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This is the last blog post I will write in my 30s.

Oh you heard right. I am entering a shiny new decade to go with this shiny new chapter of my life. Tomorrow is May 1. May Day. My 40th birthday. And I will be celebrating Fabulous at 40 style.

My birthday wasn’t always fun times. My Gram died on my 30th birthday. She was basically my whole family and I had a Knowing she would die on my 30th birthday and then she did and my whole world shattered. Every birthday after that was a nightmare. But then May 1, 2011 happened. Osama bin Laden was killed. And just like that, my birthday was entirely turned around.

Today One World Trade, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, will become the tallest building in the western hemisphere. They were supposed to add the final piece to its spire yesterday, but it was too windy. You can see One World Trade and almost the entire Manhattan skyline from my boyfriend’s place. We watched Zero Dark Thirty last night, One World Trade was sparkling out the window, its reflection shining on the TV during parts of the movie where the screen went black. You know how I love those full-circle moments. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you also know that I have a long history with the Twin Towers. And that my friend Stephen and I have walked down to Ground Zero almost every September 11 since 2001. It’s our way of celebrating being alive. I took this photo on our walk down last year:

I don’t only document One World Trade on 9.11, though. Here’s a photo I took last May:

Every day I see One World Trade, I take a minute to breathe in its energy. To remember. To appreciate everything I have and everything yet to come. One World Trade represents strength, resilience, and goodness. This building is a physical manifestation of positive energy. You can feel the energy just by looking at it.

I want to be like One World Trade in that way. I want to help make the world a better place using positive energy. That’s why I’m really looking forward to 40. My teens were the worst years of my life. My 20s were for working out issues. My 30s were focused on self-discovery, career stability, and finding peace. But my 40s? My 40s will be the happiest decade yet, no question. I have a Knowing. That’s why I can’t wait to be Fabulous at 40.

Bring it, 40s. Let’s do this thing.

keep holding on twitter giveaway

Woot! Keep Holding On is out in paperback today! Not only am I stoked for the shiny new cover, but the paperbacks really are shiny. They have glossy covers. Love.

Of course I’m celebrating with a giveaway. All of these author copies won’t fit in my cabinet.

Here’s how to enter this Twitter giveaway:

1. Follow me on Twitter.

2. Tweet this:

Win a shiny new signed paperback of #KeepHoldingOn! Follow @susanecolasanti and RT to enter. Giveaway info here: https://susanecolasanti.wordpress.com/

Giveaway rules:

1. All entries must be tweeted by Monday, April 29 at 11:11 pm.

2. Only one tweet per entrant will be counted.

3. I will announce the winner on Twitter on Tuesday, April 30.

4. The winner will have two days to email me (susanecolasanti at gmail) their full name and mailing address. If a response is not received in time, an alternate winner will be selected.

5. The winning mailing address must be located in the United States.

Happy tweeting!

goodness

Do I have to tell you that it’s been a horrible week? Of course not. The tragedy in Boston was an absolute nightmare. I remember the days and weeks and months after September 11 here in New York. We weren’t sure if another attack was about to happen. Every time I heard a low-flying plane, I braced myself. I avoided taking the subway whenever I could. And I kept my old-school phone with the twisty cord after I got a cordless one just in case I ever need it.

But we eventually emerged from the fear. The depression. The anger. We eventually resumed our normal lives. We will never forget. But we will not let evil dictate who we are. Because if we allow idiots to prevent us from loving life, we encourage more idiots to bust out the crazy. My response to people polluting the world with negative energy is to radiate even more positive energy. So this post is all about the goodness.

1. The first bit of goodness I’d like to share is brought to you by Judi W., first prize winner of the Keep Holding On paperback contest. Her zine cover is super inspirational. Thanks for keeping us where the light is, Judi!

2. You probably know that I’m a massive Flight of the Conchords fangirl. I promise not to go off on a rant about why the best shows ever like Freaks and Geeks and My So-Called Life were only on for one season while mindless shows like America’s Real Hoarder Housewives are on for what feels like an eternity. Flight of the Conchords was only on for two brilliant seasons. It’s just night right, you guys. The loss is palpable.

So how happy was I when my boyfriend took me to the Flight of the Conchords conference room at HBO?

Ah yeah. Goodness squared, baby. All that conference room needs is an oven. Then Jemaine could do the talking oven. “Let’s bake a cake!”

3. You might have heard a rumor that I’m turning 40 on May Day. Not sure how that happened. However, I’ve checked my records and apparently it’s true. I’m not into throwing parties for myself. But this is 40. So I’m having a Fabulous at 40 party at a swanky lounge in Tribeca. Months ago when Fabulous at 40 was in its initial planning stages, I visualized the cake very clearly. Vanilla funfetti cake. Vanilla buttercream frosting. Fabulous written across the cake in hot pink script. Rainbow sprinkles. And instead of candles, one sparkler. Guess what cake we’ll be enjoying at Fabulous at 40? That one! Well, almost. Lady M is doing strawberry shortcake instead of vanilla. Even better. Yay for unexpected goodness.

