Susane Colasanti - Journal

When I was a teacher, I had this thing about attendance. I wanted mine to be perfect. I felt really strongly about being at school every day for my kids. As someone who was abused and neglected as a teen (which is why I've dedicated my life to helping teens, by the way), I know what it feels like to have no one at home you can talk to or trust. So even though it was just for one class during their day, I wanted my kids to know that they had someone who would be there every day for them. I had perfect attendance for the first six years of teaching. During my seventh year, I contracted a nasty virus and had to stay home. I felt worse about being absent than I did about being sick. After I resigned from teaching, I found out that all of the sick days I never took were days I'd be paid for. This reimbursement came in a series of three checks, the last of which I just received.

I don't like spending lots of money on things I don't need. My Gram taught me the importance of being frugal, and that's the way I've always been. Saving as much as possible was the only way I could manage to pay for college, pay off my student loans, and move to my dream neighborhood. But this doesn't mean I don't treat myself to something decadent now and then. There have been second-row center concert tickets. My glasses weren't cheap. And uh...well, I can't really think of anything else, but I'm sure I've splurged on some other expensive things. Like my iBook. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I am in love with Shiny Happy Apple World. Apple changed my life. There's worship up in here. As much as I love my cute little iBook, it was time to make another dream reality. There's something at the Apple Store I've been obsessing over. So last week, I brought it home.



My iMac is making me so happy I can't even tell you. It's a total rush. The 20-inch screen! The resolution! Every single detail! I love learning all of the new things that this guy can do (I haven't named him yet). Now that I've been working at home for two years, it was definitely time to set up a better work environment. I even bought an awesome new desk to go with. It's not easy for me to admit that I deserve nice things. It's easy for me to want them, but actually accepting that I could have them is a whole other issue.

I'd love to write more, but I have a date with my sexy new iMac. Ciao for now.

Anne Hathaway and I don't have much in common. If we were walking down the street together, I'm pretty sure you'd be able to tell us apart. But for some reason, people keep saying I look like her. When I was a teacher, a lot of my students said how I looked like the Princess Diaries girl. At the time, I didn't know who the Princess Diaries girl was. Now Anne seems to be everywhere and people are getting more aggressive about coming up to me. This guy actually followed me off the subway the other day, all like how Anne is a Scorpio and what am I? I was more disturbed that he knew she was a Scorpio than how he was following me around, until he started comparing every one of my features to hers.

In Waiting for You news, it is now being translated into German! The Turkish edition will be out soon as well. What's particularly cool about these two translations is that I have German and Turkish friends who can actually read them. Typos check! Also, The Compulsive Reader has selected it as her book of the month, so you can head over to read her interview with me.

The Book Girl has a new Friday feature called What a Guest. I'm thrilled to be her first guest blogger! I shared some thoughts about reinventing yourself over summer vacay and taking steps to create your ideal life. I was never really successful with these things when I was a teen, but you can make it happen. The possibilities are infinite.

Dude, I just saw that the latest seasons of Flight of the Conchords, One Tree Hill, and Gossip Girl are all coming out next month. This is awesome news. I can't wait to see what happens. August is heating up and it's only July! Which I still haven't absorbed, by the way. The Fourth of July seems to be tomorrow. Usually, I avoid the crowds and watch the fireworks from a rooftop. But tomorrow I'll be walking down along the river for an excellent view by the Statue of Liberty. Fireworks are fun. I especially like the heart ones. And the smiley face ones!



I'll leave you with the best window box yet this season, brought to you by my friendly neighbor. Happy fireworks!

It seems to be July. How did that happen? I don't know if it's been the incessant cloudy, rainy weather or what, but it totally doesn't feel like summer at all. Well, hey, here we are, so welcome! If you're on summer vacay, I hope you're having a blast so far. The thing I always loved most about summer vacay was the possibility of returning to school as this whole other person. Where you could show up on the first day and be the person you'd always wanted to be, and everyone would just accept the new you for who you are. Not like that ever happened. But the possibility that it could happen was exciting anyway.

