As Nora’s deep into packing for vacation, I offered to write this Sunday’s blog. So while you don’t have her weekend recap, we’re looking at two solid weeks of armchair travel (am I dating myself with that reference?) up ahead. I won’t share where she’s going — I think we’ll let the first report do that. But I will say that she’ll be in a time zone behind the East Coast.
That last made me stop and think. In the the time we’ve worked together, Nora’s never been in a time zone west of me. I always play catch up to her.
This month marks a decade I’ve worked with Nora. In 2005, I lived in Arizona and ours was a virtual partnership of emails, a summer trip to Boonsboro and the RWA conference. When I moved to North Carolina in 2009 it remained virtual except that I drove up for all the Turn the Page signings.
I liked to tell people that contractually I had to live 5 hours by car or by plane away from Nora so that I wouldn’t be a bother. And that was fairly true. My trips up for signings provided time for face-to-face discussions and catch ups. Since Nora and BW were kind enough to let me bunk in at their place (in what’s now know as Laura’s Room), we could talk as long as we needed.
As time passed, I became more and more immersed in Boonsboro which meant I drove north every 4-6 weeks. That’s a lot of time negotiating I-85 and I-95, surrounded by trucks and cars and people anxious to thread their way through DC as fast as possible.
At one point in 2012 I had to be in Boonsboro every week in September so I asked Nora if I might stay during the work week. She said that was fine, as long as I didn’t breathe the air above the ground level come Monday.
I’m reasonably sure she was serious.
So I would work downstairs for a couple of hours every morning, then email Nora (who was two floors above) that I was heading to town and worked the rest of the afternoon at Turn the Page. It suited us both — I was able to breathe freely and chat with other people, Nora ran no risk of running into a live person in her house during the work day.
Last August, my husband and I moved to Frederick, MD. We rented a flat in the historic downtown to give ourselves a year to decide where we wanted to settle. A half hour away from Boonsboro, a little more than that to Nora’s house, drivable distances to both kids — it made the sense.
But distance makes no difference in how Nora and I work — we’re still a virtual partnership with a battery of emails flying between our offices daily. I don’t call, I don’t pop in and we both get the work done.
I’m not certain when the travelogues will start — in view of the time difference it could be Thursday evening, but more likely on Friday.
Stay tuned!
Laura
Interesting recap, thanks Laura.
Thanks, Laura, for filling in a lot of what I’d wondered from time to time! To have a working relationship and also be a friend can (I know from experience) be an interesting tightrope to walk. It was fun reading how you two worked it all out. Hope you both enjoy your time off.
I’ll still be working — and moving. We’ve built a town house here and settlement is just before Labor Day.
Laura
Thanks for the background info. I saw you for the first time, in New York, at the recent RWA. The place was a bit of a zoo- & the line for Nora’s signing was the longest in the room. I watched how you handled the public- that’s us- so seamlessly. Take the book, flag it, get the camera for photos, etc. I admired how calm and cool you were- Nora is lucky to have you- and vice versa.
It took years of practice to get that flow. I always find it so much harder at the Literacy signing since it’s away from the routine at TTP. Thanks for letting me know you thought it went smoothly!
Laura
I love hearing stories like this, and learn how relationships develop and grow. I hope one day to have the chance to see both of you in person, at a TTP book signing! Thank you for sharing.
How are you liking Frederick County, Laura? I have found it to be enchanting. I was a Montgomery County resident for many years and enjoy Frederick more. I absolutely understand the horrors of your previous commute. Where were you located in AZ?
A very informative update today, ma’am, I have a few secret guesses about where Nora is heading….let’s see if I am close. Enjoy your armchair travel.
We like Frederick enough to buy a town house and will move before October. A smaller move than NC to MD, thank goodness. We spent a decade in Scottsdale, kids went to high school in Phoenix.
Laura
Sounds like a great working relationship. When I worked, years ago, my boss lived right around the corner from me and she did not like to have a friendship outside of the office. So riding bikes and walking passed her house was hard. If she was outside gardening or working on the house or just sitting on the porch, we never stopped….just yelled over a hello. People thought that was so odd….but it worked for both of us. It was a small town and many of us from the bank lived around each other. I had personal relationships with some but none of us had one with “the boss” other than in work.