What Makes Me #MoreHappyThanNot?

The publishers at Soho Teen asked bloggers, and other readers, the following question:

"What makes you #MoreHappyThanNot?"

in preparation for Adam Silvera's debut novel More Happy Than Not.  Naturally, I had to jump aboard this campaign and share my own answer.  I thought long and hard because SO many things, little things to be exact, create happiness in my life.  I felt very blessed by this realization.  I could go with the simple happiness in my life, like: a good cup of coffee, fresh baked cookies, blooming flowers, a hot shower after a long day, or snuggling with my old-lady pup Daisy.  But I wanted to dig deeper and express something in my life that TRULY makes me more happy than not, every day, for the past thirty-three years: My sisters.

I grew up in a house of four girls, ranging only five years from me (the youngest) to the oldest.  We had our fair share of fights (mostly verbal aggressions over something that lasted only five minutes), but looking back, I am filled with countless happy memories beaming with my sisters.  I don't know what kind of life I'd lead today if it weren't for them.  They are my people, the ones I go to when I want to share good or bad news.  They understand me like no one else.  They've seen me at my worst, and have triumphed with me at my best.  I don't ever want to know what life would be like without them.  My sisters have always made me "more happy than not" in immeasurable ways.  As one of my sisters once shared, just after our mother passed away, our mom gave us the best gift -- each other.

I'm now asking you, my readers, what makes YOU more happy than not?  Please share in the comments below!

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About the book: The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-relief procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto -- miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. But Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor or how his friends aren't always there for him. Like after his father committed suicide in their one bedroom apartment. Aaron has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it's not enough.

Then Thomas shows up. He has a sweet movie-watching setup on his roof, and he doesn't mind Aaron's obsession with a popular fantasy series. There are nicknames, inside jokes. Most importantly, Thomas doesn't mind talking about Aaron's past. But Aaron's newfound happiness isn't welcome on his block. Since he can't stay away from Thomas or suddenly stop being gay, Aaron must turn to Leteo to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he is.

Adam Silvera's extraordinary debut novel offers a unique confrontation of race, class and sexuality during one charged near-future summer in the Bronx. [goodreads]

An Open Letter To Adam Silvera's YA Self

I'm very excited to be featuring a few YA authors on the blog, writing their own Open Letters, through out this month. Not aware of this fab feature? Be sure to check out my introduction post HERE. You can also read my Open Letter To My YA Self post HERE.

Today's Open Letter comes from debut author Adam Silvera.  His YA novel, MORE HAPPY THAN NOT publishes June 2nd, a date that's been marked on my calendar for quite some time seeing as though I am SUPER excited to read this one!  I love his outlook on seeking happiness, and how it has the power to recreate itself.  Please welcome Adam to the blog with his Open Letter to YA Self.

Hey 19-year-old Adam,

First off, you never grow up to regret the Gemini glyph tattoo you got at 18. It's the Tattoo-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named on your back shoulder you should've really taken another week or two to consider. But clinics with affordable tattoo removal aren't a thing yet (like you confidently assumed they'd be) so what's done is done and we're moving on.

You will sell your first novel at 23-years-old. This will only surprise you because you were confident you'd sell a fantasy series at 21. Well, that fantasy book is still a pain in the ass years later. Instead, you will fall in love with a guy despite the girl whose affections continue confusing you. This guy will not be able to love you back in the way you hope but he will indeed love you and become one of your biggest champions. He will also become an emotional source for the book you ultimately write and publish, which explores nature versus science (which you still suck at later, I'm sorry to report) and he will be cool as hell when he receives the first advance reader's copy. He'll tell you the book will feel like a long flashback, even though it's not a memoir because, come on, you will finally grow into SOME humility and admit your life isn't memoir-worthy. But the heart of the book is recognizable to those who lived through it with you. And you have many cool moments like this to look forward to.

But it's going to suck first.

If everything were easy, nothing would be interesting. And finding your pain interesting is odd, but it's your own Life Story that will take you out of the fan-fiction universe and force you to confront your harsh truths in a fictional world not unlike your own (with the addition of a slight sci-fi device, because again, your life needed some kick to it). And damn, I legit want to hug you because you're about to go through your first true heartbreak without many people to talk to about it, and you're going to have Bad Thoughts on the roof of your first apartment (this exhaustion with life won't surprise you because of the mental illness that runs on your father's side of the family; it'll feel inevitable). But the dude who you mistakenly believe is killing you will be the one to save you, over and over. And this is the start to one of the most impressive friendships you'll find yourself in six years later.

Here's the lesson here: happiness is hard. Many things are going right in your life but it's not always going to feel like enough. In the summer after your 24th birthday you'll tell a date whom you're super incompatible with that you can't keep hanging out because you have a tattoo appointment, which isn't true, but you'll actually go and get a tattoo because you don't want to be a liar. The "H G O" tattoo is on your collarbone and and stands for "Happiness Goes On" because you'll learn over and over that no matter how tough life gets that happiness will find you again. But in the meantime you have to settle on being "more happy than not." (You'll get this reference two years from now when you're sitting in Central Park with Lara the Laptop.)

Mad love,
Slightly wiser, even taller-for-no-reason Adam
(Less than two months away from his 25th birthday and publication of his first novel.)

Adam Silvera's website | twitter | goodreads

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