Just a Hop, Skip, and a Jump Away!

I am getting seriously close to reaching my goal of reading 100 books for 2010. I've now completed book #90 and with only a little over a month to go before this year's end, I am quite confident I can do it.
A lot of people have mentioned to me that they want to join me in 2011 in making it their goal to read 100 books as well and it makes me really  happy that there are still people that are able to see the joy that reading can bring. Video games and Reality Tv, you will not defeat us!! For those of you that haven't read one book this year, why not make it a goal to read one before the new year? I swear you will feel great after....and if you don't well it's one step towards better spelling on your friends' Facebook walls.  I am planning on making this goal into a charity event for 2011. Similar to the MS read-a-thon, but for both kids and adults. I will also have some celeb support involved in it, so I'm really excited.  Just working out the details, so check back early in the New Year for this information.

So here is another updated top 10 list. If there are stars beside it, that means "I liked it... I liked it a lot" (say it in the voice of Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber.)

1. Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers ****
2. Timbuktu: A Novel, by Paul Auster****
3. Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying, by Abby Sher****
4. Thin is the New Happy, by Valerie Frankel
5. The Book of Awesome, by Neil Pasricha****
6. The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein****
7. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak****
8. The Heights, by Peter Hedges

9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith (an oldie but a goodie)
10. Birds in Fall: A Novel, by Brad Kessler****

Have a great week everyone and Happy Reading!

Thank God for YOU!!

By "YOU" I mean all those that came out on Thursday night to help make my book launch a very successful event. It was such a blast and I was not expecting so many people. When one of the employees came back to tell me not to come out yet because they had to put more chairs out, I was shocked.
It felt so great to have so much support from all walks of my life and amazing to see people that I hadn't seen in probably over ten years. (Thanks Facebook for that one). It was such a surreal and magical experience and I look forward to my launch in LA and New York in the new year.
If you couldn't make it out and still wish to purchase my book(s), you can get it at Indigo Manulife Centre or order online at Indigo or Amazon, or Barnes and Noble etc. etc.
Special thanks to Rob from the Chanel counter at Holt Renfrew Bloor Street for doing my makeup. I've been with him for years and he ROCKS!! Also to my close friend Megan Vincent for taking professional pictures on Thursday night. She is also the photographer of my author picture on the back....and of course to the pretty blonde girl that was standing at the back with the baby stroller, Jordana Lieberman-Hay, who has done my cover for both books now and we are already discussing the third. I have gotten so many compliments on it and she really did a fantastic job.

Of course last but not least, again to all of you that came out (some even from out of town).......THANK GOD FOR YOU!!!

Love and Silver Linings
Andrea Dana

It's Ouuuuut!!!! (to be sung to the tune of "They're baaack"--from Poltergeist

I'm super excited to announce the release of my second novel "StarSitter: Thank God For You!" If you are in the Toronto area, please feel free to stop by Indigo Books at the Manulife Centre at 7pm tonight where my Canadian launch will be taking place. If you are in the LA area, a launch will be taking place in January (date to be determined).  If you can't make it to the signing the book is available online at Amazon, Indigo, Barnes and Noble, and tons of other online book sites. It is also available at Indigo. My StarSitter series would also make a great holiday gift, and as someone who's on her 87th out of 100 books for 2010, obviously I'm a big advocate for reading. You can check out my other blogs for other great recommendations. I have just returned from LA and there's a lot of exciting things happening with StarSitter that I will talk about in the next few weeks, but for now I am so grateful to everyone who has made this event possible. It means so much to me how people have really stepped up to the plate for me over the past couple years. I apologize for letting my blog slip for a while, but I have been so busy working on set, I haven't had time to post. However, keep checking back because I have an amazing and inspiring blog coming up about someone I have worked with

                      Hope to see you all tonight!
                     xoxo Andrea Dana

I Am 17 Going On 18.......

