GEORGE WAYNE Q&A

Candace Bushnell on sex and the not-so-single girl

Before Sex and the City became an "international sensation," it was a corrosive, bleak newspaper column, its author the epitome of a certain kind of chilly blonde one sees in Manhattan, trolling the late-night canyons en route to the next party. Now Candace Bushnell has settled down with ballet dancer Charles Askegard (though, truth be told, she still goes to a lot of those parties) and has written a new novel, leading Up. She takes time out to dish on underwear models, the possibilities of the Tantra, and her first meeting with Mr. Big.

George Wayne:You've never mentioned that it was G. W. who introduced you to the man you immortalized as Mr. Big in Sex and the City. Candace Bushnell: You know what? That's true. We were at that party—

G.W. —at Wolfgang Joop's loft, and we got off the elevator—

C.B. —and you made me go and talk to him.

G.W.Oh, so now you remember! So G. W. is responsible for the fame of Candace Bushnell.

C.B. That's true. Without Mr. Big, who knows what Sex and the City would be like?

G.W.Of all the men in your life—and there have been quite a few, I must say—your relationship with Michael Bergin was fascinating.

C.B. It was?

G.W.Yes, because you went to interview him and then you had sex with him.

C.B. I interviewed him in bed, but that was because that was the only place to sit. I can't say I had sex with him.

G.W.So you are saying that you didn't have sex with Michael Bergin?

C.B. One doesn't usually interview a Calvin Klein underwear model, but, of course, I know you've interviewed a few. Sweetie, you can't trick me into that. I know you too well. I don't want to talk about sex with Michael Bergin.

G.W.Now you're married to a ballet dancer who is six feet four, a tall drink of water, pliable and fit. You guys must indulge in some Tantric sex that even Sting has never heard of.

C.B. I can't talk about my sex life, sweetie. I'm a married girl. G.W.Oh, my God—look at that rock!

C.B. It's a yellow sapphire, darling, from India.

G.W.A wedding gift?

C.B. No, I bought it myself. I always think it's a good idea to buy your own jewelry.

G.W.Your friends call you an alpha female. Would you consider that an apt description?

C.B. I'd like to think so, but I think I'm more of a lone female. I am fascinated by women who are divas and who are completely self-absorbed and a little bit crazy.

G.W.And you've also said that marriage is a "male invention."

C.B. Marriage has always put women in a secondary position. My marriage is my invention. It's really about equals. I love my husband. He constantly astounds me—how nice he is, how much fun we have together, how nonjudgmental he is—so it works.

G.W.There really isn't a lot of sex in your new book.

Which of your friends is the character Janey Wilcox based on?

C.B. None of them. There is no character like that in real life. Living in New York City creates that kind of character. She was one of the characters in Four Blondes, and she is a flawed heroine. It's a character who is larger than life. She's a lingerie model, she's famous, she's on the scene, and her world turns against her, and she manages to beat them all in the end.

G.W.Are you friends with Sarah Jessica Parker?

C.B. I really admire her. She is brilliant. She goes out always looking fabulous. I really like her.

G.W.When are you going to have children?

C.B. I'm 44—who knows? Kids don't like me. If I pick up a baby, it starts crying, so that probably says something. G.W.Where do you come up with these names for your characters?

C.B. They just come to me. When I was a kid I could never remember people's names, so I just made up names. And I don't want to get in the situation where I use somebody's real name, so I make up these crazy names, like Comstock Dibble and Roditzy Deardrum.