1. There are a lot of good things about being married to a carpenter/contractor, as I am. You can get things fixed without bringing someone in, for example. Also nice is that I rarely have to hammer a nail for anything, although that’s mostly because it makes him VERY NERVOUS when I look like I’m about to do so. The flip side—it’s not a downside, just a truth—is that when you are married to a contractor, they are used to job sites. And they have no trouble living WITHIN one, if it means they can, say, remodel and redecorate the entire downstairs, re-do the floors in several rooms AND tear out the laundry room. I, however, am having trouble adjusting to all this disruption. As I write this, there is someone adding texture to our living room walls. What is texture, you ask? I did too! It’s basically like another layer of wood/plaster, that makes the room feel more…oh, I’m not even sure. Ask me when it’s done. Also, our kitchen floor is torn up from where the fridge leaked and my washer/dryer are both out in the garage. If I SAY anything about this, though, my husband just rolls his eyes: to him, it is as normal as me being crazy during revisions. (Which I am right now, but that’s another issue altogether.) I know all this disruption, people coming and going and general chaos will be worth it in the end. But I miss having a floor. I’m not complaining! Just saying….
2. Regular readers of this blog know my daughter gets up early. Like, 5:30-6am, every single day. She’s been like this since she was a baby, and we’ve tried all kinds of things to change it: later bedtime, earlier bedtime, no sugar before bedtime….you name it. No change. This week, though, after she started hollering for me one morning at 5:25, I was at the end of my rope. So, following someone’s suggestion on Twitter, I purchased The Good Nite Light. It’s a plug in nightlight with both a sun and moon on it, and you can set it so it shows the moon when you want your kid in bed, and the sun when it’s okay to get up. We were all excited about this possibly working, and I think it MIGHT be, although it’s too soon to really tell. Which is to say, now she knows why I am not showing up to get her up when she is screaming for me to do so. But does that mean she STOPS screaming for me? Well….no. In fact, it’s more like, “Mama! The sun is taking TOO LONG TO COME ON!” Back to the drawing board, I guess.
3. Because my kid gets up so early, I tend to try and be in bed by 10, because otherwise I’m like a zombie all day. This week, however, two of my favorite musicians were playing at a bar up the street from me, at an early hour of 9:15. This is also notable because I live out in the country and NOTHING is near me, except for this little bar that has music sometimes. Still, I was hesitant. It was already a crazy week and I knew I’d be tired if I did it. But my husband insisted, so I went. And I am SO GLAD I did, because I got to see Sara Romweber play the drums, which was freaking awesome. I have heard of her and her music before but I’d never seen her live and WOW. I took this video, even though it’s not great quality. You can see her on the left, with her brother, Dexter Romweber (whose name inspired MY Dexter in THIS LULLABY) playing guitar. My friend Carrie was on the right, but you can’t really see her. Anyway, watch Sara wail on the drums. It’s pretty epic: check it out here.
4. It’s so freaking hot here right now. I know, I know. It’s summer in North Carolina, this is not exactly breaking news. But honestly I don’t remember the last time we had these long stretches of three digit temperatures, day after day, with heat indexes that make me want to swoon. 110 degrees? REALLY? We are fortunate in that everything here is air conditioned, for the most part, so it really becomes a two-pronged approach to avoid constant sweating: do things as early in the morning as you can, and perfect your hopscotching from one cool place like the car or grocery store to another. That said, I was loading groceries into my car for about five minutes today at 11:20 or so and was quickly drenched by my own pores. YUCK. I will always be a summer girl, but man. Hoping for a big storm to blow out all this humidity and cool things down, even if only for a little while…
5. Finally, I’m approaching a milestone moment here in my office. When I first moved up here, I had two big bookshelves to fill up however I chose. In one, I put all the books I really love and that are important to me, like my worn paperback of Lee Smith’s FAIR AND TENDER LADIES and the copy of BLEAK HOUSE my father gave me that I have tried to read about a million times and probably will a million more. (It’s his favorite novel, so I MUST finish it at some point. I always get to about page 300 and bail. Sad but true.) On the other one, I put one copy of every one of my books, starting with hardcovers, then paperbacks, then foreign editions. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of my books published in other countries in the last couple of years, and suddenly I find that shelf is FULL. Whoa! These four are the last that will fit:
From top left, going clockwise, they are Swedish, Spanish, Hungarian and Portugese. I think. I have to say, seeing these and all the others just blows my mind. I mean, I am not someone who has traveled a lot. Too anxious, for one reason. But to know that my BOOKS have been all around the world…wow. I feel really, really fortunate. I mean, Hungarian? Who KNEW? For once, having too much of something is a good thing. Even if it means springing for another bookshelf….
Have a good weekend, everyone!
Hey Sarah, you are seriously my favorite author and i was just looking at your appearances and i was wondering when your coming to California? I Would love to meet you!
This My Frist time reading sarah Dessen Book.
Just wanted to say that you are my absolute favorite author. I love every single one of yoru books and when I get older i am hoping to be a successfull writer just like you.
TOTALLY feeling this NC heat, too. (I’m in Charlotte, though.) Those are awesome covers!
Thanks for sharing. 
I think we have the same father. My father KNOWS that Dickens is the best author in the English language ever – it is not a matter of opinion to him at all. Years ago, he bought a new set and gave me all his old copies. I have an entire shelf of Dickens and I just can’t read him. I read a few of his books for high school and college classes and I liked them, but I cannot force myself to read them for fun. Bleak House is the best book ever written (again, not a matter of opinion) and I can’t get through that one at all. Someday, I tell myself.
