rt booklovers convention

Going to the RT Booklovers Convention in Dallas this May? Me too! This will be my first time at RT and I am beyond thrilled. Over 800 romance authors will be in the house, including a really special group of teen authors. You can find a list of all the teen authors here.

Where will I be? Here’s where you can find me, with links to each event so you can see which authors will also be there:

May 14, 2015 – 2:45-3:45pm
YA: You’re Never Too Old!

May 16, 2015 – 11:00am-2:00pm
Giant Book Fair

May 16, 2015 – 4:30-5:45pm
The Match Game: YA Author Edition

All events will take place at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207.

Teen Day at the convention is Saturday, May 16, from 11:00am to 7:30pm. A Teen Day Pass is $30 if you’re only interested in attending the convention for that day. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a chaperone, but the Teen Day Pass includes free admission for the chaperone. More information about Teen Day is here and the full Teen Day schedule is here.

Looking forward to seeing your smiling faces, Texas 🙂

so much german

How adorable is the cover of the So Much Closer German edition?

LOVE.

In other So Much Closer news, Sadie will be returning as a main character in City Love. Which might not be news if you’ve already read the City Love synopsis. But yeah. I’m bringing Sadie back with her random acts of kindness and warm fuzzies, like the ones I posted on City Love trilogy’s Instagram. So get ready for some fun throwback moments!

the love of your life

Happy NewYorkiversary to me! Nineteen years ago today, I moved to New York City to start a shiny new life, build my dream career, and find love. Not just any love. True love. The love of my life. I’d always had a Knowing that soul mates were real and I was determined to find mine. New York City was actually my first true love and the inspiration for my upcoming City Love trilogy. All these years later, I still feel the city love every single day.

Growing up across the water in New Jersey, I knew New York City was my true home. I could feel the pull of this magical kingdom even before my first visit. New York is a place where everyone is free to be exactly who they are. No more feeling like an outsider. No more feeling like I needed to escape. When I finally turned this big dream into reality, I knew my whole life would feel completely different in a way I’d always hoped it would. I practiced a lot of creative visualization: imagining my ideal life, writing out my goals, and taking steps every day to turn my dreams into reality. When you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for, it’s easier to recognize once you find it. And having that calm clarity allows the things you want to manifest.

Back in my teens and early 20s, I thought that once certain things changed in my life I would finally be happy. I really believed those things had to happen first before I could find happiness. These were some of the big ones:

• When I get married, I will be happy.
• When I find an apartment in the West Village, I will be happy.
• When I finish paying off my student loans, I will be happy.
• When I reach my fitness goals, I will be happy.
• When my first book gets published, I will be happy.

But I was wrong. I had it backwards. It wasn’t that those things had to happen first and then I would be happy. I had to be happy first and then those things would happen. I had to build my own internal happiness, to love myself for exactly who I was, to allow those external things to happen. When you are at peace with yourself, you are able to attract the positive energy necessary to turn your dreams into reality.

Ever notice that negative people who are constantly complaining about their life never seem to get what they want? Negative energy attracts negative energy. You get what you give. If someone is spewing a lot of negative energy out into the Universe, that is exactly what they will get back. Being happy first is key to achieving your goals…and then your happiness grows even larger once those goals are achieved.

How can you be happy when there are so many goals you want to achieve? By appreciating what you do have instead of fixating on what you don’t. The decisions that you make earlier in life shape your future. Being the best version of yourself ensures that you are creating the best possible future for yourself and your loved ones. Being on your game as often as possible opens so many doors of opportunity for you. Everything from recommendations to internships/jobs to special favors someone in power decides to do for you because you are so sweet/awesome/intelligent. The possibilities are endless. Including the possibility of finding a soul mate.

I refused to settle for less than finding the love of my life. Even when people told me that I needed to settle if I ever wanted to get married because I was in my late 30s and this is New York City where the probability of a woman getting married over 40 is smaller than the probability of being struck by lightning while simultaneously having a piano dropped on your head. Even when people told me I was being unrealistic, that the total package didn’t exist, that true love was a myth, I had a Knowing that the love of my life was out there. I allowed myself to find him by never giving up.

How do you know when you’ve found the person you’re meant to be with? You have this feeling of clarity you’ve never had before. The feeling is undeniable. The feeling tells you the search is over. Of course there are more specific details that are evident to the whole world. One way you know you’ve found a soul mate? Is when you get each other the same holiday card. Like these adorable Papyrus cards my BF/soul mate and I got each other this Christmas:

To clarify, finding the love of your life does not mean finding a perfect person. No one is perfect. It’s just that the love of your life is perfect for you. Soul mates have flaws just like the rest of us. The love of my life doesn’t rinse the dishes before he puts them in the dishwasher. He struggles to maintain the closet organization systems I have established at his place. Sometimes he doesn’t read emails carefully and misses important information. But so what? If I listed all of my flaws, there would not be any more room on WordPress for anyone to blog about anything else. So please don’t misinterpret “soul mate” to mean “perfect person.” Soul mates are real, just like anyone else.

You can find the love of your life. Love yourself first. Build your own happiness. And refuse to settle for less than what your heart desires. Your dreams deserve to become reality. You deserve as much happiness as your heart can hold.

Here’s to infinite possibilities in 2015!

 

city love facebook giveaways

Happy New Year, friendly neighbors! And TGIM! To celebrate every Monday in January of this shiny new year, I will be giving away one advance copy of City Love per week on my Facebook page. A total of four ARCs will be up for grabs during four giveaways, one each week starting on Monday and ending on the following Sunday. These giveaways are international, so anyone can enter.

Of course Chez wants in on the action.

Entering the giveaways is easy. Each Monday in January (January 5, January 12, January 19, and January 26), a new giveaway post will appear on my Facebook page. To enter the giveaway, just like my page and comment on the post. That’s it!

How to enter the giveaway:

1. Like my Facebook page.

2. Comment on the current week’s giveaway post. A new giveaway post will appear each Monday of January (January 5, January 12, January 19, and January 26) along with a new question for you to answer by commenting on that post.

Giveaway rules:

1. A new giveaway will begin each Monday of January and will end on the following Sunday at 11:11 pm.

2. One winner will be selected each week, for a total of four winners. Winners will be announced on Facebook the Monday following each week’s giveaway. A new giveaway post for the week will also be posted each Monday in January.

3. Each winner will have until the following Monday (i.e. one week) to email me their full name and mailing address. My email is susanecolasanti at gmail.

4. This giveaway is international. Anyone may enter.

Happy commenting 🙂