Thursday, May 27, 2010

The BEA and NYC



I am back from New York City and the BEA ( Book Expo of America). I went to NYC in search of making connections and seeing how the publisher was going to be represented and represent my book, A Wasted Life, at BEA. Although my book did not get scooped up by a major publisher or become the subject of a major motion picture...I still accomplished my goal...and I had a fabulous time! There is something about NYC that brings the kid outta me. A quick burst of nostalgia was just what I needed.
Monday evening: I had major nerves at the thought of taking the plane to NYC and leaving my family. I mean how would they survive without me for 48 hours? I got through the flight even with the non-stop coughing, very sick woman sitting behind me. Forget hand sanitizer, can anyone say body sanitizer? When I got there, my cousin was waiting for me in style... a Beemer from the zip-car lot. That's my boy! We went to a quaint Italian restaurant and I had some great quality time with my cuz at his bachelor pad in Lincoln Center.
Tuesday: Adorned in my T-shirt that read in bright colors, "Ask me about getting wasted," I was headed to the Jacob Javitz Center for the book expo... the same one that Babs is speaking at about her decorating book and Fergie is attending while tons of reporters stalk her amidst her scandal. When I got there I realized that most of the exhibitors were there, but setting up, not yet "exhibitting." Okay, a little setback in the itinerary. So I took a deep breath and tried to rewire my thinking. The BEA came with a pretty hefty cost per day. I could only afford one day. I decided I would squeeze my time on Wednesday, before my return flight, into the BEA. I told the girl at the desk I was leaving and to register me for the next day. Before leaving, I decided I would look around and get as far as I could. I had my bookmarks and business cards and I was ready to mingle despite my trepidation. The Javitz is huge and "book" people can be intimidating. There were plenty of lectures going on. I was walking through a sea of people with badges. I was the only one without one. I decided to keep going up the escalator to the exhibit area. I saw wonderfully interesting displays and spoke to wonderfully interesting people. Then something caught my eye..It was my publisher's booth right before my eyes... and MY BOOK! This is it. This display will be up for the whole show. Wow this was great placement. At least that was a score. And I met some pretty cool people. I gave out most all of my bookmarks. My return to the show was still up in the air.
Then I took off to meet terrific friends ( Luis at Fox) , have lunch in Rockefeller Center wih Jaclyn and Danielle, shop at Macy's with Jaclyn, head to the The Muse hotel for drinks to meet more friends and family (Liz, Sheryl and Fara), then to the theater district for dinner before returning to the Lincoln Center and my cousin Vinnie.

Wednesday: The next day I awoke to realize I needed to run downstairs to Starbucks. That's when I was greeted by Regis as in Philbin. A little later I would see his cohort on the street doing a segment for Regis and Kelly. Then I enjoyed the tiny part of tranquility one can find in NYC. .. Central Park...A gorgeous day, watching the horse and buggies go by, along with the nannies, the joggers and bikers. That's when I realized... I need to make the most of whatever time I have left. I knew I was near ABC studios. I quickly asked my super hubby to get me the address to Joy Behar's show. He texted me back with it and armed with a book in my purse, I was on the move. I arrived at the studio after walking ten blocks west in 95 degree weather. I was told to hit all points of ABC, security included, until I finally reached the messenger center. Voila! I was told to write a note and put the book in a special bag. I hope this book will actually make it into Joy's hands... The guard said by noon she would have it. Really?? Okay, I'm gonna go with that and hope she received it. Next I retrieved my bags, headed to the subway ( a scary reminder of what I don't like about the city) and then to meet a friend for lunch. Then I hailed a cab for about a half hour (they were all on shift change). Then I got "Mr. Cabbie's Wild Ride through Queens." And that was just what I needed to make me long for home and get the heck outta dodge. A friend was waiting for me at the airport and we had a wonderful chat on the plane ride home. It was fun while it lasted, but oh so great to see the palm trees that greeted me at the airport when we landed, sunshine and my family.
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4 comments:

  1. JenenJune 3, 2010 at 4:00 AM

    Glad you had a chance to go!!!!That was so cool seeing your book on display. Love the pics! What a feeling that must have been!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 3, 2010 at 4:40 PM

    I think it was a great experience all around and I expect "good things, good things" ( thick New York accent)( Alec Baldwin in Along came Polly)for you and the book!
    So excited for ya!

