Sold-Out Luncheon with Author of 50 Shades of Grey

You would have thought they were giving away diamonds. More than 2,000 women were turned away from attending a luncheon with E. L. James, the author of hot, hot, hot erotic fiction 50 Shades of Grey. Some apparently very lucky 300 women managed to get tickets to the luncheon, hosted by DivaMoms , a New York City network for moms (and moms-to-be). The event, in which women wore gray ties wrapped around their wrists, took place at Willow Ridge Country Club. Some of the women wearing stilettos to the event probably regretted it: the parking lot was so packed that many were forced to park on grass where their high heels stuck to the mud. But, aside from shoe challenges, there was more than lunch on tap. Sex toys (yes, sex toys!) were for sale in the lobby (this is a luncheon you probably didn't want to attend with your mother or boss). Asked about her runaway hit, James said she was thrilled her book is helping women become more sexual. “You can buy a gun but you can’t buy a vibrator?” she asked rhetorically. The audience seemed very pleased. One woman declared, "It was the best Mother's Day present I've ever gotten!" Another confided that her 85-year-old mother read all three of James's books and was now giving her…"tips."