Susane Colasanti - Journal

Back in 1998, I sent Nick Hornby a letter telling him how much I loved High Fidelity. Since Nick is awesome beyond belief, he sent me back a postcard. Of course I still have this postcard. His music obsessed characters and I have a few things in common. When one of my favorite authors sends me a postcard, I practically rent a billboard about it.

Here I am showing Nick the postcard after his Juliet, Naked reading on Tuesday:



I was in full-on Freaking Out in the Presence of Rock Star mode, which is how I always get when I meet my authors. Symptoms include nervousness, increased pulse rate, and incessant babbling. So of course I went on to babble about how in 2001 Nick signed my copy of High Fidelity and I asked him if he believes in true love and he said yes, do I? And I said that I do and how does he define true love? Nick wasn't sure. Then I was like, "Your characters never seem to find true love." He said, "No, but they will."

Now, a conversation like this was a lot easier to have eight years ago. Back then, it was just me and a few other people at Nick's reading, all gathered in an intimate little group chatting about life. This time, his reading was at the ginormous Union Square Barnes & Noble with tons of people standing in the back. I got there two hours early for my usual second-row center seat and was shocked that it was still available. It's official. Nick Hornby is a rock star.

After Nick signed my books (while he was chewing a piece of fluorescent yellow gum, which I thought was very cool), I gave him a copy of Waiting for You. He was appreciative:



Oh, I almost forgot. When I asked Nick how he defines true love at this point, he said that he still wasn't sure. Then he asked me the same thing. SP was there as my personal photographer, even though he had just been struck down with a bad cold. I thought that summed up the concept pretty well.

Whenever I read an awesome new teen novel, I get super excited about sharing it with you. Which is why I'm stoked to tell you about So Punk Rock.



Here's the illustrator, David Ostow, with the author, Micol Ostow. How cool is it that they're bother and sister? They got together to create a story about these Jewish kids who start a band. The Jewish thing is a big part of the book, but no worries if you're unfamiliar with that world. You will find the Glossary of Jewish, Musical and Otherwise Esoteric Terms in the back. Plus, Micol and David do a sweet job of explaining what everything means as the story unfolds. It was fun times laughing over the New Jersey references (we're all from there). After my grandparents retired, they were caretakers of a temple near where the Ostows grew up, which is why I got the minyan joke on page 173.

The writing style of So Punk Rock rocks. Micol uses words like "smug" and "duh" as verbs. Righteous. Every sentence is a winner. My fav quote: "Awesomely, an image of hot Larafromcamp and her hot sister on vacation in hot Israel. A perfect trifecta of heat." David includes illustrations throughout the book that totally enhance the story. He's mad talented. They both are. So if you're looking for a fun, cute read, give this one a try. Rock on.

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.

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?

My book is in the Raleigh-Durham airport Borders!



But I'm jumping ahead.

We went to Chapel Hill, North Carolina this weekend for a wedding.  Chapel Hill is a cute little town with impressive trees and sweet air.  They love their Tar Heels! Sarah Dessen often raves about her Heels on her blog, but I just thought she was a fan.  Now I understand it's more like a way of life.  These were the wedding favors:



I had no idea what these cookies were supposed to be.  Get it?  Tar on the heels? Other things of note are the Pac-Man mint tins I scored at Chapel Hill Comics and a dessert place called Sugarland, which of course I had to visit.

So.  We were at the airport to get our flight home when SP wanted to go in the airport Borders.  He always wants to check out airport bookstores for my books.  I never want to.  Why would my books be there?  Those bookstores are so small that there's only like five books in the teen section. I explain that I am not Meg Cabot.  I explain that I have not written a book containing vampires.  But SP isn't hearing any of that.  He is my #1 fan.  He always insists on checking.

And there it was.  A copy of Take Me There.

It was a moment I've secretly been waiting for.  Seeing my book in an airport bookstore was one of my goals that I didn't really have control over, but always wished would happen.  I was a bit verklempt.  Laurie Halse Anderson had been there on her recent tour and signed copies of Wintergirls, so I had to sign my book, too.  SP did a happy dance, even though his neck had a crinck in it because he didn't see the pillow menu at the hotel and slept all crooked.  That's dedication.

