Tuesday night, authors Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant held a launch party for their novel Gotta Keep on Tryin’ at B. Smith restaurant in Manhattan. DeBerry and Grant had just completed a 14-city tour in support of their newest novel, the sequel to their 1997 bestseller Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made. At least 100 of their friends and fans (if not 150; a head count was difficult) turned out at the elegant restaurant to cheer them on, share wine and hors d’oeuvres, learn about a possible film adaptation, and get copies of the new book autographed.

I was one of them.

As I’ve mentioned before, I attended high school with Donna, so I was thrilled to be able to join in the celebration of her and Virginia’s hard-won success. (You can find a few more pictures from the night here.)