Friday, January 10, 2014

Roomies: My Story + A Giveaway


I'm really excited today to do something a little different on the blog and share a personal experience. Personal posts are fairly few and far between for me since I tend to get caught up in all the bookish fun and ramble on about books and authors relentlessly, but the fantastic people at Little, Brown have asked people to share their roommate stories in order to help celebrate the release of Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando, and I just had to participate. Below my very first roommate experience you'll find details on the authors' tour as well as the details on how to win a copy of Roomies for yourself, so be sure and take a look!

And now, I shall tell you all about my very first day of freshman year.

FRESHMAN YEAR: DAY ONE

For as long as I can remember, I've had a rather impressive obsession with movies. I love watching them of course, but even more than that, I love getting the behind the scenes scoop on the actors, the sets, the filming, all of it. I love learning little pieces of trivia; ones that turn me into that person who goes "Did you know..." when a movie trailer pops up on tv, and then proceeds to rattle off inane details that no one but me cares much about. As a result of this longtime love and fascination with Hollywood movie magic, when it came time to apply to colleges I looked for ones that had strong film programs. I knew I wanted to go to a smaller school rather than one of the big LA film schools though, and after a rather exhaustive search I wound up at Ithaca College in upstate New York, all set to begin my journey to movie-making awesomeness with a Bachelor's Degree in Film and Photography.

Like almost everyone, after orientation I received my roommate assignment in the mail. I had the fleeting hope that I'd magically wind up in a single and not have to worry about sharing the tiniest space imaginable with a total stranger, but that hope was brutally dashed when my assignment letter showed up. I would love to tell you my roommate's name, but I honestly can't remember. That seems strange I'm sure, but you'll find out why my memory isn't entirely at fault shortly. We went through all the standard pre-moving in together rituals, exchanging emails to get to know one another better and discussing what each of us would bring to make our cinderblock cell dorm room feel homey. There were probably under 10 emails exchanged–the very basics covered–as we figured we'd get to know one another absurdly well soon enough.

Move in day arrives and I'm the first one to our room, so my parents and I go about getting my bed made, setting up my computer, unpacking clothes, etc., and all the while I'm waiting nervously to meet the person I'm going to be living with for the next year. By the time we finished, she still hadn't arrived, and since my parents were staying overnight (it was a 10 hour drive from southern Ohio to Ithaca, so my parents were spending the night in a local hotel) we decided to explore the town a little and grab dinner. They dropped me off later that night and I rode up the elevator wondering if this girl and I would end up being friends, or if we would be the type of roommates who barely tolerated each other. I so hoped for the former.

She was finally there when I got back and had begun unpacking her stuff. We chatted as she worked, and she seemed nice enough if a little quiet, so I was beginning to feel pretty good about the situation. I figured the next day we would wander the campus together and figure out where everything was before classes started, and just generally bond. As you do. Alas though, it was not to be. I woke up in the morning to the sounds of muffled crying. I rolled over to look at my roommate, but her bed was empty and I didn't see her anywhere else in the room. It's important to note that our room was tiny. I could stand in the middle of the floor with my arms outstretched and touch both of our itty bitty twin beds, so it seemed odd that I was unable to pinpoint her location at first glance.

I heard hiccupping again and had to do a double take when my eyes scanned past her closet (our closets had no doors, they were just set back into the wall on either side of the main door) because I still couldn't see her even though the crying was coming from that direction. I finally went over for a closer look, and sure enough, there's my roommate, buried under the clothes in her closet sobbing for all she's worth. This was a perplexing situation, I tell you. I didn't know her, but obviously wanted to provide some sort of comfort given her level of distress. The closer I crept to her however, the louder she got and the more she retreated under her bundle of clothes, so I just sort of hovered silently in the vicinity like a champ. She finally asked me to leave the room and give her some space, so I headed to breakfast by my lonesome. Super. When I got back, she was packing. Her parents had spent the night as well and she had called them as soon as I left, so they came, packed her up, and within the hour she was gone. Goodbye, roommate.