Okay, I was planning to do a journal entry with both BEA and NYC Teen Author Carnival highlights, but I have way too much for Show and Tell. So I'm sharing all of my BEA stuff today and I'll do the Carnival journal entry next time.

BEA was freaking awesome! Before heading over, I had lunch with a mystery guest:



Oh, you thought that shadow effect was a mistake? Heck no, it was intentional. I like to build up suspense. My mystery guest will be revealed later. Do you want a hint? I'll give you three: We are both diner people, we both love The Office, and we're both Penguin authors. Hmmm...

Here's someone you definitely know:


It was my first time seeing Meg Cabot! Her signing line for the latest Allie Finkle galleys was crazylong. We did not care. It's so exciting when you see someone you feel like you already know from online and then there they are, all live and in person. I always get overwhelmed. Especially since Meg is the queen of this scene, what with her zillion books and super fun blog, which I always love reading. Awesomeness ensued.



This girl had a balloon animal hat, so of course I was like, "Where'd you get that?" I love balloon animals! Or any balloons, really. Can you imagine how thrilled I was that the Guinness Book World Record holder for Fastest Balloon Dog was there? No, you cannot. He is John Cassidy. He was making balloon animals (above, he is making a tree for a monkey). He went, "I'll make you anything you want." I was freaking out, all like, "Anything? Anything?!" The options were infinite! I didn't know what to pick. I went with two penguins. Then I brought them over to the Penguin booth to share the love. John also gave me a huge giraffe because I love giraffes.

I knew exactly who would appreciate the giraffe as much as I do:



Ambassador Jon Scieszka! Jon was signing posters for his new book, Robot Zot. I'm so proud of Jon for writing such magnificent children's books and inspiring more boys to read with his Guys Read initiative. There he goes, making the world a better place. Rock on, Jon.

So did you guess who my mystery guest was?



Yes, that's totally Sarah Dessen! You should know that Sarah is every bit as sweet as you think she is. That's why her books all have such a beautiful, timeless quality. You might have seen a pic of Sarah's new touring shoes on her blog. They are some serious pink, glossy wedges. I'm five-eight and she was about my height in them. It takes big talent to rock shoes like that (I'd fall flat on my face in them), so I give her props. And more props for the paperback edition of Lock and Key being her first number-one New York Times bestseller! She is pure inspiration. Here's to the magic of possibility.

When people ask me what kinds of books I write, I tell them that I write novels for teens. When they ask what kind of novels, I usually say that I write about soul mates. Soul mates have been at the heart of every one of my books. So technically I write romance, but I would never describe my books that way. Language is an interesting thing. A word that has a negative connotation to me could be totally positive to you. But to me, the term "romance novel" smacks of a helpless girl clinging to a shirtless boy with way too many muscles. I can't get past the cheese factor enough to describe my novels that way. Maybe I need to replace my old word association with an updated one.

Which brings me to the issue of chick lit. What is it? Does it have a negative or positive connotation?

Here's the Kirkus review of Waiting for You:

Kirkus, 5/15

Marisa spent freshman year grappling with anxiety disorder and depression. Now the amateur photographer is heading into sophomore year with some coping skills and waiting for love to find her. While her best friend is IMing older guys and her once-“normal” parents are separated, Marisa thinks she’s finally found romance with popular Derek, her first boyfriend. Why, then, would she rather hang out and discuss her problems, especially her relapsing depression, with her “totally geeked out” chemistry partner, Nash? Maybe while Marisa’s been waiting for love, it’s been in front of her all along. The story isn’t new, but Colasanti keeps it fresh by speaking to teens in their own language. Marisa’s realistic, first-person narration ably captures the importance of typical adolescent problems. The author also offers a hint of mystery (although readers will soon figure it out) with a late-night radio show featuring Dirty Dirk, an anonymous student who reaches out to Marisa. Chick lit for girls who think. (Fiction. YA)

