the search for everything

Today is the day, John Mayer fans.

The Search for Everything is out in the world.

As John Mayer’s biggest fangirl, my search for everything ended on February 25, 2010 when I scored impossible front row center seats to his Madison Square Garden show. One of my favorite activities is making the impossible possible. And that was the best. night. EVER.

I’m celebrating today by kicking it old-school with a mix of Room for Squares / Heavier Things combined with the new album. Our attention spans are so short now (8 seconds on average, while the average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds) that artists are releasing singles in waves before albums because few us of can handle an entire album anymore. Part of me aches with nostalgia for the days when a new album would be released and everyone would go buy it, then take it home and listen to all the songs together. Hearing those songs for the first time, all of them in an order that meant something, was the biggest rush. An album release was something to look forward to. Something to cherish. Something to share with your friends.

But another part of me appreciates that JM released “Love on the Weekend” first. I grooved to his classic musical sound, euphoric that he was connecting to his roots full-circle. Then Wave One came out with “Moving On and Getting Over,” a super fresh jammer, and Wave Two brought us “Still Feel Like Your Man” and “Emoji of a Wave,” a song that always makes me tear up. John Mayer has been playing the soundtrack of my life since 2001, and The Search for Everything brings that history home.

Oh yeah. I was pretty much sitting on John Mayer’s lap that night. That thing where there are fifteen thousand people in the room but it just feels like the two of you? Is something I’d never experienced before and probably will never experience again.

Which is why I remember that concert so clearly. The pure euphoria of making my big front row center dream reality. Finally there was nothing between us. No heads getting in the way of my pictures. No arms in the air obscuring my view. Jumping up and down to “Bigger Than My Body” as John smiled right at me, knowing that I totally understood every nuance of that song. The charged rush of “No Such Thing.” The swoony spell of “Assassin.” Putting my camera away during “3 x 5” out of respect. Every time I hear those songs, I am right back there with John again.

Wondering how I made the impossible possible? You can read my blog post from 2010 here.

Wishing you sweet karma for the ultimate concert experience of your dreams, friendly neighbors. Rock on ❤

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 ❤

ziggy played guitar

The only thing I could possibly write about this week is David Bowie.

David Bowie was…

See, I just can’t get over that. The was part.

David Bowie was a shining visionary who motivated outsiders to let our freak flags fly. He demonstrated the power of uniqueness. He showed us what innovative genius looks like. He was a stellar example of how being true to yourself makes the world a better place.

As an outsider growing up in Middle of Nowhere, NJ, David Bowie encouraged me to be myself, despite what those cookie-cutter suburbanite kids at my school who bullied me said. He was a role model to everyone searching for their true identity. He was pure inspiration.

When I think about David Bowie, I remember his different colored eyes. Or that time I discovered that the Spiders from Mars were actual characters during a David Bowie binge watching afternoon at the Museum of Television and Radio. Or how, even though he was not a natural performer and was never entirely comfortable on stage, he sparkled like the born rock star he was.

He died last Sunday. We found out on Monday. And all week I have been in shock. Everywhere I walk through the streets of New York, David Bowie’s lyrics play on a loop in my mind. I will never forget the impact he had on music and redefining what it means to be an artist. I will never forget him.

No matter what your passion is, let it shine. Let your purpose in life sparkle and glimmer and radiate until you become a stellar example for others. We have lost one of our biggest role models. Now it is your turn.

Shine on, everyone. Shine on.

why i live here, reason #258

Scottish Octopus.

Because where else can you find live psychedelic Celtic rock on the street?

I heart you, New York ❤

booty time

What did I do yesterday? Oh, just swing by the astonishingly gorgeous new HarperCollins offices to film an author video for City Love. I cannot even tell you how super cute this video is going to be. Of course I had the opportunity to let my dorktastic freak flag fly, which you will get to witness in all its glorious colors sometime in March (which begins this Sunday thank god).

Before we started filming, I got to meet the beloved Margot and Aubry of Tea Time with Team Epic Reads. You guys. They did a cameo for the video. And they let me dance with them!

