She's part of a circle of friends you met on a well-known literary agent's blog. Now let's say that friend emails you that she's going to be in your town and would love to get together. The day finally arrives. What is the first thing you do when you see this friend?
Well, if you're me, you scream. With lots of volume.
She knocked on the window while I primped trying to yank my hair into some semblance of order.
I screamed because I'm a bit jumpy, I guess.
After I screamed, we hugged and then headed out to dinner where we talked for hours. We could have kept talking, too, but it was getting late and we'd taken up the booth of the super nice waitress at Applebees for far too long. We discussed topics ranging from family to politics to mutual friends and, of course, writing. Funnily enough, writing is the thing we talked least about. Even though this was our first meeting in person, I felt like I'd known Teri for a long time. Trite, but true. Midwesterners of the same age, we could have gone to high school together.
Teri, in case you don't know, is an avid reader. No, scratch that. Is there a stronger word for avid because that's what Teri is. She is, without a doubt, the pace setter for what this crowd of writers/readers have their noses buried in. Recently she read and raved about Wild - From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, a memoir by Cheryl Strayed (aka Sugar).
You have to read this book, she said.
And then she saw to it that I would.
Thank you for the gift of your time, your friendship and the book, Teri. I hope I'll see you again very soon.
When is the last time you had an evening you wished could last longer?
She knocked on the window while I primped trying to yank my hair into some semblance of order.
I screamed because I'm a bit jumpy, I guess.
After I screamed, we hugged and then headed out to dinner where we talked for hours. We could have kept talking, too, but it was getting late and we'd taken up the booth of the super nice waitress at Applebees for far too long. We discussed topics ranging from family to politics to mutual friends and, of course, writing. Funnily enough, writing is the thing we talked least about. Even though this was our first meeting in person, I felt like I'd known Teri for a long time. Trite, but true. Midwesterners of the same age, we could have gone to high school together.
Teri, in case you don't know, is an avid reader. No, scratch that. Is there a stronger word for avid because that's what Teri is. She is, without a doubt, the pace setter for what this crowd of writers/readers have their noses buried in. Recently she read and raved about Wild - From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, a memoir by Cheryl Strayed (aka Sugar).
You have to read this book, she said.
And then she saw to it that I would.
Thank you for the gift of your time, your friendship and the book, Teri. I hope I'll see you again very soon.
When is the last time you had an evening you wished could last longer?
Tonite. Tonite I had dinner with a friend I haven't seen in a decade. From one of the happiest times of my life. And the best part was that aside from a few wrinkles on each of our faces, time had stood still. We could have talked all night. It proved my belief about reason, season, and lifetime friends. She's a lifetime friend.
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled that your night was as joyful as mine.
That sounds wonderful, Jessica. Those old connections mean so much.
DeleteBooks? Nerd.
ReplyDeleteTakes one to know one, Randal, my darling.
DeleteR.G., the purrfect liberry-ann.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Sounds like a party, Lisa!
~
It was a party, Thunder. The most fun I've had in a long time.
DeleteYay, yay, yay!
ReplyDeleteLook at those shining, happy ladies.
And the book? How much does Teri rock? Oh, yes, that much.
Can you believe we almost forgot to take a photo, Lyra? Teri does rock.
DeleteP.S. Rereading the title I could only think of Tuesdays With Morrie which made me chuckle. Then I thought that we could do an essay collection, Dinners With Teri, as she globetreks across the globe. Bestseller, no? Kind of a Where's Waldo.
ReplyDeleteI know.
Brilliant.
Lyra, I think you're on to something. Teri has met more of us than anyone else in this tribe, hasn't she?
DeleteAnd this time last year, I hadn't met any of you. Hadn't even considered it. I blame it on AmyG. :-)
DeleteBeing as far out of the way as I am these days the f2f meetings are non-existent but every so often someone distantly connected to someone else will find my blog and write me. That's always a delight as was the unexpected phone call from an old friend while a snowy spring gale powered its way through here on Easter Sunday. No, I saw no bonnets flying past except in my imagination.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had such a great time with Teri.
Susan - I swear, I'm going to drive to Halifax to meet you if that's what it takes. As long as we've known each other in the cyber sense, it seems a crime that we haven't had a chance to hug. I'll try to keep the screaming to a minimum.
DeleteFlying bonnets! Is there a drawing in that line?
Of course our Lisa didn't mention that she drove lots out of her way, and on a school night after a long day at work, to hang out with me. For hours. I'm pretty sure the Applebee's waitress loved us anyway....
ReplyDeleteLet's see: yes, the scream. Our first encounter. Because I was waiting at the front door of my hotel for too many minutes and when Lisa pulled in, I ran out to her car and tap-tap-tapped on the window. Scared the bejesus out of her. And we absolutely could have gone to high school together, in the same town, with the same families, same jobs, same (dys)functions. Funny how that works. But Lisa's right, it was 4 hours of chatter, which was, of course, way too short.
I'll add that we spent an inordinate amount of time talking about our animals. If we lived on a big farm, look out. All the strays would be in our yard.
Wow, planes trains and automobiles. I'm just now back home and it seems like we had dinner a month ago. So much fun. :-)
That was a drive well worth it, Teri. I had so much fun. We DID talk a lot about our animals! I hadn't realized it until you mentioned it.
DeleteWelcome home. I'm glad you got back to your girls safely. I'm sure they missed you like crazy. As you can imagine, I got home that night to disgruntled and STARVING cats.
Some day - all of us. One place, at the same time. Heaven.
The last time I had an afternoon I wished would last forever was with Teri. She has that effect.
DeleteI'm so glad you got to meet each other and that you had such fun. Someday--all of us. I'm there.
XO
Oh, look at you lovelies! And oh that book. One day all of our paths will cross at once, and that will be an evening I will wish for--and for longer!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that every person who meets Teri for the first time has the same reaction, that they've felt like they've known her all their lives and that they could talk forever. That's pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a sweet and thoughtful present. She really is out of this world.
That is exactly how I felt MSB. And it is pretty awesome.
DeleteWow. What an awesome meetup. And as a fellow writer, this is good and positive energy to converse with a lit agent.
ReplyDeleteLisa h, what a happy post. i had a friend who when this kind of thing happened would say "some good things eh"? so - some good things eh? continue...
ReplyDeleteLove the photo - the grins, the beautiful women.
ReplyDeleteYay, you met Teri! So glad to see your smiling faces together.
ReplyDeleteI never want Sunday evenings to end. And I didn't want the Friday evening at AWP to end -- the night with Teri, Lyra & Amy!
That sounds so great. I hope to have some nights like that with my sister soon. We are long overdue.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful evening!
ReplyDeleteknowing you exist and are always up to something to brighten the world puts an extra slice of cheese on the sandwich
ReplyDeleteIt's so much fun meeting bloggers, isn't it? We had two at our wedding on Sunday, Tracey of La Belette Rouge and Lisa of Privilege. Totally cool. We missed you Lisa!
ReplyDelete