Here are some things that are happening for real.

Juiciliciousss Reviews reviewed Waiting for You. I'm not sure why it took me so long to discover this site because it's really impressive. Stephanie has reviewed so many incredible books and she interviews the authors we love. Definitely one to check out. Also, Blogging YA posted a non-review of Waiting for You. I kind of think it turned out to be a review in disguise.

Over at Teenreads, I'm honored to be the latest guest blogger. Since a lot of people I know (including myself) struggle with living in the Now, I decided to write about why the Now is so important.

In Netflix news, I've started watching Gossip Girl. It's better than I expected. Of course I like Dan Humphrey the best because he's all - okay, you know what? I really can't discuss anything further about this show until I clear up a burning question. So can I just ask - are Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly the same person?



Seriously! What is up with them?! Are Leighton and Minka sisters and no one told me? Or is this some kind of conspiracy? Another thing is that Vanessa has a Cameron Diaz thing going on. But one burning question at a time. Any information regarding this matter is greatly appreciated.

Congrats to the winner of my Along for the Ride giveaway, dramatistwriter ! There were so many awesome comments that I had to randomly select my winner. Reading all of your entries about your favorite Sarah Dessen books was incredible. You can read everyone's comments here.

Speaking of great books, have you read Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson?



I've been a hardcore Blake Nelson fan since Girl came out and was shelved in the adult fiction section. So I was majorly stoked for this book. It did not disappoint. The story is about this boy James who thinks that all cars should be destroyed before they destroy the entire planet. He is so angry and passionate that he reminded me of me in my teen and college years. I can still relate to his anger. Like when I was at the airport and saw how they have this service where you can wrap your bags in layers of plastic. Many, many layers of plastic. From this huge roll of plastic, all sitting in the middle of the airport, just waiting to destroy the planet in all of its stupidness, with people actually wanting this service. When I saw that huge roll of plastic, I wanted to scream. Maybe I could understand the need to wrap your bag after it explodes, but the people waiting in line had very intact bags.

Or how I was seeing an apartment the other day and the broker actually wanted to leave the air conditioner on (which we didn't even need on in the first place - can you not be slightly warm for three minutes?) after we left so it would be "cool in here for the next broker." Are you freaking kidding me? I could not march over to that evil greenhouse gas dispenser/energy waster fast enough and turn it off. It really made me mad because this is how some people are. Like, every day.

*fuming*

So yeah. I can relate to the anger. This book also made me think about how we change over the years. I used to be much more proactive and in people's faces about the ways in which they are destroying the Earth. Now I'm not nearly as confrontational, which is a good thing. But we change in so many ways that we can't even imagine, with our styles and music and colors we like. Back in college, my sheets and comforter were all in dark colors. Now I would never even think of dark colors for that stuff. My sheets and blanket and towels are all very light colors, creating a sort of Zen spa effect. And there's no way I would wear most of the clothes I wore ten years ago. What was I thinking?

See, this is how you know Destroy All Cars is an amazing book. When a book makes you think about so many things, it has connected with you in a meaningful way. Rock on, Blake. Keep the spark alive.

There's this force that drives me to always be working towards my goals. It keeps me wanting more, always moving ahead, always thinking about the next goal I want to reach before I even reach the one I'm working on. This drive is good and bad. It's good because it keeps me going, even when I don't feel like going anywhere. When you're your own boss, you have to be in charge of your own work schedule. Being an organization freak definitely helps. And loving what I do makes me excited to start working (not every day, but almost every day). Lara Zeises recently discussed this issue on her blog. It seems to be on our collective mind.

The drive is also bad, in a way. Because most of the time I'm so busy moving on to the next goal that I don't take the time to appreciate the one I've just accomplished. I always want more. I never feel like I'm doing enough.

