Hollywoodland

This past weekend, JoanMarie and I went down to Hollywood to watch A Chorus Line. Neither of us had ever seen the show, but we were mainly going to hang out with JoanMarie's friend from college and her family. Turns out, Haley is the sister-in-law of the lead actor in the show. So when it was over, we were given a VIP tour backstage.

If you've seen A Chorus Line, you've seen how quickly they change into those sparkly costumes at the end. Those costumes are expensive, so even though I wanted to try on one of the hats, I was also afraid to even touch one of the hats.


Live theater is something I always forget how much I love until someone gives me an excuse to check it out again. And then I kick myself for not seeing it more often. But it was fun to leave the backstage area with the lead actor and actress and see the people who do remember how cool live theater is waiting for photos and autographs.

Then we all went out for dinner at a Moroccan restaurant where everything is eaten without utensils. It took some time to feel comfortable digging my fingers into a piece of chicken or breaded thing that someone else had touched. But I was hungry, so I got over it.


The next day, JoanMarie and I checked out the sites in Hollywood. I recognized about 1 out of every 5 names on the Walk of Fame, compared to 1 out of every 20 for JoanMarie...and I adore that about her!


At Grauman's Chinese Theater, we checked out the footprints and handprints of the stars. I, of course, was excited to see that the stars of the Harry Potter films had left their marks.


JoanMarie got to put her hand in the exact same spot Johnny Depp had once put his hand!


We took an open-air van ride to see spots where movies were shot, some homes where "Old Hollywood" stars once lived, and some "New Hollywood" stars currently live.


I'll admit, it felt a tad stalkerish to drive by homes currently occupied by celebrities. Even though they're making millions of dollars, they still deserve their privacy, in my opinion. The best part of the tour was just driving through the neighborhoods and seeing some really beautiful houses and picking up some Hollywood history.

I was most excited to see the house where they filmed the original Halloween.


We also passed by a house once owned by Bela Lugosi, now owned (but not occupied) by Johnny Depp.

JoanMarie: "Did you hear who owns...?

Jay: "Yes, babe, I heard."

On either side of the gate are freaky looking gargoyles. Of course, a house once owned by Dracula should only be photographed in black-n-white.


Finally, we took a stroll through Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Immediately, I was recognized by Joan Rivers. Apparently, she's a huge fan of my book, so I gave her an interview. It was hard to tell what she thought of my answers because her expression never changed...which proved to me that she was the real Joan Rivers.


Even though Forrest Gump made millions from his Apple stock, he's very stingy with his chocolates. He wouldn't even share the coconut ones!


There were several interactive elements to this wax museum, which made it a lot of fun.


I was lucky enough to have seen Bob Hope perform live years ago, and I've always been a fan of both his and George Burns. Moments after taking this shot, Mr. Hope threw down a perfect one-liner and I spit my water everywhere.


When I repeated the same joke to Jim Carey, he thought I was frickin' hilarious. So I told him, yes, I made it up on the spot.


Even though she's pregnant, it was neck and neck between JoanMarie and Lance Armstrong until the very end.


The camera didn't catch my skating awesomeness, but Tony Hawk isn't bad, either.


One of JoanMarie's favorite actresses is Whoopi Goldberg. (And no, I have no idea what she's praying for right here.)


(Wait, yes I do.)


It was a long and exhausting weekend, but definitely fun. In fact, if I'd gotten a little more rest earlier in the day, I easily could've won this match.

You're so cute, yes you are!

We're going to have a baby!!!

Sorry, I'm just so excited that I couldn't string you along like I planned. Here's the proof I was going to show you at the end of this post...which is now at the beginning!


That's what the baby looks like as of this Wednesday, just over 12 weeks into the pregnancy (due date: December 13th). It's not the clearest ultrasound, but some scar tissue still remains from JoanMarie's surgery last November. Remember that? Yep, from surgery to pregnancy, my woman's a fighter!

Apparently, so is my baby. To get a better look, the doctor shook JoanMarie's belly (that was weird!), but my baby decided he/she was having none of that and turned to the side so we could only see his/her back.


Baby's got attitude already!