I KNOW. They are so adorable I can’t even. I was telling them how much I loved their whole dancing with authors thing and they totally let me werk it with them. They even let me select the music. There was no way I was passing up booty time with Tea Time stars, so I requested Booty (the version featuring Pitbull, just FYI, which I believe to be the supreme version).

So yeah. Shiny new author video. Dancing with Margot and Aubry. And this is my job.

Grateful every single day ❤

happy birthday, john lennon

We miss you, John Lennon. And we will never forget your wish for peace.

You were not the only one.

rock star giveaway

Can you believe it’s back-to-school time already? Me neither. Summer always goes too fast, but this summer has an even bigger hold on me. The weather has been gorgeous. I’ve had lots of relaxing mornings on the sundeck and fabulous dinners outside. Plus sunsets on the High Line and night walks along Hudson River Park, complete with spying on amazing apartments. So I was really not feeling it when I saw a display of Halloween candy at the supermarket the other day. Halloween candy displays are unacceptable to some of us still laying out in their bikinis needing to avoid fun size Snickers.

One thing that always resonates with me during the summer more than it usually does is music. There’s the soundtrack of your high school experience, which mainly forms the soundtrack of your life. That music will always be closest to my heart. But then there’s the soundtrack of your summer, which fluctuates from year to year. This summer I’ve been kicking it with Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, and Justin Timberlake. Not exclusively or anything. There’s always a sprinkle of the Bee Gees and Michael Jackson in my summer. But there’s a certain musical sound to Summer 2014 that will always be captured in time.

Thinking about how musical tastes evolve a bit over time (but mostly stay the same) reminds me of why I wrote Now and Forever. Or at least my inspiration for the book. One of my biggest fantasies in high school was to be the girlfriend of the world’s biggest rock star. Now and Forever is Sterling’s story. Ethan Cross is her boyfriend…and also the world’s biggest rock star. Missed the trailer? You can watch it here.

 

I’m giving away a signed copy of Now and Forever on Twitter this week. Here’s what I want to know: If you could have any rock star as your boyfriend or girlfriend, who would it be…and why? Follow me on Twitter and tweet your answer with the hashtag #NowAndForever to enter.

To enter the giveaway:

1. Follow me on Twitter.

2. Tweet the name of the rock star you would want to be your boyfriend or girlfriend and tell me why. Use the hashtag #NowAndForever in your tweet.

Giveaway rules:

1. All entries must be tweeted by Friday, August 29 at 11:11 pm.

2. Only one tweet per entrant will be counted.

3. I will announce and contact the winner on Twitter.

4. The winning mailing address must be located in the United States. If you live abroad but know someone in the States who can accept the prize for you, go for it.

Can’t wait to see your BF/GF rock star selections 🙂

now and forever behind the scenes

Capturing the tone of a book in a book trailer is not easy. There’s a lot to think about – casting, locations, music, editing. I wanted the Now and Forever trailer to capture both the dreamy romance of falling in love and the exhilaration of rising fame. Which is why, when my BF/soul mate said he’d write and direct the trailer, I was all over that.

The first step was to find actors who would bring Sterling and Ethan to life. I was thrilled when Lily Zahn and Ben Bowers responded.

 

 

 

Lily is freaking adorable. As soon as I saw her reel, I knew she had the talent, depth, and right look to play Sterling. Ben showed up looking like a total rock star. Dude, he is an Abercrombie model. Ben submitted this ad he did with his resume and I was like, Um, yeah, you might want to work on your abs more? But other than that…

This past winter was so cold that we had to wait forever until it was warm enough to shoot. Finally the trees were flowering and we were good to go. Our shoot was a full day with four locations in downtown Manhattan, including my apartment. Ben brought the world’s biggest rock star to life right in my living room:

My red couch will never be the same. Especially after the hot makeout scenes:

What’s it like to show up for a job and kiss someone you just met (while dealing with horrible allergies and getting locked in a diner’s bathroom)? Lily shared some reflections from the shoot:

It’s somewhat rare when filming that we would get to have the writer (in this case, author) on set. Since the book hadn’t been released yet, it was so helpful to have Susane there guiding us to bring her characters to life. It was also really comforting to know that Susane had handpicked us for the task. Sterling’s specific experience is pretty incredible – I’ve never dated a guy who became a world-famous rock star (…yet). But in playing her, I keyed in to what I could relate to about her story, which is being young and in love and having to realize that things change as life takes each person in a different direction.

