Modelland (62 page)

The idea for
Modelland
came to me while I was in the car on the FDR Drive in New York City. I jotted it down on a piece of scratch paper and tucked it into my purse. Four years later, that scrap of paper has transformed into the book (
or digital thingamajig
) you now hold in your hands. And because of that, I have many people and places to say
merci, danke
, and
gracias
to.

From a scrap of paper,
Modelland
went to paper notebooks that I would write story beats in while sitting by the Hudson River. So thank you, Hudson, even if your water is not as blue as I would like it to be. The notebook material then made its way into my laptop, and I squatted at many cafés, for longer than the average dining period should last, and none of you complained (to my face). So thank you, NoHo Star, Caffe Falai (
“Ciao, bellos!”
), Balthazar, Delicatessen, Culina at the Four Seasons, Iris Café, Asellina at Gansevoort Park Avenue, the café at the Guggenheim Museum, and Andaz 5th Avenue—your hotel common areas and The Shop. And a special thanks to the Crosby Street Hotel restaurant. Sometimes I’d sit in one seat there for eight hours at a time, ordering breakfast, lunch, then dinner, only getting up for bio breaks. I know I abused the privilege of that corner window seat. You made me so comfy, though. You practically offered me a pillow and a blanket, and for that, I am forever grateful. Can’t wait for the slumber party when I start
Modelland II
. Oh, I can’t forget to thank my mom’s and John’s dining room tables. Thank you for letting me mar you with stacks of papers, computer cables, and coffee-mug rings. Mom and John, I send you each big, sloppy kisses.

My other life, being the chairwoman and CEO of The Tyra Banks Company, did not stop, and the pressure I was under was intense. At times, I had to get away so I could focus on
Modelland
. I went on a few kinda swanky retreats, camping out at hotels and doing nothing but writing. Terranea Resort, you helped produce a marvelous outline for
Modelland
. I might not have followed it exactly, but it was an amazing framework. St. Regis Monarch Beach, thanks for the love and golf cart
trips to the restaurant right on the sand. And Montage Laguna Beach, thanks for not complaining when I asked for an extension cord for my battery-drained laptop and you snaked one from about a half mile away to my balcony table overlooking the shore. Speaking of the shore, much love to the Pacific Ocean. Your crashing waves crashed through my few bouts of writer’s block.

Lake Como, thank you for providing me with a beautiful landscape in which to create and for inspiring the creation of Abigail Goode. As I gazed over your water, she popped into my mind. Hair? Water? Not sure what the connection is, but thanks anyway. (It didn’t hurt that George Clooney lived a few doors down.…)

Morocco. The weeks I spent with you produced such superb material. Thank you to the Amangena resort for your candlelight and to Abdul for the verbena tea you kept pouring at three in the morning when I was on a writing roll with insane jet lag. Morocco, thank you for the architectural inspiration for the atrium in the FEDS. Thank you to the wonderful people of the Berber village I visited. It was a real treat for me to read a section of
Modelland
for half an hour to children who didn’t speak English. I thought that if I could hold their attention that long, maybe my book had a chance at success.
Shukran
.

Greece. I polished my baby on your soil. I had to finally let her go while I was in your clutches. Hitting the Send button while staring at Crete waves was not easy. But all children must be launched into the world. It was time.

Yes, I have had the amazing privilege to write in some delicious places. But the place I am most grateful for is one that exists in some form around the globe, a place all have access to: the library. The majority of my time writing
Modelland
was spent in a library. A place where I feel at peace, at home. I can’t believe the
bibliothecas
where I spent so much time working on
Modelland
will now house it. So with much humility, I thank the libraries—and the librarians in charge—where I spent so much valuable time: the Mid-Manhattan Library in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (goodness, you are GORGEOUS!), the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, and the
Beverly Hills Library (especially for the BellaDonna Opera lyrics. And sorry for eating maple nut fudge—not chocolate—under the table. That BellaDonna songwriting worked up my appetite, and the fudge factory
is
right in your building!).

Cinemagic XM satellite radio, how do you know the exact score I need to hear when I am writing a particular passage?

Thank you to my Twitter and Facebook fam, who sent warm SMIZEs of encouragement as I struggled with carpal tunnel and my deadline.

Thank you to Harvard Business School and my marketing Professor Rohit Deshpande for schooling me on Hindi and Indian culture. Professor Robert Steven Kaplan, my leadership prof, thanks for suggesting I give the Unicas’ richer, more vulnerable backstories. Columbia University, I cheated on Harvard with you and used your grand stairway as a post to write an entire chapter of
Modelland
. You are so unbelievably breathtaking, and I can’t wait for our next tryst. Shhh …

Thanks to my agent, Nancy Josephson, for believing that Modelland was more than just a place in my head and for working diligently to make sure it came to life. To my book agent, Andy McNicol, for saying
supermodel
is an overused term and pushing me to come up with something else. Hence, Intoxibella! To Matt Johnson, my wonderful attorney (I know, you look nothing like Guru MattJoe and you have nothing in common with him, but I wanted to get your name in the manuscript somehow. Yep, yep.). To Brad Rose, my trademark attorney. You covered a very important Modelland detail for me. You rock!

