The entry to New York City and checking in to our hotel was exhausting…three hours from the airport. The city is so large, enveloping, and the skyscrapers hide nearly all the sunlight from above. Our shuttle crept along inch by inch amid the traffic and I wondered which was more of a maze, the advertising that was born out of every square foot of free space, or the buildings—old, new and currently being renovated. It was too much for me.
Once settled, Krista and I indulged our minds with the peace of not thinking about what still needed to be done before the convention doors opened at 9am Friday morning. To do so, we escaped to Greenwhich village and found an irrisistible alley called Cornelia Street. Italian white wine waited for us, and a comforting dinner at Pó. We felt good. The retreat from traffic and deadlines was much needed in order to get in the right emotional space to take on the convention. BEA is a beast, you need to gear up before, and rest afterward like you’re an athelete in competition.
The next day Wenda advised us not to rush to set up, and she was right. We got there after 11am and all of our boxes were waiting, our Tinwood neighbors greeting us with smiles, and the PGW staff ready to help. (In BEAs past, I’ve sat there in the empty booth waiting hours for our shipment of boxes.) Five hours later Travelers’ Tales and Birdcage Books, looked great and ready for show.
Linda Watanabe McFerrin stopped by between classes and…
saw the behind the scenes work that goes on. She was in a class where book editors and publishers were dicussing what they’re looking for. I think. Take one of her writing classes, where she shares all the secrets of writing she’s learned through the years, and continues to learn for her students. I’ve taken two of her classes, they’re great!
Set up over with, we had cocktails at the BEA kick off party where former NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani was droning on and on about near everything but the making of his book,Leadership. Ok, I’ll admit it, I was excited to see him, but he got a bit long winded and my rum and coke, Linda, and WWW agent Victoria Shoemaker were far more entertaining.
Good luck, now that I got published, I know that selling is a challenge.