Now, I totally appreciate a good review, and this one seems okay. It's just...um, I wasn't aware that I write chick lit. I'm assuming "Chick lit for girls who think" is a good thing. If we're going by the definition of chick lit recently mentioned in The New York Times, "fiction by and for women," then I guess I write it. But if that's all there is to the definition, then why do so many people perceive chick lit as fluff? It's true that I write about love, but every one of my books deals with serious issues. Some of these include physical abuse, sexual abuse, death, neglect, divorce, infidelity, and depression. Does chick lit define books dealing with serious issues? Or does it imply a light, fun read?

How do you define chick lit?

Book Release Day was super fun! I woke up with that exciting special event feeling. To celebrate, I visited Barnes & Noble and signed some books. More on that later. But first...

Yesterday was Day 10 of my blog tour. The Compulsive Reader asked me three summer-related questions to wrap up the tour. Thanks to everyone who hosted me. It was a total blast!

I'm psyched that several readers have already finished Waiting for You and took the time to write to me. When your new book comes out, you have no idea if it sucks or not until people tell you what's up. So please keep the feedback coming! More reviews are being posted, including this one on S. Krishna's Books.

Waiting for You wasn't the only book released yesterday. It was also the pub day of Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key paperback edition! I was all impressed that my floor display got to reside next to hers:



The tag line on mine said, "First love. Complicated love. True love." And Sarah's said, "Relationships. Romance. Real life." No, we didn't write those. The friendly neighbors at B&N whipped those up. Sarah's display was really pretty. Her paperback covers are the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen. Something about the way the hues, fonts, and images work together to completely reflect the tone of her books is so impressive. Congrats on another outstanding achievement, Sarah!

I'm not sure how long the floor displays will be up, so if you're interested in my Floor Display Contest (which requires a photo of you with my floor display), I recommend visiting your local B&N soon. First prize is signed copies of all three books. I'm not only having this contest to give away books, but I'd love to assemble a collage of you guys showing off your creative skills. That would be freaking awesome! Looking forward to your entries...

Elizabeth Scott is the queen of contests. She's so generous! She has contests on her blog all the time. And with really good prizes. She gives away tons of her own books, plus other authors' books and lots of gift certificates. The first-prize winner of her current contest will get to name their own star. She's celebrating the existence of her new book, Something, Maybe, which was released yesterday. I am really looking forward to reading it!

This one time, Elizabeth's husband was singing "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner and he was all, "Well I'm hot blooded, chicken at sea..." And she was like, "Um, it's 'check it and see'." I like this example of a mondegreen. Mondegreens are lyrics that we think we're hearing when we can't tell what a song is really saying. Like in "Purple Haze", some people hear "excuse me while I kiss this guy" instead of "excuse me while I kiss the sky." Elton John's "Rocket Man" has a bunch. I find everyone's misheard lyrics fascinating.

Renee (aka The Book Girl) blogged about the Books of Wonder signing. She got pics with everyone! She got to see authors I didn't even see! Fun fact: In the photo of Renee with Scott Westerfeld, SP can be seen on the left. With my arm. It's like when the junior high yearbook would come out and there'd be a photo where just my arm is showing on the side and I'd go, "That's my arm!" I was such a dork.

Penguin did a huge Waiting for You galley mailing and more reviews are popping up. The reviews at Katie's Book Blog and Hope's Bookshelf give you more info about the story.

You may have noticed Google's artwork on March 20. If you were like me, you jumped up and went over to pet your Very Hungry Caterpillar stuffed caterpillar. It's was the book's 40th anniversary! Infinite thanks to Eric Carle for making the world a better place.

So here's how they fit about 40 authors into the Biggest Teen Book Author Signing Ever yesterday at Books of Wonder. We were divided into three groups for signings. I was in the first group for 40 minutes and then I got to mingle with readers. I was seriously stoked to meet everyone.

These girls rocked the house:



I got to sign jeans! Heck yeah! This was such an excellent idea that I was kind of bummed I didn't think of it myself. My artistic skills were psyched to be used for something other than scrapbooking.

