holding up the universe

I was only a few pages in to Holding Up the Universe when I was like, Seriously? Could this book be any more dazzling? Because no. No, it could not have been. The book was already so spectacular I didn’t even know what to do with myself.

This is what I’m talking about. Jack’s 10-year-old little brother is carrying a purse to school and doesn’t care one hang what anyone thinks. Something flew out of Libby’s nose when she was laughing at a cute boy’s joke in class and it landed on his textbook. BOOM.

Does writing get more brilliant than that? And I mean, this story is incredibly unique with two of the most endearing characters ever. It is fresh and fabulous, written in a style I absolutely adore. As if I wasn’t already fangirling hardcore, with every page turn I fell in love even more. I was like, Are you seriously this awesome, Jennifer Niven? SERIOUSLY?! Because yes. Yes, she seriously is.

Holding Up the Universe is phenomenal on about 73 different levels. This story is stunning. Consuming. Absolutely brilliant. This is one of the best books I’ve read in my entire life, across all genres. As a bonus, if you have met Jennifer Niven in person then you know how sweet and genuine she is. I am beyond thrilled she is writing for teens now and cannot wait to read her next YA novels!

So yeah. Just thought I’d share some book love with you. Read on, friendly neighbors. ❤

grand foyer

So the holiday season is here. For some of you, this is a fun time with friends and family, days off, and general cheer. But for others, the holidays are the most difficult time of year to endure.

I was one of those others.

If you have separated from your family as a survival tactic or don’t have a family to be with, I feel you. You are definitely not alone. I am sending you sparkly positive energy right this second. And also, I hope, sharing some inspiration that might help make the holiday season more bearable. This post also applies to anyone who has big dreams, who is working on achieving goals, or wants to make changes in your life. So, you know. Everyone.

Here in New York City, closet space is treasured even more than an amazing view. Ripping out a closet is unheard of. People buy apartments and build more closets. But after I bought my apartment and was planning a gut renovation, my architect wanted to do something outrageous. Something no one ever does. He wanted to remove a closet by the front door. At first I was waiting for the punchline. Because of course he must have been joking. But he wasn’t joking. He wanted to take out the closet and create a foyer. Note that pretty much anywhere else, a foyer is a large entryway area, measuring about 40 square feet. In downtown Manhattan, an entry space that’s like 2 square feet is considered large enough to be classified as a foyer.

By ripping out this closet, I wouldn’t just be gaining a foyer. I would have a grand foyer. Because there were about 10 square feet to work with.

Here’s what the entryway looked like before renovations.

That open door was to the closet my architect wanted to remove. Those slatted doors were to another closet which I kept (but of course had nicer doors made), so I wouldn’t be missing out on a front closet for coats and things. I decided to go for it.

Letting go of something you thought was essential to make room for something even more amazing is a vital part of evolution as an artist. You have to take risks. No matter what you are creating – music, photography, film, books – you have to challenge yourself to grow. To reach the next level in your journey. To keep things fresh and relevant.

I saw the bright potential in destroying that dark space. It was an unthinkable change. But. Look what it allowed me to create.

My grand foyer! And it makes me so. freaking. happy.

To make this holiday season more tolerable, perhaps even enjoyable, why not make a change you would have never considered before? Maybe something you desperately want to accomplish that everyone says would be crazy. Maybe something that scares you. Maybe something that you know will be a lot of work and have been putting off taking that first step. When you follow your heart instead of the discouragement of others, you can manifest your dream life. You can create impossible beauty. You can transform darkness into a bright place.

This holiday season I am working on the second draft of a new book. Writing is my happy place. It’s my way of focusing the swirl that could potentially erupt into a downward spiral into a productive activity I love doing that will help me grow as an author. I am feeling all sorts of revitalized, fresh energy with my writing, and am super excited to see where this journey leads. For now, I am enjoying the process of getting there.

Where is your happy place? Where is the darkness you can transform into light?

What is your grand foyer?