Oh gosh, I had the worst allergies the day we shot the trailer. It was April and everything was starting to bloom. Probably the biggest challenge of the day was to not let feeling under the weather impact my performance. After all, Sterling wasn’t feeling sick! In that case, all you can really do bring is some Zyrtec and power through – keep the energy up, try to enjoy the experience, and ignore that stuffy nose and headache.

As an actor on set, one of the weirdest things we do is form an “insta-relationship” with a co-star. In a play, I usually have weeks of rehearsal to get to know someone and build a rapport. When I’m called in for a one day shoot, I may show up on set, shake hands, and start making out. No matter how you slice it, it sounds pretty weird. But I think we all know it’s part of the job and when you have someone nice and hygienic (and let’s face it, not bad on the eyes), it’s generally fine… and even a little fun. But it’s also pretty technical; you might get directions like, “put your hand here,” “smile earlier,” or “no tongue.” Once that first kiss is out of the way, it’s sort of business as usual (how many jobs can you say that about?).

Oh! Kissing schmissing. I have the most awkward story of the day. On our lunch break, I got locked in the restaurant’s restroom. Literally, the lock jammed and I could not get it off. I had a bigger emotional journey in those 10 minutes than I did the whole day of the shoot. I went through annoyance at the faulty lock, panic that I’d delay the shooting schedule, embarrassment at what everyone must think I’m doing in the bathroom, laughter at the absurdity of the situation, and finally determination to unjam that lock with brute strength (which I did… eventually, thank you very much). I flung out of the bathroom, took a deep breath and returned to our table. Show must go on, right? Even with the allergy attack and bathroom debacle, it was such a great day. I wish all jobs could be that fun and relaxed (and on schedule!) Susane and Matt brought such a positive energy that it really made my job easy and enjoyable.

Lily and Ben were amazing to work with. And I was happy that they had fun with each other. They made the relationship between Sterling and Ethan adorable and relatable.

Thanks for all of your kind comments about the trailer, friendly neighbors. Here’s to bringing books to life!

ginormous winners

How dazzled was I with all of your entries to my Seventh Annual Ginormous Contest? So dazzled it took me an extra two days to decide on the winners. You guys have so much musical passion, talent, and vision. I am beyond impressed ❤

First prize goes to Madeleine N. from the Philippines!

Madeleine rocked some bold color to illustrate how strongly music gives color to our lives. Love the old-school boom box graphics.

Second prize goes to Daniela C. for her musical artwork.

Beautiful, resonant, and striking.

Third prize goes to Tricia Ryzner. Tricia blew me away with her powerful vocals and beautiful lyrics. I should note that Tricia comes to my book events pretty much every year and has collected a signed set of my books. She graciously accepted third place so she wouldn’t prevent someone else from winning signed books she already owns. How sweet is that? Enjoy the musical sound of Tricia performing Scars (lyrics below):

We took a knife to each other’s backs
An end to a start that we never really had
You took yours out and then you laughed
But I fell apart and let it break me in half

For a while we fell
Into a never ending past
Somewhere in the dark
I found the strength to climb back

Somehow we made it this far
All the cuts smoothed into scars
A weakness turned forgiveness
It might be treacherous
But broken pieces only free us
And now here we are

By your hand we lit up in flames
And now we run from the smoke we had made
With nothing to show but a jar of ash
To remind us how far we’ve come since our quick collapse

For a while we fell
Into a never ending past
Somewhere in the dark
I found the strength to climb back

Somehow we made it this far
All the cuts smoothed into scars
A weakness turned forgiveness
It might be treacherous
But broken pieces only free us
And now here we are

All is mended
Can’t pretend it
Wasn’t for the best
Since it ended
We transcended
Who would have guessed

Somehow we made it this far
All the cuts smoothed into scars
A weakness turned forgiveness
It might be treacherous
But broken pieces only free us
And now here we are
Here we are

Honorable mention goes to Becca J.