So here's where I originally planned on beginning this post. (But I was just so excited!) A few months ago, JoanMarie and I bought a new house. Why? Because we wanted a little more room. Room for what? Well, you know for what by now.

Here's JoanMarie, doing a very clumsy cartwheel through our living room the night the place became ours.


But my friend Ryan and I, minutes later, began ripping that blue carpet out.


Within the next few days, we began taping and priming.


Then came the paint.


And here's the almost finished product!


Not too much later, after returning from a speaking gig, JoanMarie picked me up from the airport a little late. Why was she late? Because she wasn't done setting up a scavenger hunt. Each clue led me to a new place in our house, where I discovered another clue...and a word.


WE

ARE

GOING

TO

BE

The last clue took me to our bedroom. Beneath the blankets on our bed was a basket with a bottle of sparkling grape juice, some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (mmmmm!), and a pregnancy test with an extra blue line, plus one more word.

PARENTS!

Our friend Brittany recorded the whole thing, and here we are watching my reaction.


You may remember this photo, taken back in the fall of 2006, when I woke up my mom to let my parents know that I sold my first book. Obviously, it was an awesome night! But there was a slight glitch in the delivery of the news when my mom mistakenly thought, just for a moment, that she and my dad were going to be grandparents.


Well, this time, that's exactly what we were saying!


JoanMarie and I are starting to learn songs to play to our baby while he/she is still in the womb. Just today, with me on guitar and JoanMarie on piano, we taught ourselves a lullaby version of Sweet Child O' Mine (sorry, Axl).

And I've already bought two onesies! Here they are, set atop a blanket with the theme of our new baby room.


In case you can't read the one on the right, it says Don't blame me, I just got here.

Isn't my baby funny??? I think he/she is going to have my sense of humor!

Getty Done!

I'm now officially done with speaking gigs until the end of September and will be hibernating throughout the summer. My last school visit took place in Anaheim, CA at Gilbert South High School, which was the perfect visit to close out a busy couple of months.

But I headed down to southern California a day early to visit The Getty Museum for the second time. Architecture and landscaping aren't forms of art that usually impresses me. But this place is unbelievable!


Whether taking a panoramic shot or close-ups, the whole place is beautiful.




This painting of a playful cupid was JoanMarie's favorite when we visited The Getty for the first time.


This time, I found a painting of cupid kicking some major butt!


At the top of that same painting is an angel. I was completely mesmerized by the way it appears to be both leaping and flying (which is what it feels like whenever I fly in my dreams).


But the next day was the main attraction! Gilbert South H.S. used Thirteen Reasons Why for its first One Book One School program, and when I came into the library, the whole place was decorated around my book.


Almost everyone who came to hear me speak had read my book, which always makes it more enjoyable for everyone...including me!


A few librarians from neighboring high schools also came to hear me speak, including writer/illustrator/librarian Tommy Kovac.

Melinda, the president of the G.S.H.S. book club, presented me with a blown-up cover of my book surrounded by hilarious and heartfelt comments from students.


This school visit was especially fun because it was arranged by Jennifer! I mean...it was arranged by Mrs. H.


Mrs. H and I go way back. Her mom and my mom were best buds in high school. And then her mom's brother married my mom's twin. So my cousins were cousins with Mrs. H (at the time, Miss F), so Mrs. H has always felt like a kind of cousin to me.

So from Getty to Gilbert, it was a wonderful couple of days!

IN THIS WORLD - JoanMarie's CD

I am thrilled to finally announce the release of JoanMarie's CD, In This World!


So who is JoanMarie? She's my wife...who also happens to be my favorite songwriter!
The lyrics and music to all 12 songs were written by JoanMarie and recorded whenever she could squeeze in a few hours at the recording studio. She sang all of the vocals (except the male chanting on Name) and played a few instruments, but most of the guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums were played by some amazing local musicians. The majority of the songs even include some guitar shreddin' by...me!

If you've read Thirteen Reasons Why, you may recognize the lyrics to Soul Alone (check out Hannah's poem beginning on page 190). In fact, if you listened all the way to the end of the 13RW audiobook, you've already heard Soul Alone as it appears on In This World.

