by Rose Kahn
“Boston, is the perfect state of grace.”
So much has happened these
last few weeks my head is spinning. All the things we were doing to promote What
The Spell was so exciting—until the Boston tragedy occurred. I have
family in Boston and have visited a few times, and have fallen in love with it.
It’s a unique city with a long history. It’s not just a capital, not just a place. Boston, President Obama
quoted, “is the perfect state of grace.” It is where the American
Revolution began and as a New Yorker, where we have our biggest rivals (The Red
Sox). But on that Monday we weren’t rivals anymore, we were all Americans, all human
beings that were trying to overcome the darkness with good. The photos and stories
of individuals lending helping hands really warmed my heart, and reaffirmed my
belief in the goodness of mankind. Brittany was so kind as to check up on me
and make sure I was dealing with tragedy okay. I told her it was awful and hurt
my spirit, but that the best revenge is
to be kinder, friendlier, more helpful, stronger and to go on living your life
with gusto. Like 8-year-old Martin
said (on a class project for school prior to tragically losing his life in the
Boston bombing): “No more hurting people. Peace!” #BostonStrong
“Don’t stop believin’!” –Journey
With that said, I’ve now turned my attention
back to my intern duties with that same gusto. I need to catch you guys and
gals up (like my own version of the water cooler) on what’s been happening on
the publishing front! First is that What the Spell was on one of my
favorite shows… “GLEE”! I was so
excited when I heard the news that Brittany’s book would make a cameo in an
episode titled “Guilty Pleasures.” I was literally jumping up and down. I mean,
I sing all their songs all the time, in the shower, on the
train (sorry homeless man on Canal Street)… I was just so excited and happy for
Brittany. I truly think the book was a perfect fit for the show, as it portrays
very similar themes. From Brooklyn’s deep need to fit in and her journey to
love and accept her true self, these are the same ideas “Glee” touches on in
each episode—complete with a Journey song in the background! They deal with
body image, bullying and self acceptance. These are all issues that most young
people deal with.
That night I sat on the edge of my fold out
chair and did something I haven’t done in over three years: watched a live
episode of TV, all the while texting Brittany every 10 seconds (sorry so
annoying!) [EDITOR’S NOTE: Not annoying at all.] We finally saw a glimpse of the
book when Tina Cohen-Chang held it in the macaroni art scene! As an avid
macaroni artist back in summer camp in Staten Island, I totally appreciated the
reference. But back to Tina holding What
the Spell! When I saw it, I screamed in my Brooklyn apartment (half
expecting someone to lean out of their window and yell, “Shut Up!”) and then
quickly texted Brittany like a mad woman. All I could think about was that it had made
it on “Glee!”
I watched the episode closely after that,
searching for more cameos, and though there were others, they were less
noticeable. Still, I was floating on air. I loved the rest of the episode and
laughed through everyone’s guilty pleasures especially the Spice Girls moment. (“Oh
tell me what you want, what you really really want…” hello 7th grade!) After
Brittany found the perfect screen capture and we sent it along to an awesome
Glee fansite, Glee-Fans.Org, we felt elated. Don’t stop believing, kids!
“Love is never having to say
you’re sorry.” --Love Story
So spring doesn’t just come with cherry
blossoms and iced lattes (my addiction!), but holidays like Passover and Easter
and fun events like book signings and WEDDINGS! Passover came and went, and for
this “Jewish American Princess,” that meant I got to hang out with my whole
loud, Jewish family, for a fun-filled 10 days that will be repeatedly retold to
my therapist for years to come. The fun part was giving my sisters and nieces
Brittany’s books to read, and then discussing and comparing notes. There were
fights over who would read what first. My 15-year-old niece got first choice
because she’s kind of awesome and will be a kick-ass lawyer one day (you go V!).
She picked Life’s a Witch, (yup,
Brittany gave me an advance copy, one of the perks of an unpaid intern. How do
I afford the lattes you might ask…. …shhh…it’s magic ;) and she loved it!
