I was back in my old stomping grounds on Monday. I gotta say, it’s amazing to see things in New York unveiled that had been under scaffolding the entire time I lived there—like the new subway entrance near Penn Station and the new Borders near Madison Square Garden. I worked at One Penn Plaza for nearly three years and when I walked out of the train station two days ago, I was almost confused because the area looked so renovated. Of course, when I worked there it was immediately following 9/11, so most of my memories of those sidewalks were of standing aimlessly waiting for our “Fire Safety Warden” to clear the building of the “suspicious alarm” that was triggered. Ah, the memories…
Anyway, I headed up to NYC to meet with my editor for breakfast and then with my former college roommate who’s on maternity leave. It was a full day. And I got a lot of free food, including a $22 two-egg omelet at Oscar’s Restaurant at the Waldorf. And you know what? It tasted like eggs.
Personally, I think it’s always good to a get a little face time with people who are crucial to your career. I met with my agent when I first signed with her (coincidentally, I had already planned a vacation to L.A. that perfectly corresponded with her offer for representation). But now I get to picture her whenever we talk, and I really feel like I know her better. If it weren’t for that meeting, she’d be some strange version of “Charlie” on Charlie’s Angels—a mysterious voice on the phone who gives me advice on missions (or books).
So, likewise, it was great to meet with my editor again. We had already had lunch together when I had first signed the contract, and at the time, I got to talk about edits and meet with the art director who’d be designing my covers.
This time, my editor and I discussed book promotions. This is the hard part of the process, because authors don’t have a lot of control over what happens here. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m doing my part. I’ve mailed all of my ARCs to reviewers, I’ve gone around to local bookstores to introduce myself and give away bookplates, and I’ve even sent out my own press releases to schools and reporters.
But I can’t control things like print runs, or publicists, or Walmart. And this type of stuff can drive you crazy; so consequently, I’ve decided to take a cue from mass cards everywhere and learn to “accept the things I cannot change.” It’s more fun to focus on the writing, and my book launch party, and my MySpace page. Besides I’ve got a really cool WIP that my agent is reading right now. That’s why I got into this business. I’ll let my husband handle the sales stuff. It’s what he does. 😉
Thankfully after my fancy lunch, I got to spend the day with my former college roommate and her new baby. I’d post his picture here (he’s adorable!), but I doubt the Internet is a safe place for baby pictures. Don’t worry, Margit, I’ll try not to forward those cell phone pics to too many people! Hehe.
But, the little man gave me a nice way to end the day. Plus, I got him the cutest new outfit—a black onesie with a sketch of a wagon that says “That’s How I Roll.” And of course, being an author, I also got him a board book. If you know anyone who has kids in the city, they’ll love this, “Urban Babies Wear Black.” I don’t know how many copies I’ve given as gifts, and I have no affiliation with this author. Truly. It’s just a really cute book.
POP-CULTURE RANT: Reruns
You know the summer line up sucks when you find yourself scanning the “Free Movie” section of On Demand. Have you looked at some of the movies there? I actually watched a few minutes of “Village of the Damned,” because I’d never heard of it yet it starred Christopher Reeves, so I thought it had to be good. Wrong. Very, very wrong. I miss Lost already. How long until the new season starts?
