This book and author were poking fun at Robert James Waller and his bestseller, the wildly-successful "The Bridges of Madison County" earlier that year. The writing style is exactly the same, and that book's merits were hotly debated at the time.
The celebrity caller in this episode is James Spader who, as Steven, calls in with doubts about his wife's decision to have their newborn baby share their bedroom.
Myra Carter plays Mrs Warner, the mother of Clarise Warner (played by Constance Towers). This is despite the fact that in real life she is only three years older.
Eddie the dog nearly knocked himself out in one scene, about halfway through. He's rolling on his back on the floor and gets up when Martin calls him and goes head first into Martin's chair. He recovers and like a true professional runs on to where he was meant to be running to.
When Frasier arrives at Clarice's home, Mrs. Warner is at the piano playing "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" (aka "The Blue Danube). This waltz was composed in 1866 by Austrian Johann Strauss II (aka "The Waltz King").