I was eventually assigned another roommate a month later and she managed to spend the night in a room with me without breaking down into tears, which I counted as a victory for all parties involved. I declared myself a most excellent roommate at that point and went on with the rest of my year ;-)

If you have any fun roommate stories, I'd love to hear them in the comments. And be sure to check out the NOVL site today as the folks at Little, Brown will be sharing their own roommate stories:)

• • • • • • • • • •

ROOMIES


The countdown to college has begun.

When Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment at the beginning of summer, she shoots off an email to coordinate the basics: TV, microwave, mini-fridge. She can't wait to escape her New Jersey beach town, and her mom, and start life over in California.

The first note to Lauren in San Francisco comes as a surprise; she had requested a single. But if Lauren's learned anything from being the oldest of six, it's that you can't always get what you want, especially when what you want is privacy.

Soon the girls are emailing back and forth, sharing secrets even though they've never met. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives...and each other.

With humor and heart, Sara Zarr, National Book Award finalist for Story of a Girl, and Tara Altebrando, acclaimed author of The Pursuit of Happiness, join forces for a novel about that time after high school, when everything feels like it's ending just as it's beginning.




COME MEET SARA AND TARA!
• • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the Little, Brown team I have one copy of Roomies up for grabs today! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

The countdown to college has begun.

When Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment at the beginning of summer, she shoots off an email to coordinate the basics: TV, microwave, mini-fridge. She can't wait to escape her New Jersey beach town, and her mom, and start life over in California.

The first note to Lauren in San Francisco comes as a surprise; she had requested a single. But if Lauren's learned anything from being the oldest of six, it's that you can't always get what you want, especially when what you want is privacy.

Soon the girls are emailing back and forth, sharing secrets even though they've never met. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives...and each other.

With humor and heart, Sara Zarr, National Book Award finalist for Story of a Girl, and Tara Altebrando, acclaimed author of The Pursuit of Happiness, join forces for a novel about that time after high school, when everything feels like it's ending just as it's beginning.
- See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sara-zarr/roomies/9780316217491/#desc
a Rafflecopter giveaway

28 comments:

  1. Aww, that's such a sad story, Jenny! Poor thing must have been terrified and obviously homesick. :( I didn't live in a dorm but shared an apartment with my older siblings which had its own kind of drama. ;)

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  2. I love that you shared this with us Jenny, I had no idea you loved movies so much!

    I feel awful for your first roommate though, poor girl!

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  3. Sounds like this girl had a hard time living in the real world. WOW. What a way to start college.

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    1. Not in that way but what I meant was, starting off with a crying roommate must have been a little overwhelming. Like you said, you didn't know her or know what to do. I probably would have freak out.

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  4. What a coincidence that this is the topic. Over the holidays we spent time telling my nephew all our roommate horror stories. We all had at least one. As you might remember , your father in law had 3 roommates in the first week!!

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  5. Ahh that is too bad for your first roommate. College is scary the first few days. Did you read Fangirl? No roommate stories for me. I lived at home, commuted two hours daily to school, worked and all that. I was barely at home more than to sleep between work and school. I am sad I missed out on that experience but happy I didnt' go into debt while in school

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  6. I just ordered this book from my library!

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  7. I did share a flat but we had our own rooms, but to live in the same *shudders*

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  8. Never had one. Lived at home and went to college. Do have a husband though!

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  9. What a great roommate story. I really don't have any... I've stayed in dorm rooms with lots of people, but no one on one kind of story. At least you got a good story out of your experience! :D

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  10. My roommate and I didn't know each other until we met, but we are still BFFs to this day. We were maids of honor in each other's weddings, and we are the godparents of each other's kids. Sorry that your first roomie was such a doozie!

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  11. Oh my Jenny..I am sure you were a wonderful roommate. My hubby had an interesting experience. He went out of state and the first night in his new dorm, the phone (a desk phone with cord and rotary dial) rang in the middle of the night. His roommate who by all accounts seem perfectly normal before they dosed off, sat up and shot the phone with a gun he had under his pillow. Now this was an elite school, and needless to say, after all the chaos his roommate never returned. surprising the phone still worked...LOL

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  12. Yowzer! That poor girl -- and poor you! I mean, how do you handle that?!? Well, at least you had a single for a little while. Such a scary prospect, moving in with a complete stranger in a completely new place. It's a wonder more people don't break down and run back home.

