My Town Monday: Ruby Foos, New York City

I have wanted to eat at Ruby Foos since the spring of 2007.

Oh, you say, why in the world would a woman living in San Diego have Ruby Foos on her mind for three-ish years?

The story goes like this:

On Wednesday, March 28, 2007, a literary agent by the name of Kristin Nelson was visiting New York City and had lunch with a Delacorte Press/Random House editor named Wendy Loggia. About 2,800 miles away, an aspiring San Diego author snacked on too much licorice.

That night, in her hotel room, Kristin Nelson kicked off her high heels, donned her comfy sweats, and fired up her laptop (I don't know that it happened EXACTLY like this, but it might have! ). She blogged:

It’s late so I only have time for a quick blog entry. Today I had lunch with Wendy Loggia from Delacorte (a children’s imprint at Random House).

We ate at the yummy Ruby Foo’s on Broadway (which is an editor hang out by the way). You can always spot publishing folks here around lunchtime because of the close proximity to the Random House Building.

Wendy mentioned that she would love to see a MG or YA mystery (think a modern Joan Lowery Nixon-type author who can reinvent something fresh).

Even later that night, the San Diego woman woke up with insomnia and a stomachache. She decided to forget about sleep for a while and padded down the hall to her teeny tiny office to surf the net. Lo and behold, she stumbled upon Kristin's blog. "Oh, oh oh," the aspiring San Diego author squealed to no one in particular as everyone in her house was fast asleep. "That could be my little Sherry!" She immediately cut and pasted the blog post into an email and shot it off to her agent, Rachel Vater, back in New York City.

Rachel added Editor Wendy's name to the submission list. And by May 17, we had a two-book deal for I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES and I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY. (Naturally, it wasn't quite this cut and dried. Agent Rachel worked her special brand of magic. She got other editors interested. She negotiated a two-book contract. But, by the end of an exciting day in May, we did sign with Editor Wendy. Yay!)

So, on October 27, 2010, Child #4 and I walked to Ruby Foos for our pre-theatre dinner (la di da!) before seeing Wicked (beyond amazing!) at the Gershwin Theatre.

At Ruby Foos, I ordered the house salad (which came in a bowl made of cucumber slices!) and sushi. Child #4 had dumplings and white rice (She's a bit of a carb fanatic.). And while I was waiting for my food, I gazed around the restaurant and wondered where Kristin Nelson and Wendy Loggia had sat and what they had eaten on that fateful day in Ruby Foos back in 2007.

This week, I'm the hostess with the mostest for My Town Monday. So, if you've put up a MTM post, let me know in the comments section here or on the official My Town Monday blog. And I'll link to you on both blogs. Happy Monday!


Oh, and here's a link to Kristen Nelson's momentous blog post.

More from New York City . . .

We started today on an open-air double-decker Greyline tour bus, headed downtown to the southern-most tip of Manhattan: Battery Park. The weather was beautiful, and we sat up top. No doubt Child #4 and I brought this spring-like weather with us from California. When we leave on Thursday, we'll be taking it back with us. New Yorkers, you have been warned. ;)

Anyway, we learned all manner of New York trivia during our tour. I managed to jot down a couple of facts. Mostly though, I enjoyed the ride, eavesdropped on the Quebeckers sitting behind us (I don't hear Quebec French very often, and that's my excuse for listening in!), and laughed at all the tour guide's jokes.

Here's a little trivia for you:
-Manhattan comes from an Indian (Algonquin??) word meaning "island of rolling hills."
-Lombardi's Pizzaria, 32 Spring Street, was the first American pizzeria, licenced in 1905. Apparently, it really is good New York pizza. Child #4 and I added it to our to-do list, but I have my doubts as to us making it there. The list is too long for the number of remaining days.
-Disney bought the New Amsterdam Theatre (where we saw Mary Poppins) when it was still part of the red-light district of 42nd Street. Child #4 had a couple of questions about this!

The Sphere was originally located between the Twin Towers. It was resurrected from the rubble following 9-11 and set in Battery Park as a reminder. You can see how battered it is.

I took this cell-phone picture of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry. Child #4 got a much clearer and closer shot, but I forgot to bring the usb cable that goes to her camera. The statue is very majestic. There's so much history down here by the harbor; Child #4 and I are really not doing it justice. We could've spent our entire trip, poking around this area. BTW, the Staten Island ferry is free.

