Christina Hogrebe, Agent Extraordinaire

I am incredibly fortunate enough to be represented by one of the finest literary agencies ever, the Jane Rotrosen Agency. At Rotrosen, author representation is a team effort, and when I call or email anyone there, I know I'm speaking with or dealing with true professionals in every sense of the word. Support, enthusiasm, industry savvy, editorial input, advice, hand-holding, friendship, laughter - it's all there.

But let me give you an example of how Christina Hogrebe (in the black dress - isn't she gorgeous?) went above and beyond the call of duty for me the other day.

Christina and I decided to go on a culinary adventure this past Friday by visiting a Tex-Asian fusion restaurant (recommended by Rachel Ray), called Fuse. Tres' chic, no? We hopped in a cab and dined on Chili Scented Edamame, assorted sushi, chicken and steak while we talked about life, love, business and all things in between. I had another appointment back at the hotel at 1:30, so we thought we had plenty of time to catch another cab and make it back, but when we walked out of the restaurant, it was pouring down rain. It was right about this time that I realized that I had NO IDEA which meeting room I was supposed to go to once I made it back to the hotel (somewhere along the line I'd lost the email that held that particular detail.)

We called a cab and were informed that it would be there in less than ten minutes, so we waited. And waited. And waited. Now time is getting short, it's pouring down rain, and I have an important meeting to get to and no way of finding out where it is short of running through the halls of the Hyatt, looking for a sign.

So what does Christina do? She goes outside (in the rain), and does her best to hail a cab, telling me to stay inside and dry so I'll look nice for my meeting. But this is Dallas, not NYC, and cabs aren't as plentiful as one might think (perhaps they'll melt if they get wet?). Christina sees one a block away, and starts in that direction, gets halfway there before the cab we called finally shows up. Once inside, a very damp Christina whips out her trusty cell phone and starts making calls, trying desperately to find out the details of where I'm supposed to be. Office? Check. HarperCollins main number? Check. Marketing department? Check. Voicemail? Dead end. By this time, we're back at the hotel, and almost out of options. I honestly believe Christina would've run through the halls like a madwoman with me, searching for the meeting room, except that I took pity on her dampness and sent her off for a well-deserved break.

The good news is that I found the meeting room with nary a minute to spare, but it never would have happened if it weren't for Christina, willing to stand in the rain to snag us a cab.

That, my friend, is a good agent.