Carrie Link

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, THE CITY SO NICE, THEY NAMED IT TWICE

Sitting here in this lovely apartment yesterday morning, sipping great coffee, e-mailing, reading blogs, looking at my incredible view of the East River, and I hear someone trying to open the front door. I go to it, say hello, and the someone on the other side says, "Hi! It's Bonnie!" Something clicks into place in my brain, and I remember being warned someone would be coming by on Monday morning. So I open up and see Bonnie and an adorable older woman, who turns out to be Bonnie's mom.

"Hi, Bonnie," I say, still in my jammies, hair all over the place, "I'm a friend of Elise's friend, my friend is joining me here on Wednesday, but I came early for some meetings with agents. I'm a writer and...." and I proceed to tell poor Bonnie and poor Bonnie's mom, my whole life story.

Bonnie is Elise's (friend of friend), personal assistant. Elise and her husband are in France for a few weeks, so Bonnie has come by to water plants, answer e-mails, and from the sounds of things going on in the office, do some shredding.

Bonnie and her mom TCB (take care of business) and I keep clacking away on my laptop. When Bonnie comes to say goodbye, I ask, "How's the best way to get to Chelsea from here?" and she gives me the exact details, the pros and cons of bus/subway/taxi, the factors to consider for each, on and on.

"I'm from Portland, Oregon," I say, and immediately see that this approach has done what I've intended, proven that I am out-of-my-league here in NYC.

"Let me give you my cell phone number," Bonnie says, "just in case you have any questions." And just like that, I'm programming "Bonnie" into my phone.

I inevitably decide a cab is my best bet, especially considering it is a million degrees here, with a million percent humidity, and I need to look my best, don't you know. I call for a cab to pick me up, and by the time I've reached the ground floor, it's just pulling up. It takes me right to my destination, but because I'm over-the-top early girl, I've got time to kill. Still not wanting to be mussed before the big appointment, I slip into a clothing shop for the AC alone. The guy working the counter is pierced, tattooed, with his sleeves cut off on his black T-shirt. He gives me the once over and announces, "YOU, look great!" I thank him and mill around until it's time to go to my appointment, thanking him again, since the whole Ann Taylor look I've got going is proof to him that he is right, I am only using him for his AC, and have no intention of buying anything.

I go to appointment number one and am delighted by each and every thing I see and hear. Love the "kid," Adam, that greets me, love all the books lined up on all the bookcases. Love the ceiling fan, love that they have their overhead lights off, love, love, love it all. Then I meet Agent # 1 and fall so instantly in love with him it's ridiculous. He is all that I hoped for and more, and we get along like a house on fire.

We finish up, I take another cab (by now it's one million and ten degrees outside) to Agent #2. Love Agent #2, too. A completely different type of person from Agent #1, but warm, kind, generous, helpful, insightful, and overall just amazing. I look around her office, and I see what I could not see from my home in Portland. I see all that she is being asked to do. All the manuscripts she has to read, all the proposals, all the query letters, not to mention all that she has to do to sell the projects she's already taken on. I am filled with compassion for her, and finally "get" that what I've heard is true, agents really want to say "yes" but they simply can't, most of the time.

After my great time with Agent #2 I go to Barnes & Noble, the designated meeting place for my time with Courtney. Courtney I met almost two years ago, and we've kept up with each other's blogs and lives. She's great, one of those people where you can just pick right back up where you left off, easy, comfortable, warm, effusive, supportive, and best of all, eager to hear ELD of my day. Courtney has a four book deal, and her first book is being released in three months - she so gets all the highs and lows of where I am in this process.

Courtney takes me to a great place for lunch/dinner, whatever meal it is when it's 4:30 in the afternoon, and we have a ball.

When I get back to "my" apartment at the end of the day, I'm so full. So full of good food, good conversations, good experiences, just good. And just full.