Wishing you a productive, exciting journey this holiday season! Much love xoxo

love on the weekend

If you know me, there is a good chance that you know John Mayer plays the soundtrack of my life. He just gets me. From little things like how blue lights on a black night can make you feel more to big things like the monumental euphoria of falling in love in New York City. My novels even reflect the strong connection I have to John Mayer’s music. There is a reference to the blue lights thing in When It Happens and the City Love trilogy covers that NYC euphoria.

So when John Mayer came out with a new single right before this weekend, of course I could not wait to be swept away again.

And I was.

I will be grooving to “Love on the Weekend” all weekend. This song has JM’s old-school musical sound, but reinforced by the recent journeys he has taken. Artists have to take risks at certain points in their career to stay fresh, to grow, to evolve. I feel like the past four years have been that time for John to explore new territory and travel new roads. Now he is back and it’s 2003 all over again. This song. Nostalgic. Full-circle. Bliss. Fellow fans will understand when I say this song brings the heart and soul of JM right back to you. I cannot wait for the entire album to drop. Of course it is called The Search for Everything.

Even the artwork of this single resonates with me. All of this just makes me smile and feel like sunshine and mellows me out. Perfect weekend feels.

Happy Weekend, friendly neighbors ❤

world kindness day

What a perfect time for World Kindness Day!

Let’s take peaceful action to encourage positive change, not attack and insult one another.

Be the change you envision. xoxo

election day

I voted and, as always, got a bit verklempt in the booth. Being part of history and all.

Oh, and then I had to get all Jack Bauer black ops to score an I Voted sticker. Apparently my polling place ran out earlier today. But I asked the right people the right questions and bam! My sticker was scored.

Did you vote today? Then congrats. You are part of history in an election you will be asked about for the rest of your life. Way to rock the vote, friendly neighbors ❤

top five, good vibes edition

Happy November! For those of you participating in NaNoWriMo, I wish you much happiness and progress in your novel writing journey. As I am also working on a first draft this month, there is nothing but good vibes up in here. Writing a first draft is the most difficult part of the process for me. So I am surrounding myself with positive energy and warm fuzzies as motivation. Keep going even when things get rough (and know that they will)! The key to reaching your goal is to never give up.

1. I am sort of still dragging after Halloween. It was a wild day of trick-or-treating, then walking in the NYC Halloween Parade. Walking in the parade is so freaking fun I can’t even tell you. For nine years I watched the parade pass by right near where I lived in the West Village, wondering what it would be like to actually be in the parade instead of watch it. So I was stoked to walk for our fourth consecutive year. My fiance got to pick our costumes this year (we alternate back and forth). Perhaps you recognize us.

When you walk in the parade, you never know who you’ll get to see walking along beside you. I saw Harry’s Styles, six friends who dressed up as Harry in different stages of his style evolution. I saw a Nasty Woman with a Bad Hombre. There was a huge inflated dinosaur bouncing along. Sometimes we were walking next to him and sometimes we weren’t. He kept fluctuating in and out of our area, which I adored. But when I saw these two guys, I lost my ish:

2. It has come to my attention that there is a Love Wall here in New York. How City Love is that?!

I will not rest until I kiss it. Obvs.

3. Speaking of kisses, Jay Asher’s new book What Light is out in the world. As you can see, I am a major fangirl.

You know how some people are not only outstanding at what they do, they are genuinely good, caring, altruistic people? That’s Jay Asher. Congrats on another super successful book launch, Jay!

4. October was National Bullying Prevention Month. As someone who was bullied all through junior high and high school, I feel the pain of each and every one of you who has been mistreated, ostracized, or abused. My book Keep Holding On was inspired by my experiences being bullied and is dedicated to Tyler Clementi. So when the Tyler Clementi Foundation asked me to write a guest blog post, I was honored. This piece I wrote is all about survival and the importance of staying strong. You are the change you’ve been waiting for.

5. When I turned 40, I decided that this decade was going to be fabulous. Every year I’ve been posting a Fabulous at 4_ photo to document. It’s a good way to keep me on point. Especially when I am very interested in cake. This is Fabulous at 43.

Stay strong, friendly neighbors! xoxo