it’s a decade later, and with Donna and Virginia just back from the book tour for their latest novel, Gotta Keep on Tryin’, their publisher, Touchstone, has put together a promotional video on YouTube.

With their fanbase and sales, Donna and Virginia certainly don’t need my help, so let’s just consider this a little high-school reunion.