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  13. My roommate in college was a great person. We ended up living together for three years and are best friends.

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  14. Awww...poor thing! In situations like this its soo awkward and you know you want to help but at the same time you don't know how to go about it. I'm sure you would have been a rockin roommate though Jenny. lol ;p I just started my first year as well and I am soo glad I don't have to live on residence. My uni is like an hour away from where I live. YAY for me! Personally, I don't think I could have adjusted all that well being away from home plus the added burden of work. Its overwhelming as it is. :)

    Thanks for sharing your story, Jenny!! ;p

    ~ Maida xoxo
    Literary Love Affair 

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    1. And speaking of movies...did you watch Thor: Dark World?? or About Time??

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  15. Yikes. I bet that girl never survived a night away at sleep away camp. It concerns me if you're 18 and not ready to leave the nest. I hope she's happy now and also laughing about this situation.

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  16. had a horrible one who looked through my stuff when I wasn’t there

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  17. Oh, the poor dear! Loved hearing that story. Did you end up majoring in film at Ithaca?

    I had an awesome freshman year roommate. She was Goth but friendly, and I was fascinated that she studied Russian. I would ask her to speak it to me. But when January and February hit, I was so wrapped up in twice daily swim practices that I didn't notice how depressed she was getting. She withdrew from school to get treatment at home, and impressed me when she later returned to our school and graduated on time. Now we're Facebook friends and play Words with Friends!

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  18. Great story! My brother went to Cornell so I do know the area. So pretty.

    I did not have a very good experience with my roommate Freshman year. Mostly b/c her and the guy next door started getting friendly and would use our room for their romantic escapades...a lot. It did get better the following years (different roomies).

    This book actually sounds really clever and unique.

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  19. Wow, that sounds like such a stressful way to start college. My roommate in my first year was a hermit! We shared a two-bedroom basement suite and I was lucky if I saw her once a week! She ate all her meals in her room at everything.

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  20. Aww I can only imagine how you felt when you woke up. That's truly a shame. I mean I met those people who are so connected to their family, city whatever and that stops them from chasing their drams. I'm glad you managed to pull off that year and I'm sure you had more fun later on. Great story Jenny. PS. I've never had a roommate, being a singe child and all that, plus I study in a city I live in so there is not much to tell about.

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  21. Haha. I know that really isn't supposed to be funny, but wow….some people get so homesick, which I don't get, b/c it's COLLEGE. It's awesome and the best four years of your life! I loved college and would relive it again, but I guess some people have a hard time.But seriously…hiding in your closet? Priceless. So, wait…are you a movie buff officially now? Did you graduate with that degree?

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  22. I've never had a roommate in my life. Ever. (Although, do husbands count?) I honestly can't imagine being that close to someone who is not family, OR moving in with a complete stranger. I'm too obssessive-compulsive for that.

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  23. I can't repeat what happened with my freshman roommate but sometimes it's better to take the luck of the draw than live with someone you know from high school like I did. We haven't spoken since that year ended. But I spent another great two years in the dorms with the same roommate and then we lived together after that in an apartment with some other friends from the dorm. I recommend dorm living for the first year. You are forced to make friends! Your story kinda stinks though. I mean for you. I am quite sure it had nothing to do with you!! But you almost got a single!

    Heather

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  24. LOOL what an awesome story Jenny.. Well, I shouldn't laugh because I'm pretty sure the girl was truly devasted. Still, leaving after just one night? I wonder what happened to her!

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  25. Wow, that was like the shortest college experience ever, huh? I can't believe she didn't even TRY. But at least you ended up with a more normal roommate after that!
    I didn't go to college. :( No good stories here. When I should have been in college I was couch surfing and sleeping in parks. I was getting a different sort of education I suppose.

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  26. (This is Darith L.)

    I have a roommate now at college. He's pretty chill. We have a lot of stories of how he got locked out of the room and I have to come and open the door. :D

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