Hayley wanted me to sign her dictionary:



Her directions were to pick my favorite word, mark it, and sign. Another totally brill idea! I was like, "You know which word I'm going to pick," and she went, "Love has already been taken," and I was all, "Dang it!" So I picked peace, another quality word.

Renee was there!



She's the winner of the Waiting for You contest where I asked you guys to write part of a key scene for the book. She had the most adorable idea. I hope she likes what I did with it.

Fellow Degrassi fan Jeremy was rocking this shirt:



We were both hardcore fans of the old Degrassi. He's even been to Degrassi Street, but when I visited Toronto that street was pretty far from the main city area (same with the school they film in), so I didn't go. I asked the concierge if the Dot was a real place and was sort of laughed at. You can see half of Mitali on the left. She professionally documented the entire event, so I'm looking forward to her pics and comments.

Then I got all fangurl on Blake Nelson. I love love love his books. If you haven't read any Blake Nelson yet, I recommend starting with Girl. You will be hungry for more. We've met before and he knew who I was, so he already knows I'm a serious fan (although I'm sure I still managed to scare him with my intensity). Here's an action shot of me talking to Blake (blurry from all the action!):



Yeah, we stand around having conversations and such. We're tight like that. Sometimes we even go dancing:


I heard a rumor that we're doing this huge signing again next year, so if I didn't have a chance to see you I hope you can make it then!

Here in New York, David Levithan organizes a Teen Author Reading Night. About once a month, a few authors read from their first or latest books. At last month's event, I was totally blown away by Looks. Madeleine George has written such an impressive debut novel that I had to share it with you.


This is the story of two girls, one who overeats and one who doesn't eat enough, and how they enter a new phase of their lives together. I love how the title works on so many levels - how their physical looks stand out, the perceived importance of using how we look to fit in, disapproving and disgusted looks the girls get from other people, looks exchanged between two outsiders, a shared look filled with secret history. I also love how Madeleine captures the degrading qualities of high school so well, down to the ugly floor tiles that someone actually designed to look that way.

Looks is one of the most accurate depictions of high school I've ever read. Madeleine is a teacher (among many other things) and her classroom observations have clearly inspired several scenes. One of the best scenes involves the universal kid who always sits in the front of every class, busting a vital organ over the chance to answer every single question. The descriptions of her arm in the air are priceless.



This is Madeleine reading and Lynn Weingarten listening. Lynn read from Wherever Nina Lies, a gripping story about a girl searching for her missing older sister. It's a beautifully written book. So now you have two recommendations for your To Read list. Sweet!

Oh, did you think the Waiting for You release date was May 28? Psych! It will now be released on May 14, 2009! That means even less waiting for me. I'm so excited to see three of my books on the shelves. It also means moving up all the cool marketing stuff that Penguin has planned for the book release, so you should be hearing about fun things soon.

Speaking of my awesome publishing house, I spent some time at the House of Penguin yesterday. I met with my new publicist, Samantha, who is very sweet. Then I met with my magnificent editors to discuss the next revision of Something Like Fate.


These are my editors, Kendra Levin and Regina Hayes. They are a most excellent team. Regina is the president and publisher of Viking Children's Books (my hardcover imprint at Penguin) and responsible for discovering lots of amazing authors, like Ambassador Jon Scieszka. I am incredibly honored to be working with her. When we went to lunch after, Kendra spotted Dan Rather right away. She's swift like that.

Laurie Halse Anderson spent some time at the House of Penguin earlier this week. She left this for me:



A signed copy of Wintergirls! I could not be more excited for the release of Wintergirls. This book is just so beyond outstanding. And it will be released the day before the vernal equinox! Seriously, there are no coincidences.

Required reading for 2009:


I'm lucky enough to share a publisher with Laurie Halse Anderson, so I was able to score a galley of Wintergirls (thanks, Kendra!). It's hard to imagine reading a new book by Laurie and seeing that she's becoming an even more impressive writer, but there it is.