Those covers are really cool!
My Swedish isn’t good (because it’s Danish, and it’s still pretty terrible) but which one of your books could possibly be called “My Perfect Life”?
Hmm, according to http://www.adlibris.com/se/product.aspx?isbn=9129677718, it’s “The Truth About Forever”. Okay. I guess. If I squint.
Hi, I just wanted to say that I’m from sweden and Mitt perfekta liv is The truth about forever. Altough if you translate the meaning of Mitt perfekta liv it means My perfect life:)
Just curious… as an author, do you ever look at your books on Goodreads? Do you read reviews from readers? Is it fun? Does it drive you crazy? I just think it’d be really interesting to get your perspective. Hope you are enjoying your summer!
I live in Chapel Hill (please come visit UNC! We’d love to have you!), so I totally get what you mean about the weather here. Even now, I’m scared to leave the apartment because the sun is practically baking whatever’s outside. I got back from China a few days ago though, and it was worse in Shandong – hot AND humid. Yuck indeed! I can’t wait for autumn’s pretty colors and cool temperatures. “Autumn on the Hill” is beautiful, to be sure.
I think it is SO COOL that you’ve got your books in these other languages. And the covers are incredible! Even now, across from my desk I’ve got Lock and Key on my bookshelf. Love your work, Sarah! Been following your blog ever since your Livejournal days.
xoxo
Hey Sarah,
just wanted to comment on the early mornings of your kid… My kid is 4 and a half, and has also always been a bad sleeper, also as a baby, she hardly napped during the day, nor did she sleep long at night. She also woke up super-early – though never at 5:30AM, more like 6:15-ish – but the main thing was that she kept on waking up during the night, even when everyone’s kid around me seemed to sleep through the night at say, I dunno, 6 months, or at 1 year at the latest. But ours, nope, even at age 3 and 4 she still woke up, at least twice a night. We also tried everyone’s good or not so good advice (I’m sure you know what I mean), but nothing worked… up until a few months ago…and she got a “new room”. We’d been renovating our house, and from about September last year till February of this year we lived some place else, because our house was unlivable (again, I feel your pain here!), but literally the day we moved back to our house and she had her new room which she had a say in (It’s a princess room, of course, and we’re still negotiating a painting scheme), she miraculously slept through the night, and now, we sometimes have to wake her up for school in the morning : gasp::. I don’t know what exactly made her decide to let me have my sleep too during the night, but I guess it was something. I’m not questioning what it was, maybe she grew out of it, I have no idea! But I think “change” has been a big part of it.
I just finished what happened to good bye, I have been reading your books since I was a senior. I love, love, love the way you write. You make me fall in love with love and reading all over again. I have to say that just listen is my favorite so far. I just started blogging and hope to write my own book some day and I just want to let you know that you inspire me so much.
I love the consistency of those covers! I wonder, do you organize them anyway? Like all the Dreamland on one shelf or all European titles together?
I’m not sure if you’ve tried this before, but when I had more books than shelf space, I stacked the books so the titles were reading left to right.
It does get tricky to pull a book out, but it works. Not sure if you’d be okay having them on top of one another, but it can’t hurt to try.
Keep up the great works and you’ll need a whole wall of shelves soon!
When I was a little girl, I used to do that too. Which is why my Mom thought me how to turn on the TV on my own. At night she would change channel to Family, then she would go to bed. So that in the morning I just walk down, turn on the TV and watch until 9AM when they would get up. We still do something like that. But instead of 5 AM, I get up at 8AM. Maybe you should try that?
Hi Sarah!
I’m from Sweden and I just wanted to say that I love your books! Right now I’m reading “What Happened to Goodbye”. You are very inspiring and when I get older I wish to become a writer myself. When I read your books, it actually feels like I’m in the story. Everything’s so real to me even though it has never happened in the reality. So thanks again for your books and don’t ever stop writing!
Hey Sarah,
I’m Dorothy from Hungary and I was soo happy to see Altatódal on your picture in this blog post! However I have read all your books in English because that’s the original and i prefer exactly your word, but fear no, the translations are also working pretty cool.
I’m from Norway and I have to say, I LOVE your books! Just finished Along for the ride. I read them all in English though, but anyway, some of the best books I have on my bookshelf right now!
Sarah, I was an early riser as a child, too. I HATED when people slept in around me. But as a teenager and now an adult, I could sleep all day long, get up for a few hours, so back to bed and sleep soundly through the night. Don’t worry. Your girl will grow into it
Sarah, you cannot understand how much of an impact your books have had on my life. I remember reading The Truth About Forever and knew that I want to become such an amazing and successful author just like you; you truly do inspire me! I also can’t wait to read What Happened To Goodbye next… Super excited!
Hi i’m from Germany and I have a question. in our language (german) your book titles are also in English but they are not like these here for example lock and key is because of you or along for the ride is about ruby and even the new one is not called what happened to good Bye but stop saying good Bye. And now my question is have those changed titles a deeper sense or is it only fun? But your books are fantastic
and nice greetings from Germany xD
I’m hungarian, and I bought ‘The lullaby’ (Altatódal) yesterday. I’ve read ‘The truth about forever’ (Tökéletes) and the ‘Just listen’(Figyelj rám), and I loved all of them! I love your style, your characters. I hope I will read more books of yours in hungarian, because I love them