Credit Lizzie Skurnick. In our spoiler podcast (coming soon! promise!) she observed the ways in which transportation plays a major role in WHAT THE DEAD KNOW, constantly undermining one character.
Over a twelve-hour period in New York, I was that character. First, there was the taxi ride downtown, to meet two old friends, Lisa Pollak and Chuck Salter, for a late-ish supper of pizza. (Name-dropping like crazy here. Google them, and you’ll find some very impressive stuff.) On Fifth Avenue, my cab braked so hard and fast that my legs flew up in the air and I ended up bracing myself with my feet on the seat in front of me. We were then rear-ended by a town car. Both cars seemed to come through the impact with no noticeable marks and I think I’m okay as well. (Hmmm . . . maybe a little stiffness in the shoulders? Too late to do anything about it now.)
This morning, I received a call at 7:30 that a car was waiting for me downstairs, ready to take me to CBS. When I got outside, a driver waved a sign that was too indistinct for me to read from a distance, so I asked: “Lippman? CBS?” He said yes. I didn’t second-guess him when he went straight on 56th, instead of making a left on Sixth Avenue, but when he started heading downtown on Fifth, I knew something was wrong. “Excuse me, I’m going to CBS.” “No, Rockefeller Plaza.” “CBS.” “NBC. Today Show.” “No, CBS. Early Show. Up by the Plaza. CBS!” “Aren’t you [name withheld, not famous, but possibly a little angry with me]?” “NO!” “But you got in my car! Oh no, this is very bad, very bad.” “But I asked, I said ‘Lippman!’” “I showed you my sign!” “I couldn’t see it! That’s why I asked!” By this time, we had doubled back and were stuck in traffic on 55th. I decided I could make it back to the hotel quicker if I walked. Even with luggage. In four-inch heels. I was right. I was in my car and headed to CBS before the other driver returned.
Oh well. Things went fine at CBS. Hannah Storm gave me a cheery wave and called out “Hello, Laura,” as if I were an old friend – hey, Vince Bagley was her godfather, after all — and I then sat down with Harry Smith, who promised: “We’re going to have to some fun.” We did. For the record, yes I was wearing the aforementioned Banana Republic suit, purchased in 1996, I now realize, not 1995. I can date the purchase so exactly because I was in Pennsylvania covering Dick Lamm’s presidential run for George magazine. (Remember Lamm? Remember George? I have nothing but affection for the experience, in which I was paid $1.25 a word, even for the approximately 1,000 of those words that were added to the piece by, I think, John Kennedy Jr. himself. Also, my editor was Inigo Thomas, one of the most delightful men I’ve ever met, who later bought me a martini the size of my head and helped me when I was reporting one of the snarkiest pieces I’ve ever written, about a young writer who was a bit full of himself.) The shoes are Faconnable slingbacks, purchased last fall from the world’s second-greatest shoe salesman. (The greatest, of course, was George Pelecanos, now retired.) The Nordstrom salesman sized me up, so to speak, and when I asked to try on a relatively simple pair of Stuart Weitzman suede clogs, came back with the Faconnables and black suede open-toed sandals, very 40s. Yes, I bought all three. They will last me forever. See, above: Banana Republic suit, purchased in 1996.
I’m writing this on the train. If it appears on the website about 1 p.m., then Amtrak – which has served me quite well this week, actually hitting the advertised 2-hour, 12-minute mark for the trip between New York and Baltimore – has come through. If it’s significantly later, then you’ll know that Amtrak was sucked into my transportation vortex.
(Um, Ms. Today Show guest? I’m sorry. But I did try to ascertain that I was in the right car. Honest.)
Killer shoes!!!
I saw your shoes, very pretty! Great interview too. What excitement ahead of time. You handled it very well, getting whiplash and all.
By the way, the e-mail has started trickling in, and I’ve been chided by one viewer for not writing a non-fiction book about the Lyon sisters.
Lizzie, my agent met your cousin Friday night. Everyone knows you!