4. Speaking of birthdays, my all-time fave book, The Little Prince, turned 70 on April 6. I celebrated with these:

Why yes, you are looking at Birthday Cake Good Humor bars. They are new. They are delicious. And these were two for five. Good Humor always brings the goodness. But trust me. These take goodness to a whole other level. Highly recommended.

5. Finally, much exciting book goodness is coming up in the next few weeks. This weekend I’ll be chilling with my fellow book nerds at IRA in San Antonio. Here’s where you can find me. Next week Keep Holding On comes out in paperback on April 23. Stay tuned for more giveaways on Twitter and Facebook. Then I’ll be gearing up for the release of my seventh novel, All I Need, on May 21. Of course I’ll post my event schedule, contests, and related funtivities right here.

Thanks to Willa’s Ramblings for this sweet All I Need review. And thanks to everyone else who snagged advance copies and let me know you enjoyed the book. I’m hoping it will be one of those romantic summer reads that’s perfect for the beach.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend filled with much goodness. Let’s keep us where the light is 🙂

so much closer uk

How much do I love the cover of the So Much Closer UK edition?

I can’t tell you how sweet it is to write a book with all sorts of quirky details and then have some of those quirky details show up on the cover. This is a story about looking up. There’s so much we notice, so many opportunities that arise when we look up in life (both literally and metaphorically). Water towers are just one example of the awesomeness you can see when you look up in New York City. I’ve always had a thing for water towers. Origami is a big part of the story. Hence the cranes. Then there’s the High Line (third row, second photo). Don’t even get me started on the High Line. Of course there’s a cupcake. And coffeehouses and buildings and Central Park and city lights and all these things I adore about New York. Snaps for my UK publisher, Scholastic, for designing another gorgeous cover. They totally captured the essence of this book. They did an amazing job with the When It Happens cover too.

So Much Closer will be out in the UK on May 2. Cheers to my friendly neighbors across the pond!

ira

Greetings, friendly neighbors! Sorry to be a bit MIA this week. I’m on deadline and overwhelmed with work. But I wanted to check in quickly to let you know that I’ll be at the IRA Convention in San Antonio next weekend. Going to IRA has been a goal of mine for years. I am a huge conference nerd. Like, massive. Can’t wait to participate in the funtivities.

Here’s where you can find me at IRA:

Saturday, April 20, 2013
3:00 – 5:45 pm
YA Choices Program
YA Authors Who Make a Difference

Sunday, April 21, 2013
10:00 – 11:00 am
Penguin in-booth signing
Booth #3323

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
200 East Market Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: 877.504.8895

Hope to see you there!

keep holding on paperback contest

Keep Holding On comes out in paperback on April 23. With a shiny new cover!

I am of course celebrating with a contest. I’m giving away three paperback copies to three very creative friendly neighbors. Will you be one of them?

In Keep Holding On, Noelle and SImon start a zine. The purpose of the zine is to unite fringe teens everywhere and help people feel less alone. The zine has no name. Yet. That’s where you come in. What should the zine be called? It’s okay if you haven’t read the book. You can still think of an awesome title for a zine that wants to make a difference in this world.

For those of you who haven’t read Keep Holding On, here’s some info about the zine. Simon Bruckner describes the zine as one that will reach out and bring people together. The zine will be both online and in print. Noelle and Simon are using a physical cut-and-paste technique to create the cover and pages to achieve an authentic old-school quality. The pages are scanned for the online edition and copied for the print edition. Print copies are distributed at school as an underground initiative. The content of the zine includes poetry, short stories, photos, artwork, comics, haiku, fanfiction, journal entires, and other creative material that resonates with teens everywhere.

To enter this contest, send me your title for the zine. Include artwork to show what the title will actually look like on the cover. You can even design the cover of the first edition if you’re feeling extra inspired.

Prizes:

First prize – a signed hardcover of Keep Holding On and a signed paperback of Keep Holding On

Second and third prizes – a signed paperback of Keep Holding On

To enter:

1. Submit your title for the zine. Include artwork showing how the title will look on the cover. Artwork can be as simple as just the font of the title or as elaborate as designing the entire cover.

2. Email your entry to me at susanecolasanti at gmail. Please include your full name and mailing address with your entry.

3. This contest is international. Anyone can enter.

Deadline:

Entries must be received by Wednesday, April 17 at 11:11 pm.

Bring on the creative energy!