Ahhhhh election time. It's the most wonderful time of the year. All the people crawling out of the woodwork trying to figure out which campaign to follow and who to vote for. Yes, I am one of those confused souls that sadly enough understands the US elections better than the Canadian ones. This year I decided to make a conscious effort to try a little harder and set myself straight with my own peeps. So what happens? I jump on the Rocco Rossi wagon and he friggen drops out!  Back to the drawing board. In high school it was so much easier. Everyone voted for the person that had the coolest campaign and gave out the best stuff. Who could forget the Dj dance party in the circular driveway at York Mills Collegiate, or the free cotton candy and baked goods in the courtyards. Those people always had my vote. Could you imagine if nominees ran their campaigns like they did in high school?
"Hey George Smitherman is giving out free fizz-wiz and kit-kat by the Eaton Centre" or "Rob Ford promises to give every person in Toronto a Roots leather vest if he wins." Or if both of them "Punched up!" for Toronto, Enrico- style? (that's a York Mills joke for those reading)
Sigh....one can dream can't they.
Yesterday, I had a great experience with one Toronto campaign for city councillor. There was a knock on my door and I opened it to find two older women standing on the other side of it carrying tons of pamphlets and notebooks. Campaigners!
"Is your mom home?" one of them asked.
"Um, no," I said.
"Oh, well are you old enough to vote yet?" she asked. SAY WHAT????? At this point I knew I had two options. Say yes, and have to listen to their boring spiel about why I should vote for her for councillor, or say no and go back to watching my shows that I was watching on PVR.
"No, not yet," I said, upping the tone of my voice to make me sound a bit younger.
"Okay, how many more years until you are 18?" she asked. If I worked in an office, this is the point where I'd say to myself "none of the guys in the office are ever going to believe this one."
"I'll be 18 next year," I answered.
"Okay great. Then I guess we'll be talking to you next year," she laughed. Then the other woman who had been pretty much silent up until now said,
"So there's an Ellen Eisen, an Andrea Eisen, and a Stephanie Eisen registered at this address." Uh oh!
"Yes, well Ellen's my mom and Andrea and Stephanie are my older sisters, but they aren't living here anymore," I said. Both women smiled.
"Okay great, well here's my information that you can give to your mom and we'll be seeing you in the future," she said.
"I can't wait to vote!" I said with excitement, before closing the door. I was on a high for the rest of the day and I'll tell you one thing, that woman definitely has my vote for  city councillor this year!!

The Next Top 10

Don't get excited boys. I'm not about to announce the next 10 top girls in your city or country. I'm talkin' books here. I am quickly approaching #70 out of the 100 book challenge I have taken on for 2010. This has been quite an interesting experience for me. I have had great conversations with so many different people about books. I was really happy to see the number of people reading on set this summer. Two of my top ten were recommendations by emmy nominee Michael Sheen, whom I met on the set of "Jesus Henry Christ" this past summer. His suggestions were"Cloud Atlas," and "The Wind Up Bird Chronicles," and are now two of my new favorite books. We were both excited that because they are both 500 pages, they count as two books. I also had one recommendation from both Drew Roy and Noah Wyle called "Shantaram." I have not yet gotten to this one, but it is on my to-read list.
I am having so much fun with this challenge. I feel like I am learning so many new things. I'm really connecting with other readers and out of all the healing I've done, healing thru books has been by far the most helpful to me. Although, I must admit, Sangria was also a close friend of mine this summer.

So here is my next top 10 favorite books (in no particular order)

1. Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, by Murakami Haruki
3. The Slap, by Tsiolkas Christos
4. Camp Nurse: My Advetures at Summer Camp, by Tilda Shalof
5. Open, by Andre Agassi
6. Shit My Dad Says, by Justin Halpern
7. This is Where I leave You, by Jonathan Tropper
8. Without Reservations, by Alice Steinbach
9.  Beyond Hitler's Grasp: The Heroic Rescue of Bulgaria's Jews, by Michael Bo-Zohar

10. The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss

StarSitter: Thank God For You! (Synopsis)

Everyone keeps asking me what my new book is about, so I thought I would post the synopsis here for you to read. I'm looking at a release for sometime in October and a book signing in November when I nail down a date with Indigo Bookstore. By the way, love my cover? My friends Jordana Lieberman Hay and Amy Levine did it! Now then, here you go:

   




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                



             A drunken-dial from a fallen teen queen?

·                             Spray tanning in a boutique clothing store?

·                            A disastrous first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game?

Thirty-year-old Grace Daniels’ life comes full circle when she receives a phone call from the publicist of former Hollywood it girl, Maddy Malone. Fresh out of rehab, Maddy is returning to Chicago for a part in a low budget Indie film and discovers that her former guardian is now the host of her own talk show, called As Good As Grace. Having already rejected both Oprah and Ellen’s pleas for an interview, Maddy decides that her first public appearance ought to be on Grace’s show instead. When the two are reunited, Maddy is shocked and enticed by the new and improved Grace. It seems that Grace has cultivated a new image with her recently highlighted hair, hot boyfriend Jesse, and expensive designer duds. Maddy is acutely aware that Grace has moved on up, Jefferson –style.

Grace is also astonished by some distinct changes in Maddy since they were last together. For instance, Maddy, once consumed with haute couture, now shops at the Gap and resorts to selling her old designer bags to the crew on set when she needs extra cash. Even more surprising is the revelation that Maddy has also essentially dispensed with her freeloading and attention seeking mother, who, she explains, due to a Botox mishap only came to visit Maddy once while she was in rehab. When Maddy’s hotel reservation is lost, the perpetually self sacrificing Grace makes a split second decision to help her and finds herself in even more ludicrous adventures with her young protégée. Overwhelmed and sleep deprived, Grace struggles to keep Maddy afloat while the young starlet comes to terms with the fact she is no longer dazzling the paparazzi on the red carpets or wowing them at Cannes. As they embark on this journey together, both Maddy and Grace learn that sometimes in life, stepping up to the plate and helping others can be your ticket to salvation and the true path to glory and fame.

