Carole Radziwill is a successful author and journalist with a 20-year career under her belt, but in the world of reality shows, that doesn’t always mean as much as it should. And according to Radziwill, who is one of the stars of “The Real Housewives of New York”, when fellow castmate Aviva Drescher accused her of hiring a ghostwriter for her latest book it was more than just the usual drama that comes with being on a television show.

“Let’s just say what Aviva calls ‘silly show drama’ or whatever—however she characterizes it—the entire legal community calls slander,” Carole said. “So no, I wasn’t happy to see that on television. But I was very weary of Aviva going into this season and it was not an unpopular feeling among the group. Let me be clear, let me break it down. Aviva is on a reality show, she got a book deal and she hired a ghostwriter. It’s not that complicated. I do not use a ghostwriter. I never have. I think it’s clear in the show that she has little understanding of publishing and very clear that she has little respect for single, working women. She doesn’t know the difference between a writer, an editor and a ghostwriter…She has very little understanding and rightly so, it’s not her profession. I don’t know why she went on the show claiming to suddenly be a writer. Still, to this day, I don’t understand that. I don’t know what her problem was with me.”

The two women had lunch in a scene filmed for the show, during which Drescher brought up Radziwill’s memoir What Remains, which is a best-seller. Drescher began the conversation with questions about the writing process, since she had just finished her own memoir Leggy Blonde, but ended up accusing Radziwill of having help.

“She was very insulting at lunch and very demeaning of my work and sort of generally acting really strange. I still, to this day, don’t see what I said that would trigger her to make up these lies and go behind my back,” Carole said. “She lied when she told me she didn’t hire a writer. When she said that in the scene I was a little taken aback because I thought she was going to bring that process, whatever it is, on camera and promote her book.”

Radziwill hasn’t actually mentioned taking legal action against Drescher, but the two women did get into an altercation on the show after the initial confrontation.

“I’m trying to get away from her going down the stairs and I touch her chin…She says ‘Don’t touch me.’ I just want to be clear. As for touching her chin, do I regret it? No. She was verbally assaulting me, she was making very disparaging remarks about my family, and she was screaming that I had abandoned her and her children. It was crazy and kind of much like you would do to a toddler who’s having a temper tantrum, to get their attention, that’s what I did.”

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