Paula Froelich Novelist of "Mercury In Retrograde"

Paula Froelich's first novel, "Mercury in Retrograde" about three very New York-y women who are bound by a common address on Sullivan Street in Manhattan (the author's actual place of residence).

Paula Froelich does not seem like the type to habitually fly under the radar. Nor does she, by any measure. However, given that she has worked among some of the most outsized, outlandish personalities in New York media, it's perhaps not surprising that her profile seems modest by comparison. Paula Froelich was part of the latter-day gonzo golden age of the New York Post gossip column, striving alongside Ian Spiegelman (bounced out for drunk-emailing), Jared Paul Stern (shown the door for an alleged shakedown), and unrepentant boozehound Chris Wilson (who toddled off to Maxim). Grandaddy spider Richard Johnson remains serenely in charge, of course, but few might have suspected that Paula Froelich would end up as his remaining marquee player.

Paula Froelich's only scandal was a little trash talk from New York Daily News competitor Lloyd Grove (since canned himself) that she'd mocked Billy Bush of Access Hollywood because of her own cushy side-gig at Entertainment Tonight. Hardly toxic stuff, and the bad old days of rampant reportorial shenanigans have pretty much died out since. After all, Page Six now disciplines or fires the new kids just for throwing parties.

So what's Paula Froelich up to these days? Well, she has a book: It! Nine Secrets of the Rich and Famous That'll Take You to the Top. Yep, it's a self-help thing. Not exactly the hardboiled novels or gossipy tell-alls or thinly disguised gossipy hardboiled tell-all novels favored by other gossip types, but maybe she's on to something. "Attitude + Dedication = SUCCESS" is the title of one chapter, and who can argue with that? Sure, Paula Froelich has to embark on an occasional safari into postadolescent girly nostalgia, but that's the genre.

Paula Froelich said she "didn't want to write just another chick lit, where it's all about getting the ring or getting the man." Instead, she said, her book is about "getting a life that you earn and what happens when you stumble and pick yourself up." The first-time novelist, who's now working on a young adult novel, also defended her work at Page Six."I'm not the one who tells people to dance on banquettes without any underwear in front of 500 people," she said. "Also, Page Six is a little different than other gossip columns because it's a newspaper. We have standards we have to adhere to. It's also just kind of fun, and we write about a lot of people, not just celebrities. Which was great because it gave me so much fodder for my book."

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