"What I did this Summer," by Andrea Dana

As the first day of school is upon us, lots of kids will be writing this essay.  However, if I was still teaching in classrooms, I think I'd change the title to, "What I learned this summer." I mean, anyone can list off things like: Wonderland x10, summer camp, and backpacking Europe. I'm more interested to know how a kid's education was furthered by the activities he/she took part in. It's not just because I'm a teacher, but because I learned a few things about myself this summer too. You see, for the past year and a half people have been telling me how "strong" I am for the things I have gone through, which I seem to always reply "Really? You think so?" I never feel like I'm so strong. I always feel like I'm just doing what I have to do. I mean, I guess I could lie down on the floor and never get up again, but what good would that do?  In my opinion, when you are forced into a situation that is beyond your control, you'd be surprised how much strength you have. A lot of people have said "I don't know what I'd do if one of my parents died." The truth is, they'd do exactly what I've had to do. Keep going.  What I do believe is that there is a difference between being strong and being brave. From what I have learned this summer, being brave takes a lot more strength than being strong does. Therefore, this summer I learned how brave I am. Not only did I make the decision to put my sixteen-year-old Lhasa Apso, Charlie, down. That took strength, but I also made BRAVE decision to not leave his side while it was done. I held him and hugged him while the vet put him to sleep in my parent's backyard by the swing. I really surprised myself with that one. At first, I didn't think I'd be able to be present to watch my best buddy die. I anticipated that I'd be screaming, crying, and to be honest, puking. I felt so much guilt that I was taking Charlie away from my two other dogs, Lucy and Molly, and was terrified over how they'd react over it. (they weren't present when Charlie was put to sleep) I'm not going to go into detail about the process of euthanasia, but to say that it is probably the most humane and peaceful way for a living being to die. The time frame from the injection to Charlie's final breath probably took twenty seconds at the most and within that last breath I could feel his sigh of relief. He fell asleep. Just like that. No more suffering. No more pain. Afterwards, my good friend Wendy directed me to a link that she thought would be helpful. It is the story of "Rainbow Bridge." I wanted to share this with you, and strongly encourage you to read it and definitely share it with anyone you know who has lost a pet. http://petloss.com/rainbowbridge.htm
I'll be honest, I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I was really proud of myself that I went through with such a selfless act. I had gotten to a point where I knew that I was holding onto Charlie so that I didn't have to suffer another loss in my life.
I am so thankful to still have  Lucy and Molly, who have been a huge comfort to me and have barely left my side. It makes me want to go storming back to that hoarder shrink that I went to see, Dr. NOT Oprah and say to her, "Hey Big Edie (that's a Grey Gardens joke). This is why I have so many dogs!!!"

A few days after Charlie passed away, I went with my cousin Marla and two of her three children to Centre Island. I am sure I hadn't been there in over twenty years. As we got off the ferry, I felt like I had stepped into a time warp. I don't think anything had changed since my last visit there, other than the fact that I no longer fit into those little fire engine cars that I used to drive on the tracks as a kid. However, I am happy to say that I still fit into the logs at the Log Flume Ride...and yes, I went on it three times, got soaked, and loved every second of it. I felt so nostalgic that day. I had spent a lot of time at Centre Island as a kid in the 70s. My dad used to take us there all the time. We even had a little sailboat docked there that we'd take a ride in, if my dad could remember where he had left it, or how to even sail it, but those are small details.
I learned something else while I was on the train ride that takes you around the island. The same train ride, that as a kid, seemed WAY longer and the island seemed WAY bigger. I was sitting with my little cousin Kaia, who's five-years-old, and as we went along the tracks, she pointed out other rides she wanted to go on. We both got excited as we saw all the animals on the little farm. As we went through the tunnel, all the little kids let out shrieking screams of excitement mixed with fear to be in the darkness. Kaia gave out a few little yelps and then poked me in the arm and said, "Look Cousin Andrea there's the light at the end of the tunnel!" Talk about an eye-opener. It was indeed the light at the end of the tunnel. The one I've been looking for, for the past eighteen months. Marla and I laughed over the irony of it, but something inside me finally clicked.
I was lying in bed last night thinking how my life has become so psycho. One day I'm putting my dog to sleep, the next day I'm doing an interview on Etalk Canada. One day I'm at my dad's unveiling, the next day I'm partying it up with Noah Wyle, Peter Shinkoda, and the rest of my "Fallen Skies" friends. So really what have I learned this summer? Life is full of many ups and downs. I can't have one without the other. However, when I accept the brave decisions I need to make, live in the moment and believe everything will work out eventually, maybe I won't need a five-year-old to point out the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe next time I'll be able to find it myself.
So as you all go back to school, back to work, or just get that same end of summer dread that you get every year, try to think about everything you learned this summer. Whether a teacher asks you to write it down, or not, somehow store it in your memory and keep on going.