It's strange, really. Before I signed my contract for When It Happens, I thought just getting that one book published would be enough to make me happy. Everything else after that would be a bonus. But it's not like that at all. My fourth book will be published next year and I feel like I'm somehow behind. Comparison can be dangerous. So instead of comparing myself to other authors, I try to learn from them. My favorite authors are my role models, not my competition.

Back to the collective mind. I was thinking about this stuff last weekend, kind of feeling sad about things, when I saw this tweet string on John Mayer's Twitter:

Okay. This week? We're going on a diet. All of us. But this is a diet of a different kind. We're going to regulate the habit of unhappiness.
3:52 AM Jun 22nd from TwitterBerry

We will make the conscious decision to make the most of what we have and pine for nothing. No undefinable need or vague despair. Enough!!!
3:55 AM Jun 22nd from TwitterBerry

If you don't like it, FIX IT. If you can't fix it, PLAN B it. If you like it and want more, RESPECT IT. Clean straight lines of living.
3:59 AM Jun 22nd from web

He woke me up. Why was I sitting around feeling all sad about things I want so badly that I don't have? I mean, we all get like that sometimes, but enough. No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. And the things that I do have are pretty freaking amazing. Paul Simon said, "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains." It's one of my favorite lyrics. This drive connects us. It gives us hope. It makes us work towards creating a better life. As you're moving forward, just remember to take some time to appreciate everything you have and all of the wonderful things you've already accomplished. They're pretty freaking amazing, too.

1. Ever since Take Me There came out in paperback last month, I've been hearing from more readers asking about Rhiannon's name. I've even heard from two girls actually named Rhiannon, which is seriously awesome. One sharp reader asked if Rhiannon and Sara from When It Happens were named after Fleetwood Mac songs. She is correct! Sara was named after both a friend and the song "Sara," while Rhiannon was named after the song "Rhiannon." Which reminds me...I haven't done a readers' Q&A here for a while. If you have a question you'd like to ask, please leave it in the comments section and I'll put together another Q&A post soon.

2. Shout-out to Alessandria for letting me know about the double feature DVD set of Say Anything and Garden State. That's so When It Happens!

3. I've seen the countdown widget for Crazy Beautiful on tons of blogs. At first I was like, Dude! There's no way someone else got to write that book! Because I absolutely love love love the movie and totally wanted to be the one to write the book. But then I read a review and discovered that it has nothing to do with the movie. I didn't know we were allowed to use movie titles for unrelated books. Won't that cause a lot of confusion? In any case, it sounds like a very interesting book, so I understand the buzz.

4. Have you entered my Along for the Ride giveaway yet? Here's how.

5. When I was little, I loved watching All in the Family. But since I was so young when it was on, I don't really remember much of it. Now with the magic of Netflix, it's been a big old Bunker family reunion up in here. This is a classic clip of Archie arguing with Mike about the right way to eat dinner. They're both struggling with their diets. Best Archie line: "The cusini could all rush to a foot." Hilarious up to minute 5:40. Enjoy!

dumbrella


you acted all strong

then i was drenched on 10th street

oh, the betrayal!

Welcome to summer! For lots of people, summer already started on Memorial Day. For me, summer starts on the summer solstice, which was yesterday. Today always involves conflict. You'd think I would recognize this as an established annual event and be unaffected by now, but no. I want to be in the Now and appreciate the season of sunset walks and summer breeze and fireflies. But as of today, daylight hours are decreasing (and will continue to decrease until the day after the winter solstice). I'm trying really hard to erase this knowledge. Every day when I turn on my computer, the first thing I see after my Jim and Pam wallpaper is my daylight hours widget. And every day when I see that sunset is one minute later than the day before, I get all happy. Today sunset is at 8:30. Tomorrow when it's at 8:29, I'll just have to try really hard to be in the Now, be excited for summer, be one with seasonal cycles.