Tama Smith, your business advice is my saving grace. Look for your name in
Modelland II
. Intoxibella Tama, maybe? Ken Mok, my dear partner on
Top Model:
you are an amazing cheerleader and an even more amazing father. And finally, you can visit Modelland, and not just in your sleepy awake-dreams! Michael Salort—can you believe it’s a real book now? And there’s no way in the world I could have done ManAttack without you. For that and so much more, I am forever grateful. Joe, I could not have kept track of the
Modelland
story, backstory, front and side stories, and everything in between without you. Laura Brown, thanks for allowing me to hole you up in your
Harper’s Bazaar
office
while you schooled me on “low-flying duck” Aussie-speak. Madison, thanks for offering to read my crazy-long first draft. How the heck could you do that and study for “Ivy” exams? Miss Madison, I have read many of your school papers. You have a writing gift. Go for it, girl! Sydney, thanks for the two words in this book that you sometimes say that I HAD to put in. Oh, and Sydney, dance in your spirit AND your body. You really ARE good!!!

Janice Y. K. Lee, yours was the first author reading I’ve ever been to. Thank you for showing me that once the book is released into the world, it’s no longer mine, that the readers own it. And thanks for the homemade Korean barbeque ribs. Yum! And Janice, I’m still hoping for a sequel to
The Piano Teacher
that I know you will never write. C’mon, Janice, just one secret MS for me. Please? Sara Shepard, we have experienced a few firsts together. A first novel for me, a first baby for you. You have no idea how my heart swelled when you told me I was a good storyteller! I only hope for a smidgeon of the success you have achieved with Pretty Little Liars. I can’t wait to read the sequels that still live inside of that genius head of yours! Stephen King (it feels so good to even type your name, especially because people will assume we are friends!), I want to thank you for writing
On Writing
. Yep, I read it. Twice. I may have failed when it comes to your advice that one should not use too many adverbs and adjectives. But Modelland is so splendiferously, kaleidoscopically, out-of-this-world colorful, I couldn’t help myself! Please forgive me!

Immaculate Heart High School, thank you for enriching my mind and making me an independent, freethinking woman. And thanks for having some of the best English teachers on the planet. Mr. Terry Vliet, if it weren’t for you and your fabulous literature classes,
Modelland
might have never come to fruition. It might have remained a mere idea on scrap paper that just disintegrated in the bottom of my messy purse.

To L.A. Models, Elite Models (
¡Hola, Oscar Reyes!
), City Models (
Merci, Veronique!
), IMG Models, the city of Paris, and the fashion industry worldwide: thank you for letting this big-foreheaded, flat-footed, skinny-calved, cellulite-dimpled-butt girl be a part of your world. You were the catalyst that gave me the voice to reach so many.

The Tyra Banks Company. My kick-ass team that keeps our company running, thank you for understanding that I had to check out for months at a time to work on my Modelland baby. EYE SEE YOUR BEAUTY! Hope, you Lioness of the Fierce Jungle (with great hair)! You miraculously managed my insane life, allowing me to focus on the completion of
Modelland
. Crotches! ;-) Sabrina, our Office Gypsy, thanks for your intense work ethic and keen eye. Your tireless help solidifying our
Modelland
cover, back cover, spine, and endpapers was a helluva task, girl! And Patrick, our Ringmaster. Wow, what can I say? Thanks for believing in, supporting, and understanding what
Modelland
means to me. Having you lead our team every day is a gift that keeps on surprising and giving. I appreciate you. Here’s to all of us fighting to keep expanding the definition of beauty!

To my editor, Wendy Loggia. Thank you for taking my first thousand-page manuscript (I know, insane) and making it this. How the heck do you know how to do that and not sacrifice the story? It’s a gift that is otherworldly. Are you human? Now that I think of it, your stunning eyes are kind of not really mortal. To Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, the cover is slammin’! You know it, cuz y’all did it! I know it was lotsa work, but you all rocked it. Much love to sensational artists Perry Harovas and James “Red” Schmitt. Our hands-on sessions in Chicago were fun and inspiring. And Howard Tullman. You are full of passion for Flashpoint, its instructors and students. They are all lucky to have you as their leader! Hebru Brantley, the endpapers (the graffiti on the inner covers) are so much fun. There’s so much amazing detail! But I can’t find the fried chicken I asked you to put in there! To my publisher, Beverly Horowitz, I’m not sure if you knew how dedicated I would be to
Modelland
or that I’d also be a big pain-in-the-nitpicky-butt perfectionist, but you are a living legend, which means you’ve seen it all. I feel so blessed that Modelland has been anointed by you.

To you, the person reading this book. My first novel. What can I say to express my deepest gratitude? Releasing
Modelland
into the world, into your hands, makes me feel so excited, yet extremely vulnerable. I’m nervous and curious about how each chapter makes you feel, which
characters speak to you. Which ones you love, hate, or love to hate.
Modelland
is no longer mine. It belongs to you. I hope you enjoyed reading her as much I did writing her. Thank you for spending your precious time with my baby.

To John. You make me smile. And laugh. And laugh. And smile. I’m smiling now as I write this. Your selflessness and patience are so rare. Thank you for the many mouthwatering meals you cooked while I typed away. Thank you for accompanying me on many of my odd (Columbia steps) writing excursions. Looking up and seeing you right there made me feel so special. Thank you so much for never complaining that I was writing too much. But thank you even more for telling me to go to bed when you knew what I was typing had to be gibberish because it was three in the morning.
Yo te quiero
. No, for real. ;-)