One of my sisters got What the Spell, and she thought it was adorable. She loved the high
school setting, Brooklyn, and everything about it. They switched books and the
rotation continued. My older sisters loved Life’s
A Witch for its retelling of the Salem witch trials and the rest of my
family just loved the books for the very fact that Brittany has worked so hard
and come so far. They commended her for her resilience and perseverance and
will read anything she writes from here on out.
After Passover (all that matza) and Easter (yes,
I did buy a dozen chocolate bunnies on sale at Duane Read!) came Brittany’s wedding!
She looked stunning! At first I thought that getting married at Disney World meant
Mickey and Minnie came to your wedding (a little scary). But when I actually
saw what her wedding was like, it made me want to change my mind about my own
dream location (See, I’ve wanted to get married at the Plaza Hotel since I
started planning my special day when I was 12 with my first wedding planner
scrapbook—now a Pinterest board. Yes boys, girls really do this.).
Britt’s wedding pictures came flowing in and I
gasped after each one. She looked like a princess, and Matt, her prince. This
was a magical day for her indeed. From the gown to the ceremony, and the party
favors of carved-out books to the wedding cake of books stacked on top of each
other, the event looked magnificent—everything the bride and groom deserved.
The love and warmth emanated through the photos and filled my heart with joy. (Getting
mushy I know, it’s been a tough week y’all, let me have it.)
“Please
do not feed the intern! She is on a strict diet of snark and sarcasm.”
When Brittany and Matt came back from their
honeymoon all tanned and with perma-smiles plastered on their faces, we
attended a book reading/signing Brittany did at Books
of Wonder. BOW is
a fabulous independent bookstore in Manhattan’s Flatiron district (home of my
favorite building). The store has book readings and a café inside with the best
barstools (yes, I tested them out). Brittany and four other authors (Alaya Dawn
Johnson, Jesse Karp, Nova Ren Suma and Suzzane Weyn) attended the Supernatural
Young Adult reading together. They each took
their seats at a long table and proceeded to wait for the bookish New Yorkers
to fill the room. The authors’ magical stories varied from themes like an Amazonian
dystopian future and ritual sacrifices to a girl who can see other missing
girls in her dreams.
Then Brittany began to read
her excerpt and I was riveted. It was the scene where Brooklyn and Asher first kiss;
it was so fun and lovely to hear out loud from the creator herself. The
audience gasped and cheered because they too could feel the magic of young love.
It was short and brilliant and the crowd loved it. All the authors read their excerpts
and then opened the floor to questions. Brittany had some fantastic answers
about the writing process and how she found new avenues to get her writing out to
the public.
They also discussed how they come
up with ideas and what inspires them. Jesse Karp explained that he starts to
think about “what if’s.” “What if everyone forgot I existed?” “What if my
parents forgot me?” It was then that I wondered whether Jesse had read my 7th
grade diary and began to panic over where I’d hid it all those years ago.
Brittany explained that she
drew inspiration from stories that she loved, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She enjoyed how the magical and the
mundane come together to make an extraordinary tale that is also relatable to
everyone.
When the question segment
ended they then proceed to sign books and I wanted them all. Being an intern and
living in a big city, budgets are a necessary evil, so I could only choose one
al la Sophie’s Choice. After some legit nail biting agony, I chose 17 and Gone, the mystery of missing
teens intrigued me, as I often fantasized about running away when I was younger
in order to get some quiet from my five siblings. The author signed my copy for
me, and I added it to my growing collection of signed books currently piled on
my bedroom floor. Brittany, her husband Matt, her publicist Siena (who is
awesome, btw!) and myself finished our venti lattes and then proceeded to use
all our leftover enthusiasm and adrenaline to go shopping (or it could have
just been me.) It was a great event and a wonderful turnout. You should all
come to the next one!
It was a fun
(yet somber) filled four weeks of family, wedded bliss and books galore. I
could not ask for more. So much more to share, but you’re going to have to hang
tight guys and gals—because the intern will return with more lattes, scoops and
pop cultured-laced anecdotes about Brittany’s zany adventures. Until next time!
Cheers,
Rose
AKA The Intern
P.S. Follow me on Twitter @krazybklyngurl so you can see more
updates on my crazy internship debacles in Brittany’s presence.
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