For those, like me, who didn’t get up in time to watch, here’s the link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/15/earlyshow/leisure/books/main2571855.shtml
I had the same thing happen to me going to the airport. But I didn’t find out until I got there. Of course I didn’t have money to pay the guy since mine was a prepaid car.
Now having watched, agreed on the shoes, but not so much on the compulsion to do housework when working at home. Some people have word blindness; I have chore blindness. Please tell me I am not alone here…
Sarah, you’re not.
But, surely, you have some other household siren that calls to you? Cooking? Organizing your bookshelves? Lying on the sofa and eating potato chips?
By the way, Sarah, I’m sure it will take me longer than four days to read The Post-Birthday World; I’m speedy, but not as speedy as you. But I am loving it. And I almost fell out of my seat today when the book referenced Botticelli, a family game that I used in Charm City. I’ve never met anyone else who called it that!
Great interview, Laura, and thanks, Sarah, for the link! Can’t wait to get to the book.
Laura you were great on the show, it was so nice to see/hear you talk about your work both past and present. Big time thanks to Sarah for providing the link for those of us where it was pre-empted.
I started the book last night and read until my eyes wouldn’t stay open another second. I think you’ve really hit this one out of the park Laura. That’s not to say that I don’t like all of your work but there’s something about how this one reads that makes me think you’ve hit another level in your writing. There really aren’t any awards left for you to win that you haven’t done so I have no idea what stratosphere you could possibly be headed towards.
Among the things I really like about this blog is that you are always happy to hear from people and interact without being snobbish. In other words success doesn’t appear to have made you unapproachable or arrogant.
I hope this book hits the best seller list for you even though I don’t necessarily approve of said list. When a book deserves to be there that’s a different story than the books that are there because of being some publishers pet project or person. My not so humble opinion. Slygirl in sunny Anchorage
ooooooooooooops forgot to say that your 12 hours in New York is proof that you will never run out of things that could be fodder for a book. People whose life/trips go smoothly, off without a hitch have no real experiences that have tested their mettle to look back on and/or write about in some way.
Sorry for taking up another bit of space by being forgetful.
Sly
My peer group in college called it Botticelli, too. I once stumped all other players for several DAYS when my person was Woody Guthrie.
Laura, the lower-third supers have you and David married!
Have you forgotten to tell us something or did CBS slip up on research? I know the caption was there: Laura Lippman is married to David Simon of “The Wire.” Since I had DVR’d it, I got to see that twice. It doesn’t show on the video on CBS. You had a real good hair day!
My husband had left the TV on to videotape March Madness and then I heard, “Laura Lippman”! Yay, what a great interview–especially towards the end. You seemed very relaxed; reporters always love to hear how former reporters pursue book writing.
So glad for the link. The interview was excellent, as were the shoes, the outfit, and the good hair. (Can’t wait to read the book.)
Ah, working at home… Q-tips are great — just finished dusting in and around my keyboard with them. But that was only after I reorganized the fridge and did away with several mysterious science projects. No laundry, so maybe we’ll get some work done today afer all.
I just watched you online. I don’t know if I can wait until I get to Murder By The Book next Tuesday to buy the book. It’s a good thing that tomorrow is payday and that I got a raise!
I only work part time, but I have yet to hear the siren call of housework!
The shoes were great.
Laura, I am so glad you blogged abaout your shoes because they caught my eye everytime the camera panned back for a wide shot of you & the reporter. They are gorgeous and look great on you.
When I used to work from home, I’d take a break form work around 4:30 and start cooking dinner, these crazy extravagant gourmet affairs. Invariably, my boss would call at 4:45 and pots would be clattering, knives would be chopping and pasta would be tumbling out of boxes into boiling water. To his credit, he never once asked why I kept my home office in the kitchen.
Great interview, Laura! You looked fantastic.
It just goes to show you some things truly are ‘classic fashion’. If you hadn’t said anything, I never would have thought the outfit was from ’96. And the shoes were great too!
what a fantastic story.
I forgot to tivo you, but i’m hoping it will be online like it was last year! let us know. can’t wait to see the Banana suit.
I am available for the ferreting of conceits and tropes in your work at any time–especially since my parents paid appx 80K for me to know what those were.