The power of this story will blow you away.

If I were an English teacher at a school that actually allowed some flexibility with the reading list, I would make Wintergirls mandatory reading. Not just because all of my students would absolutely love it, be moved by it, and/or have their lives changed by it. This book reaches out to every person who has been afflicted by anorexia, directly or indirectly, and brings them into a world where we can understand the depths of the illness. It will help teens strengthen their self-esteem. It will inspire lifelong readers.

March 19, 2009. Be amazed.

Dismayed: I was buying a gift that was $16.26. I gave the cashier $20.01 because a.) who wants four pennies? and b.) i wanted three quarters back because I had to do laundry. The cashier was flabbergasted. He asked the register, "Why'd she give me a penny?" like it was a conspiracy or something. Sadly, this is not the first time lack of skills has presented itself (one cashier at a different store had to actually use a calculator to figure out $4.26 - $3.01). In education, we call this a "teachable moment." So I explained about the quarters. And worried about the future of our country.

Skills: 0 Malaise: 10

Entertained: I started Netflixing One Tree Hill. My students used to tell me that I'd like it, so I thought it was time to finally see what's up. I've only watched season one and there's a bit too much ridiculous drama so far, but I'm hoping that might calm down in the next season. I understand that Chad Michael Murray is considered hot in the way that I understand Brad and Leo are considered hot, but none of these pretty boys are my type. I like Chad's character, it's just that sometimes he bothers me, all strutting around with his porcupine fluffy hair and showing off his arms. It's the same reaction I had when he was on Dawson's Creek. I like that One Tree Hill is filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina like Dawson's Creek was. You can totally see the same dock that Joey and Dawson hung out on! I've wanted to visit Wilmington and see Dawson's locations for a long time.

Bottom line: bring on season two

Impressed: Over vacay, I read The Serious Kiss by Mary Hogan and loved it. Mary has a serious talent for connecting you to her characters. She also did a fantastic job balancing heavy issues (alcoholism, obesity) with lighter ones. This story is warm, hilarious, and endearing. Yay Mary!

Grade: gold star

Agog: The Hubble Space Telescope's photo of the Spitzer Helix Nebula, which my friend Elisa calls The Eye. This planetary nebula is the result of a dead star that is emitting radiation and gases. The white dwarf star, which was a lot like the Sun, is the tiny white dot at the center. Even more amazing: Hubble's galaxy photos. I could look at them forever, they are so gorgeous.



Closing thought: Will humans inhabit a new planet to avoid extinction?

Attending the National Book Awards Finalists reading was a fabulous experience. Congrats to young people's literature winner Judy Blundell for What I Saw and How I Lied!

I was able to reunite with fellow Viking Children's Books author Laurie Halse Anderson, who read from her incredible Chains. She has an amazing talent for writing both young-adult and historical fiction. All of her young-adult novels are my absolute faves and Fever 1793 was so gripping that it left a lasting impact on me. When a book can make you laugh and cry and change the way you see the world, that is a remarkable achievement indeed. Here's Laurie with BH:



Laurie let me hold her medal. I am happy to report that it is just the right weight. She was amazed at this second opportunity to win the National Book Award, but I think it's karma. She has consistently and impressively put out such substantial, shattering, inspiring work, that how can she not be nominated again?

Thought: Contemporary poetry rocks. This is not the dusty poetry of back in the day that we had to decode in high school English during the mandatory poetry unit every year that I completely dreaded. What a snore that stuff was. But if we had read fantastic poetry from this century, I might now have a more authentic love for poetry that extends beyond E. E. Cummings. Things have definitely changed, and I do hope that high school curricula will be updated to reflect this evolution.

The poetry winner was Mark Doty for Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems. It includes such astute observations as "all things by nature are ready to get worse." He wrote about the Pulaski Skyway and other random details I didn't know anyone else noticed, ones that depict a bittersweet time of our lives so perfectly. That's what's so amazing about all of these finalists. They tell the stories of our lives in a way that is relatable and true, a way that connects us all. Kudos!