Which can be challenging when it rains, like, every single freaking day. The five-day forecast says it's going to be cloudy with rain all week. Again. There's been so much rain here that my busted umbrella is a permanent fixture in my bag. Even though I totally yelled at it the other day when we were caught in a torrential downpour and it decided to snap another stretcher. There I was on 5th Avenue, attempting to convince my umbrella to work with me just one more day. Curiously, no one walking by thought having a conversation with an umbrella was unusual.

I keep saying I have to get a new umbrella. But then the next day it rains some more and I need the one I have and I'm unmotivated to get another one, even though I end up all drenched again. It's become a bad habit. Or maybe it's a routine by now. I've been thinking about routines lately. Specifically, the ones we feel like we have to do every day even though we totally don't. There's this ep of All in the Family where Archie is arguing with Mike about the right way to put on socks and shoes. Mike goes sock-shoe-sock-shoe. Archie is outraged by this. He insists it must be sock-sock-shoe-shoe. For some reason, I always like to sit on my couch to put socks on, even though my shoes are by the door. If I put on my socks over by my shoes, I just don't feel right about it.

There are lots of other examples of routines we feel like we have to follow, of course. What's one of yours?

...is the summer solstice!



Let's get our summer on.

Angela Chase's dad from My So-Called Life keeps showing up. He was on Private Practice and I just saw him in 24. I am convinced that this is a message from the Universe. Cancel quality shows, the dads of those shows will haunt others.

On a related note, I'm interested to see where this season of Private Practice went when it comes out on DVD. I like the show, only it seems to have already run into a similar problem as Grey's Anatomy did in season four: getting a bit ridiculous with all of those romantic entanglements (e.g. people marrying people they should never, ever marry). Does everyone have to hook up with everyone else? Seriously? I really can't wait for the new Grey's season to come out, though. My devotion will not waver.

Happy Blogiversary to Book Chic! He (yes, he) interviewed me, along with author Robin Palmer. You go with your fine self, Book Chic! Celebrate with a cupcake.

Wearing flip-flops last week was such a tease. It has been raining forever. There's a flood warning today, so I even took out my boots. The taking out of boots in June violates several of my policies, but it's desperate times over here.

Question: Why is it that every time I go to a movie, Popcorn Cruncher sits down right next to me? It doesn't matter how many empty seats there are. Popcorn Cruncher likes to crunch loudly in my ear. Actually, Popcorn Cruncher was absent during the last movie I saw. Instead, Dude Who Sits Right In Front of You When There Are Like Eight Hundred Empty Seats was in the house. Combine these guys with the $12.50 ticket price ($12.50! For one movie!) and I'm all set with Netflix, thanks.

Hey, a new heavy element has been discovered. The Periodic Table will now include element 112. Par-tay!

If I couldn't be a science teacher or a teen book author or a closet organizer, I would probably be an urban planner. I have serious love for New York City, especially its green architecture and parks and all the ways in which it interacts with the people living here to enhance our lives. The idea of creating a Zen space out of a desolate area is fascinating. That's why the High Line makes me so happy.



There's an old elevated subway line running from the West Village into midtown. For years it just sat there. But now it's been transformed into the High Line, a new green space with amazing views and lots of vegetation. All of the plants are indigenous, grown from preserved seeds. Trees, grasses, shrubs, and flowers were all planted around the old train tracks:



It's a sweet place to relax. I love having peaceful places like this in the middle of a busy city. It's a totally rejuvenating experience! There are lounge chairs that roll along the original rail tracks. There's a wading pool you can walk across in the summer. A huge glass wall overlooks the street below. Benches are spread out. Every little section has its own theme going on. And all of the lighting is placed along the railing to reduce the amount of light pollution, which will rock on clear nights.

Since the High Line is elevated in an area with few obstructions, the views are incredible. You can check out the awesome surrounding architecture in a way that's impossible from street level...



...or just watch sunset on the Hudson River :



Yay for reclaimed materials! Here's more info about the High Line's design and history.

I'm still buzzing from my High Line experience last night. It was even more amazing than I was expecting! I'll be posting pics later this week.

