My name is Jean. My middle name is Martha. Really. It’s a family name. I hated it when I was little, now I love it.

Email me at… iloveupstate (at) gmail (dot) com. Or follow me on Twitter where I tend to swear a bit. Consider yourself warned!

I started to blog a little over 2 years ago on Blogger. I’m in the midst of moving over to WordPress. Hang tight while I clean some stuff up.

I’m a literary agent and have the awesome job of managing and guiding some of the world’s best known, best selling and bestest all around authors and artists. My office is in Manhattan. I am priced out of owning New York City real estate (on my terms) as it’s currently selling for $1000 a square foot. Can you imagine? I am restoring a Greek Revival house built circa1839 in upstate New York. I bought the house in response to a death in my family. It was either start a HUGE project or lose my mind. I opted to work through my grief with a sledgehammer. It worked for me – mostly. My house has been in Country Living Magazine and featured on CNN.com. This blog has been featured in Cookie Magazine. I am running amuck. I also have an addiction to Chesterfield sofas.

From the Folks at CNN (about my home):
“A classic of the genre, this upstate New York home displays near perfect proportions with a two-story, Doric-columned portico and gently sloping pediment.” — CNN

What do they mean NEAR perfect!??! Kidding! It was a thrill to be noticed.

I travel for work quite a bit so sometimes I’m in NYC, sometimes I’m at My Big Fat Greek Revival House and sometimes I’m somewhere else.

Cast O’ Characters:

ME – Umm, you probably already read the stuff above, right?

THE FIANCE – No big secret there – he’s my Fiance. He’s a super-duper documentary film director and author of 2 (almost 3 now) books. Occasionally, he gets paid to verbally abuse (they call it ’stand up comedy’, I think) the CEO’s of major companies.

UPSTATE MOM – We’re real tricky with the names here. Upstate Mom is…MY MOM. Mom lives at the upstate house with us. Her boyfriend also shacks up with us. What can I say, I like strays.