This is a street in China Town, on the Lower East Side. We'd like to get back here for a meal. And that establishment in the photo that offers back and feet rubs looks tempting. We've been doing A LOT of walking!


Here I am at the door of the Folio Literary Agency. There's something surreal about visiting a place you've only emailed and phoned. See the sparkle on the door? It almost looks like Sherry's mother (a ghost in the I SO DON'T DO mystery series) is dropping in on Folio with me. ;)

Rachel Vater, my agent, holding up a copy of I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY, which actually goes on sale in paperback TOMORROW! Rachel is as smart and vivacious as she looks.

Off to dinner we went. Good company, good food, good music!

Here's a picture way out in left field. Where do you set your American Girl doll in the restroom at the American Girl store? Why there's a special hook, just the right size for holding an American Girl doll, in each cubicle.

Tomorrow: Greenwich Village

Missing in Action

Sorry to be so missing in action...

BUT I HAVE A DEADLINE NEXT WEEK!

Yes, the revisions for book #2, I So Don't Do Spooky, are due. Editor Wendy wrote a lovely revision letter, full of really wonderful solid suggestions. I'm very lucky in that I have the best editor who writes the best letters. I'm sure there are other authors out there who feel their editors write the best revision letters. Sadly, they're mistaken.

A little housekeeping before I get back to the grind...












Last week, I got together by the Giant Dipper roller coaster (Yes, I did a My Town Monday post about it) here in San Diego with fellow 2k8er Nancy Viau, debut middle grade author of Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head. We went for a l-o-n-g walk on the beach. I mention this last detail to explain my frizzy hair. Then we stopped for drinks at a somewhat seedy place in PB (Pacific Beach). We had planned to meet and chat for an hour or two, but ended up talking for FOUR AND A HALF HOURS. Nancy did most of the talking. Okay, so that's not even close to true. We both talked so much that we barely even breathed. It was loads of fun (and a little scary) discovering just how much we have in common.



It's debut author, Teri Brown's launch week on the Class of 2k8's blog. Her YA novel, Read My Lips, is on shelves now. I'm going to ask Teri if she'd like to be interviewed by Kelly Couric and do a book giveaway on this blog. And, really, now that I've published this post, how can she say no? :)

I owe ARCs to Larramie and Angela and a gag gift to Brian. I haven't forgotten. I just haven't gotten to the post office yet. And I haven't figured out anything heinous enough for Brian. But I will get it all taken care of; I promise.

My high school English teacher did a book review for us, and I'll get it up on the blog after my deadline.

Not sure what made me realize today that I never posted about meeting Agent Rachel Vater in Phoenix. I better get on that.

Okay. My break time is over. Very nice spending it with my bloggy friends. I probably won't be able to play until next week. So, now you know not to worry about me. I'm not sick. I'm not hurt. I'm not off galavanting.

I'M JUST IN REVISIONS!

Child #3, Upcoming Trip

In honor of National Poetry Month, Child #3 has a poem up on the Class of 2k8's blog!!

Please pop over and see his brilliance!

In other news, I'm packing my bags. I'm headed to Phoenix for a writers' conference this weekend. It'll be a terrific time for several reasons:

1. I get to meet my agent, the amazing and wonderful Rachel Vater, for THE VERY FIRST TIME EVER!

2. I'll be doing some writing research at a real-live (pun intended) cemetery, middle school and a couple of other Phoenix locations. So, if you're in the area and spot a cute (Hertz has assured me) little rental car with a Garmin stuck on the windshield and a woman with beautiful hair (I got new highlights yesterday) at the wheel, honk and wave!

3. I have a room all to myself in a swanky hotel.

4. I'll get some decent uninterrupted writing time. (The revisions on book #2 are coming along swimmingly, BTW. Don't fret, Uncle B., I'll be done on time.)

5. Writers' conferences are always fun!

6. I'll be hanging out with RACHEL VATER, THE BRILLIANT AGENT WHO HELPED MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE! (Yes, I know this is very similar to #1, but I'M SO EXCITED!)

Should I take pictures for you guys? I could, although my cheap digital camera isn't always kind to her subjects...

In the throes of all this excitement, I'm throwing caution to the winds and heading to Target without a list!

I've missed you, dear blogging friends. I've been so busy with revisions that I haven't been bopping around to all your blogs as usual. Bear with me, please. Once the book is in, I'll catch up!

And thank you Laura of Catholic Teacher Musings for including me in your poem. What an honor!