Fun Fact: JoanMarie's song came before the poem in the book. Her lyrics were absolutely perfect for Hannah's character, so I just had to use them...with permission, of course.

There are three ways to get your own copy of In This World:

1. Click on the icon below to view JoanMarie's page at cdBaby.com. There, you can read more about JoanMarie, order the physical CD, which includes a booklet with lyrics to all 12 songs [$12], download the CD [$12], or listen to clips from all 12 songs [totally free!].

2. If you want the CD autographed (by JoanMarie and me), use the PayPal link below [$12]. If you want the CD personalized with a name, either yours or a friend's (it makes a great gift!), type that person's first name into the box. If you want it autographed but not personalized, just leave the box blank.

This c.d. should be signed to:

3. If you're near San Luis Obispo, CA, stop by Boo Boo Records or Cheap Thrills (gotta support the locals!).

When JoanMarie performs locally, she often plays with just a hand-held drum to accompany her voice, which is how most of her songs were originally conceived.


Getting the songs fully realized in the studio was an amazing experience.


Here I am, adding my part to one of the songs.


And here's the back of Engineer Tom's noggin.


If you've got a MySpace account, be sure to friend JoanMarie (you can also hear several full songs for free).


So...do ya wanna get rocked?

A Trailer & A Song

I've seen over 100 fan-made trailers for Thirteen Reasons Why, and I've highlighted many of them on my blog. Over the past several weeks, I've watched some more and have been keeping track of which ones to show you. While setting aside one particular trailer, I noticed that its creator had made two other 13RW trailers, both of which were previously featured on my blog. So for this person's latest creative and atmospheric trailer, I thought I'd let it stand solo.



But all great movies do need a great soundtrack, so here's an original song that should definitely be included. I love the way the verses move the emotional story forward just as they do in the book, as well as the use of the word "kid" in the chorus, and how perfectly matched the singer's voice is for this song. And yes, this song will get stuck in your head.



Coming up on Monday, I'll tell you about an exciting musical project that I've personally been involved with!

The Swedish Edition!

Houston, There's No Problem

When I first began speaking at schools as an author, I was terrified. So here's a tip for any brand new authors looking for a good place to test the waters. Come to Houston! The students here are great. They're interested in books, they ask great questions, and (my favorite part of all) it's so easy to make them laugh!

Even though it was a Saturday, students from nearby middle and high schools decided the best use of their day would be to spend it listening to a bunch of authors talk. Why would they give up half of their weekend for that? Simple answer: Because they rock!

The day began with an awkward moment when the ROTC marched the U.S. and Texas flags to the center of the stage. Everyone said the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, and then they said another pledge to the flag of Texas. The problem? Everyone in the room, including the other authors, were Texan. Everyone, of course, except me. So I held my hand over my heart, but I didn't say the words. Actually, I didn't know the words. But now I'm wondering, since my hand was over my heart, do I need to somehow make amends when I get back to California?

After that awkwardness, I gave the opening keynote speech.


I shared a bit about my journey as a writer, including some discussion of previous manuscripts I'd written.


One of the other authors speaking at Nimitz High School was Jennifer Ziegler, author of How Not to Be Popular. Jennifer and I had a ton of fun discussing things like negative reviews, diva authors, and the fact that even though schools far away will fly us in to speak and put us up in hotels, schools right where we live often don't seem very interested in hearing "local authors" speak.


But that's okay, because Houston likes us! And the students here, such as everyone in the photo below, rock. I know I already said that all of these students rock, but it's true!


After my keynote speech and lunch, all of the speakers had three back-to-back sessions where we got to speak to smaller groups of students about our work.



So thank you, Houston, for making me feel at home. (And did I mention that y'all rock? You do!)

I hope by now everyone knows how much fun I have traveling around, meeting my readers face-to-face (and hopefully making new readers along the way!). I just checked my calendar and I've been in a different state every week since the end of March. It went like this: Washington, Texas, Kansas, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, and back to Texas.

And it's been great! But I am so happy to now be able to spend some uninterrupted time at home with JoanMarie. Even though I haven't been home much, we've had a very exciting life the past several weeks.

But more on that...soon.