    Love,
    AGT

    ReplyDelete
  3. Angelo NatalieJune 5, 2010 at 3:41 PM

    Hi, Marlo ... it was great to meet you at BEA ... I was there with my brother Peter. We enjoyed our chat with you. All the best with your book.

    Ciao,
    Angelo
    (Fellow Sicilian)

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 16, 2010 at 10:05 AM

    "you go girl" i AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!
    Sounds like you had a great trip and got some good exposure. Keep it up, your day will come.
    Aunt Elsie

    ReplyDelete

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The story

If art imitates life, then “A Wasted Life” is a perfect example of that. Most all of us could probably say we have felt that we missed an opportunity at one point or another. Or maybe we have felt that we had followed the wrong path at a critical turning point. Maybe our eyes were closed to something wonderful right in front of us and once we realized it, it was too late. All these experiences are realized in "A Wasted Life."

Based on the true life experiences of a New York man who was, for all intense and purposes, on a fast-track to a successful career and family life, “A Wasted Life, “ tells the provocative fictional tale of how selfish pride, narcissism, poor judgment, addictions and bad habits can get in the way of your dreams and desires.

The title of the book is derived from a comment Robert DeNiro made in the 1993 movie “A Bronx Tale,” and sort of picks up where that theme left off by way of a very gangster-esque main character. This book is rich with animated and entertaining characters mixed with factual details of pop-culture and events that happened in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and into the new millennium. The story is told through two people’s eyes, Joey Martino and his daughter Nina and explores a very dysfunctional father-daughter relationship.

Nina starts off the story with a festive holiday celebration only to be interrupted by an unexpected phone call from an estranged Joey. With mixed and torn emotions, this forces her to recall many turbulent and violent memories about this once powerful air-traffic controller and union leader. Fast-forward to the current times where Joey picks up the narration when he finds out he has cancer. The story becomes a tormented person’s road to finding himself and forgiveness. An unlikely friendship ensues between Joey and a Jamaican nurse, illustrating how compassion can go a long way. Meanwhile, a mysterious reporter steps into Joey’s life to chronicle some of his past. The latter coupling takes on a life of its own, similar to a patient/ therapist relationship, giving Joey so much to hold on to during his fight to survive.

Hopefully you will come away with a new found enthusiasm for life, appreciation for loved ones, motivation to cultivate lost and new relationships, and passion to pursue your dreams and talents.

How it Started...

Well about 10 years ago, when I lived with my roommate, we were both journalists and we had both always wanted to write a book. It was a goal for each of us, so we challenged each other and got started. Needless to say as time went on, work, love, marriage and kids got a hold of me, thank GOD for those things, but I let the book idea go. I guess you could say, life got a hold of me… Then after a series of tragic losses, I began to realize that life was too short to let dreams go by and let things just happen to me. After all I was someone who always set goals and conquered them. I was a marathon runner for goodness sake. An opportunity presented itself during a brief meeting with an acquaintance who is a life coach who wanted to get healthy and fit. Since I am a fitness professional, the wheels were set in motion. We were going to barter our services to each other and make our dreams happen. We set a start date, made each other accountable and gave each other a year to reach our goals.
That year was riddled with highs and lows for me as I was working, being mom to my two young children and trying not to let this “hobby” of writing a book interfere with day-to-day life. The biggest low came with the news that my grandmother, who was like a second mom to me and whom I affectionately called “nanny,” was very ill. Being there for her was never a question, but it was hard on everyone involved, day after day, caring for her and watching her suffer and seeing her pass on. I still miss her terribly. Through it all though, I still kept on writing the book, and oddly enough I felt like I had an angel on my shoulder telling me to keep going with my dreams and goals.
I am happy to say, nanny (grandmother) helped me finish the book ! We did it lady!

It was a long year but a very interesting and cathartic journey. Even if I shared it with nobody else I was elated with what I had done. A few close friends and family members read the book and it drove them to fits of laughter and tears. They urged me to let people know about it. It has the power to touch so many people for so many different reasons. I believe we can all relate or recognize ourselves in some of these characters. So here it is… and I’ve got lots more stories where this came from.