We both had a lot going on, and I was just happy to have him come to the dance.
“Nope!” I said.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t daydream about the day it would happen and our future after that.
I’m thinking about a life in Paris. There’s a lot of famous art there for Kyle and me to check out. He’ll be part of the biggest band on the planet, and I’ll be his album-cover/comic-book-designing wife. The possibilities are endless.
But first there is a Perfect Storm tour to plan! I can’t wait to see what happens on the road with the boys next.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As a girl who grew up in a room bursting with New Kids on the Block posters and a Joey McIntrye pillowcase, getting the chance to write about a girl who goes on the road with her favorite boy band is a dream. Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for letting me write this lucky thirteenth novel with them. It wouldn’t have been possible without my fearless editor, Pam Gruber. I feel so lucky to work with someone who equally enjoys talking about comic books and ballet flats. Shout-outs to the rest of the hardworking LBYR team, including Andrew Smith; Melanie Chang; my fierce publicist, Kristina Aven; Leslie Shumate; Tracy Shaw; Wendy Dopkin; and Erica Stahler.
This is the first time I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on a book with illustrations, and Kristen Gudsnuk made the experience a dream. Kristen, you captured Perfect Storm and Mac in a way I never could have imagined. (And your comic-book illustrations rock. Mac Attack would definitely approve!)
To Dan Mandel, my agent: You truly are Dan the Man. Thanks for always believing in me and my projects. I feel so fortunate to have you on my side.
Writing is so much more fun when you have friends to share ideas with. Thanks to the biggest boy band lover I know, Elizabeth Eulberg, for giving this book a first read. Thanks also go to Julia DeVillers for all the middle grade notes, Kieran Scott for always having the best advice a friend could ask for, and Katie Sise, Jennifer E. Smith, Sarah Mylnowski, Tiffany Schmidt, and Courtney Sheinmel for being on this journey with me.
To The Dance Place competition dancers (and owner and friend Miana DeLucia) in North Bellmore, New York—thank you for letting me storm practices to pick your brains about why you love boy bands like One Direction. You are my kind of girls.
To Mike, Tyler, Dylan, (and, of course, Jack), thank you for putting up with the crazy schedule, the odd writing hours, and the months when I’ve been talking so much on school visits, I lose my voice (I secretly think you all may enjoy this). Thank you for inspiring me and making me laugh every day.
And finally to my awesome, inspiring readers. Thank you for all your notes, e-mails, and comments about my books. I feel so lucky to get to write stories you enjoy reading. Mac is as close as I’ve ever come to putting a character like me on the page. For your enjoyment, I’ll also tell you this—I just may have written a poem to New Kids on the Block back in the day that reads a lot like the one Mac wrote. This is why I always say it never hurts to put yourself out there: I got an actual reply, which I have kept to this day. The journey is what you make of it. Make yours a great one.
For more great reads and free samplers, visit
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter 1: Friday, February 19: LOCATION: Home
Chapter 2: Saturday, February 20, 12:03 AM: LOCATION: Home
Chapter 3: Saturday, February 20, 11:00 PM
(Postconcert recap!): LOCATION: Home
Chapter 4: Monday, February 22: LOCATION: Home
Chapter 5: Wednesday, February 24: LOCATION: Tour Stop #1—Atlanta, Georgia
Chapter 6: Wednesday, February 24 (I’m back to continue my story after a quick bite for dinner!): LOCATION: Still Tour Stop #1—Atlanta, Georgia (or as it will forever be known: the Place Where Mac Caused the Roaring Dragon Nightmare)
Chapter 7: Friday, February 26: LOCATION: Tour Stop #2—Orlando, Florida
Chapter 8: Sunday, February 28: LOCATION: The middle of nowhere, aka on the way to Nashville, Tennessee
Chapter 9: Monday, February 29: LOCATION: Tour Stop #3—Nashville, Tennessee
Chapter 10: Tuesday, March 1 (I think. I’m not sure because it’s so late at night and I’m writing this under the covers by flashlight so Mom doesn’t get even more mad at me. Let me explain.…): LOCATION: Sleepless in Nashville, Tennessee
Chapter 11: Thursday, March 3: LOCATION: On the long road to Texas
Chapter 12: Friday, March 4: LOCATION: Austin, Texas
Chapter 13: Wednesday, March 9: LOCATION: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Chapter 14: Saturday, March 12: LOCATION: On the road to Denver, Colorado
Chapter 15: Saturday, March 19: LOCATION: Las Vegas, baby!
Chapter 16: Sunday, March 20 (It’s so early, it’s still the middle of the night!): LOCATION: Sleepover party in Jilly’s room in Vegas!
Chapter 17: Sunday, March 20: LOCATION: We’re still in Las Vegas, but on to California tomorrow! Yay! (That also means Iris and Scarlet have to go home. Boo!)
Chapter 18: Tuesday, March 22: LOCATION: Los Angeles, California, city of broken dreams
Chapter 19: Wednesday, March 23: LOCATION: Los Angeles, California
Chapter 20: Friday, April 15: LOCATION: HOME! Long Island, New York, it’s a heck of a town!
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Text copyright © 2015 by Jen Calonita
Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Kristen Gudsnuk
Cover art by Kristen Gudsnuk
Cover design by Maggie Edkins and Tracy Shaw
Cover © 2015 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
[email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
lb-kids.com
Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group.
The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: December 2015
ISBN 978-0-316-25974-3
E3
Jen Calonita, VIP: I'm With the Band
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