Becca used a quote by her favorite French poet, Victor Hugo, about music expression. She loves quotes inspired by music. I love her record player design.

Thanks to everyone who entered this year. Stay tuned for more contests and giveaways, rock stars!

top ten

Happy summer solstice week, friendly neighbors! Summer officially begins this Saturday, June 21, at 6:51am EST. Bring on those summer nights.

I have a bunch of notes about stuff I want to share with you. As the bunch has gotten a bit out of control, I decided that a top ten list of the most important notes was in order. So here you go…

1. Which movie boy character is more adorable than Lloyd Dobler? That is a trick question. No one is more adorable than Lloyd Dobler. Who else would kick broken glass out of the way for Diane Court?

Say Anything… turned 25 this year. Respect. Enjoy these 15 Life Lessons from Lloyd Dobler.

2. Stay Bookish is doing a giveaway of a signed copy of Now and Forever. Plus they look at the Now and Forever playlist with a Story Soundtrack. You can listen to the complete Now and Forever playlist on Spotify.

3. Am I giving away books too? Of course I am. You can enter my Seventh Annual Ginormous Contest to win FOUR signed copies of my books! Show me your musical creativity in the form of a video, performance, fan art, original sound…however you want to express your musical brilliance!

4. In other book news, The LAMP is auctioning off a complete set of my first edition signed hardcover books to benefit their Media Breaker project. The LAMP brings media literacy training to students, parents, and teachers, encouraging everyone to perceive media messages in thoughtful, intelligent ways. Media Breaker allows you to remix and criticize commercials, news, music videos and more. As my good friend and co-founder DC says, Media Breaker is inspiring hundreds of little Jon Stewarts. What’s not to love about that?

5. This.

6. PRN radio interviewed me about Now and Forever, why my main motto is Dream Big, and how my personal love life influences my books. You can listen to the podcast here, starting at 32:55.

7. Fun fact time for my fellow NYC trivia geeks. You know those orange discs on top of street lights? They are photo cells that turn the street light on and off. What about those orange bulbs on the side of some street light poles? They are vestiges of New York’s fire-box era, indicating that an emergency box to call the fire department is nearby.

I don’t know about you, but I feel way better that this mystery has finally been solved.

8. Skeptical about whether true love exists? I can tell you from personal experience that it does. Which is why I write book after book about soul mates. I want my readers to know that the kind of love they want exists. But don’t just take my word for it. The Lovumentary has collected the most epic love stories all across the country. Read them and be inspired.

9. I’m more of a scrapbooking than a quilting person, but this quilt freaking rules.

A quilt featuring cupcakes and strawberries? Is my kind of quilt.

10. I am definitely in the running to set a world record for playing Happy on mental repeat. That song is my summer jam. Every time it comes on, no matter where I am, I get super happy. Even when I ordered oatmeal at brunch to try it because I don’t like oatmeal but I feel like I should so I wanted to give it another try even though I knew I probably wouldn’t like it.

Did I suddenly like oatmeal? No. Was I regretting my choice of oatmeal instead of fruit salad? Yes. You all know how obsessed I am with summer fruit. But it wasn’t a consuming regret. Trying new things (or giving old things another try) is important. Even if it’s oatmeal that doesn’t taste any better after putting cinnamon and honey on it. As a Taurus, I tend to be a bit, um, inflexible about my opinions. I know what I like. I know what I don’t like. But I also know that change is key. Change is what makes our lives better than we ever imagined. Change is why Diane Court let Lloyd Dobler push that broken glass out of her way. And why she let him fly away with her.

Here’s to a spectacular summer filled with happy sounds, true love, and positive change 🙂