Sweater, Miu Miu ($585). 11 E. 57th St., NYC; miumiu.com. Bikini bottom, Juicy Couture ($85). 17 Newtown Lane, East Hampton; juicycouture.com. Gypsy ring, Temple St. Clair ($2,500). London Jewelers, 2 Main St., East Hampton; juicycouture.com

Katie Lee kicked off a busy summer by adding novelist to her expansive résumé and becoming
a year-round Hamptons resident. Moments like these are much easier with a little help from your
friends, like best buddy Beth Ostrosky Stern. Read Ostrosky Stern's interview with her friend below.

I will never forget the evening I met Katie Lee at The American Hotel eight years ago, during a double date with our then boyfriends. Her beauty astounded me, but it was her sweetness, kindness and loveliness that made me an immediate fan. That evening I knew we would be friends for life. I am so proud of all that she has accomplished so far, but it is her spirit and her huge heart that make it an honor to call her one of my best friends.

BETH OSTROSKY STERN: You now live in the Hamptons full time. What is a typical day for you out here?
KATIE LEE: I am so happy to be a full-time Hamptons resident. I love New York, although I am not much of a city girl—I guess that makes sense considering I grew up in such a small town. Here I get the best of both worlds, with such easy access to the city. I am an early riser, and my typical day starts off with coffee—I cannot function without it—and answering e-mails. I like to take a walk on the beach and pick up litter; it amazes me that people do not pick up their trash. If the waves are good, I will go surfing, then work out at SoulCycle or Core Fusion, or do yoga at home with my instructor, Jessica Bellofatto from KamaDeva Yoga. I spend a couple of hours in the afternoon writing, then I will head to The Green Thumb and the grocery to get stuff for dinner. I cook and watch television at night. If I go out to dinner, I hit my favorite spots like Dave’s Grill, Suki Zuki or La Parmigiana. I love having friends over for lunch or dinner on the weekends. I have a really simple life, and I like it that way.

  »Slideshow: Behind-the-scenes shots from the cover shoot
 

BOS: You love to surf—that’s why your body is so ripped! What do you like most about it?
KL: I don’t know how ripped I am, considering how much I like to eat, but I will take the compliment, thanks! I completely fell in love with surfing. I was always scared of the ocean, never getting in past my knees, and I thought the water was way too cold. When I was getting divorced, I needed to do something to get out of my own head, something completely out of character, so I decided on a whim to buy a wet suit and take a lesson. I have great instructors at Flying Point Surf School; if they can teach me, they can teach anybody. I have never been good at any kind of sport—I am not coordinated or athletic at all, so I am still shocked every time I get a wave. It is the ultimate rush. I need to get you and Howard out there with me this summer!

BOS: Did surfing inspire you to write Groundswell? I had so much fun reading it. Are the characters based on people in your life? I was worried about that blonde best friend; she is a nightmare. Promise me that I was not an inspiration!
KL: Yes, surfing definitely inspired Groundswell. I had been trying to write a novel for years and just could never get the right story. One day I was on the beach in Sagaponack and it hit me; I went home and started writing. Like any writer, I have taken inspiration from my own life and my friends’ lives, but it is fiction. I have been a part of situations, some glitzy and glamorous, that you just cannot make up, so some of that is in there. And the only similarity you have to Lily is your beautiful blonde hair.

BOS: I am so impressed that you do your own hair and makeup for red carpet events, and now you have a new Stila makeup palette. How did you pick those colors?
KL: When I do my own hair and makeup for events, it is not because I am good at it, it is because I am too fidgety to sit in a chair for that long. The makeup travel palette I created with Stila is called “Stunning in Sayulita,” and it is inspired by Groundswell, which is partially set in Sayulita [in Mexico]. The colors are all beachy and fresh, perfect for summer. In fact, all the makeup I wore in this photo shoot is from that small palette.