Some links:

Teens Writing for Teens interviewed me about fear, inspiration, and advice. I just found this awesome site, which was totally created by teens. If you're a teen writer looking for advice, check them out.

Nisha and LIbrary Lounge Lizard recently reviewed Waiting for You.

The Wall Street Journal posted an article about darker YA fiction.

Even though I write back to all of my reader email, I just want to say thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts about Waiting for You. I've heard from a lot of readers who can relate to Marisa's struggle to feel normal, both readers who are dealing with an anxiety disorder or depression and readers who see parts of Marisa's story in their own lives. Your kind words mean more to me than you'll ever know.

Top Five Things I Heart This Week:

1. My new Rocket Dog flip-flops. Back before flip-flops got some style, I used to get silk and velvet ribbons from the fabric store and cover the rubber thong parts of my flip-flops with them. Then I would glue on sparkles or sequins. But now flip-flops are all tricked out. My Rocket Dogs are even tie-dyed.

2. The High LIne is open! It's an old elevated portion of subway tracks that has been transformed into a park. Reclaimed and recycled materials were used to create a beautiful green space, which New York City totally needs more of. It has lounge chairs that roll along the old train tracks. And all of the lighting is positioned near the walkway, so at night we may be able to see a few stars.

3. Scoring the first season of One Tree Hill and a Flight of the Conchords tee at the Virgin Megastore closing sale.

4. John Krasinski in Away We Go. Even with that beard. HIs sweetest line: "You're my life, Verona. My sky."

5. This Waiting for You ad in the July issue of Seventeen. Woot!

Congrats to the three winners of my Floor Display Contest!

Renee took first place with her super creative entry:



Love the When It Happens theme. Surprisingly, she was the only one who busted out the Photoshop. I could seriously play around on Photoshop for days. So fun! Renee won copies of all three of my books.

This pic scored a second-place win for Marjon:



Note the waiting mode of both the friendly neighbors in the pic and of the book itself. Putting sunglasses and the scarf on Waiting for You made the book like it was relaxing in a tropical climate, just as Marisa sometimes envisions. Nice one!

Paula won a copy of Take Me There:



You might not see the creative aspect of this photo. Here's the premise. Paula was one of my good friends in high school. I haven't seen her since then. A few months ago, we reconnected on Facebook and she found out that I'm an author. So this photo, with my friend from high school in front of the magazines we used to read and cut things out of to make collages, next to my floor display which is a reality we could only dream about back then, blows my mind on several levels. This photo is a holistic experience. It's a statement that dreams do become reality. Anything is possible. Remembering how difficult my life was back then, I'm here to tell you this: If I can be the architect of my own destiny, so can you.

The big day is almost here...



Sarah Dessen's much anticipated Along for the Ride will be released on June 16! To celebrate, I'm giving away an Along for the Ride galley. Not mine, though. I know you'll probably think I'm crazy because I didn't read my copy right away. It's been seriously difficult to resist. The thing is, I'm going to the Greek Islands in September, so I need to save this book for the 12-hour flight. No other book would be acceptable. Sarah's books always have such a calming effect on me. And they're very hard to put down, which is exactly what I'll need during my Day of Travel. This story sounds absolutely amazing. It's all about night and romance and possibilities...just the thing to keep me mellow in case we hit turbulence. So yeah, I'm keeping my copy. But I'm getting another one to give away (thanks, Jillian!).

To enter: Leave a comment here on LJ (not Facebook, so we can keep them all together), telling me what your favorite Sarah Dessen book is and why. I will select one winner to receive a galley of Along for the Ride. If you are commenting anonymously, please tell me your first name. For a double entry, pass along this giveaway info by posting a link on your blog or other site. You have until 11:11 p.m. on June 26 to enter. I will announce the winner on June 29. The giveaway is open to US residents only.

Also, have you checked out Sarah-Land yet? It's a community where Sarah's readers can connect with one another. How sweet is that?