November 14, 2013

High on Arrival

I couldn't have been happier to see Frank's face in the hotel lobby. That reproachful expression he always wears like I'm his teenage daughter and he just caught me drinking Malibu rum in the basement with my friends—I could have hugged him for it. He reminded me why we were really here—to do work, to find A-list clients with A-list stories to tell. Ian had just made me feel lower than a dog, and I couldn't control that. But I could control how well I did my job, how much my boss valued me, and there is something incredibly soothing about that.

"Ready?" Frank asked, and I nodded.

Our first stop was a meeting with one of Frank's old friends, an agent at CAA. The meeting wasn't until 10 ("LA," Frank sneered, and I didn't dare mention how William used to get in closer to 11), and we arrived twenty minutes early.

Finally, we were ushered through a long hallway and into an office less spectacular than I thought it would be, given the level of talent CAA represents and the fact that we were in LA, where the real estate potential far outweighs New York. I mean, our office was nicer than this, and as Peter put it—we're bleeding money.

Frank is a slight man, barely taller than me. We could totally share jeans if he was into that sort of thing. Frank had briefly mentioned something, a few weeks back, about having to share his Sag Harbor home with his ex-partner, which made me think his ex-partner was a man, but I couldn't be entirely sure. I had these hippie dippie professors in college, together thirty-three years, with kids and a mortgage, who balked at the institution of marriage and refused to make it official. For the longest time, I'd assumed Professor Chiala was a lesbian, because she was always talking about her partner this, her partner that, until someone clued me in to the fact that her partner was actually Professor Leonard, my English teacher, the sweetest man who teared up whenever he read poetry to the class (oh, Professor Leonard!).

So when Frank hugged Simon, his agent-friend, and Simon asked him, "How's your kid doing?" I was shocked. I had no idea that Frank was a father. He didn't exactly have the warm fatherly thing going on unlike my dear Professor Leonard.

"Doing well," Frank said. "I'll be seeing him tonight."

Tonight? Frank's kid was in LA? His ex-partner, whoever he/she was, must be based out of here.

"This is my assistant, Josie," Frank said.

I shook Simon's hand before sitting down.

"So what can I do for you?" Simon asked, stretching his arms wide and yawning. "Sorry," he said. "Late night. Had the GQ Men of the Year party last night for Matthew." He yawned again.

I didn't think much of that comment until Frank mentioned that he couldn't wait to see Dallas Buyers Club. Oh, Matthew. McConaughey. I nodded my head nonchalantly. It's not cool to look impressed but goddamnit, I was impressed.

"Well, we're reinvigorating the imprint," Frank said. "Focusing on big names who have big stories to tell. We're strictly going to publish celebrity memoirs, and we want the next Open or Growing Up Brady." He held his hands out. "Or, of course, High on Arrival."

Simon laughed. "Everyone wants to find the next High on Arrival. But sorry, I don't rep any actresses who have had sex with their famous fathers."

"That's a shame," Frank said, and they laughed. I was starting to feel a little gross. I'd read that Mackenzie Phillips memoir—hadn't she claimed she was raped by her father? Not really something I'm down with joking about, with two privileged old white dudes nonetheless, but I kept my mouth shut. The perils of being a lowly assistant.

"Here's the thing," Simon said, "you approach any celebrity, and it's, 'Oh yeah, I could write a book. I have an interesting story to tell'. They're famous, they're surrounded by a bunch of yes people, and I'm certainly one of them, and they think every word out of their mouths is so fuckin' brilliant, when half the time I could take a nap using my fifty dollar filet as a pillow."

I laughed, and Simon and Frank both looked at me. "Sorry," I mumbled. "It's just, I think you're so right. So it's our job to actually find the people who have a good story to tell."

"I'll tell you what," Simon said, "I'll put out an email to see if anyone on staff reps someone who even has the time to write a book. We'll start there."

"None of your clients have any interest?" Frank asked.

"They're all tied up," Simon said, already typing up the email. "Film schedules and whatnot."

This was the reason why William shied away from A-lister memoirs. The odds of finding an interesting celebrity, one who would even compel a reader to pick up a book with his picture on the cover, and then keep the reader interested with his story, well, they weren't that good. And you had to pay these people out the wahzoo to even get them to do it, and it needed an intense re-write when all was said and done because most actors can't write for shit. It was a tedious process that may or may not result in a big return. William's idea was to go to the people who were desperate for their fifteen minutes—they would do anything, and for not a lot, and those little lifestyle advice books? Or funny stocking stuffer books like Go the Fuck to Sleep? They did surprisingly well. Frank's mission was admirable, and I would love to find the next Mackenzie Phillips bombshell confessional, but it's not going to be easy.

Frank thanked Simon for his time and we collected our things to go. Once we were in the car, I was dying to ask Frank about his kid but I glanced over and saw the expression on his face, even tighter than usual if that was possible, and thought better of it.

The book reading was held at The Last Bookstore in LA, this cool indie book shop. The author was a former rock star, now in his forties, reading an especially moving passage about his battle with heroin. There was a huge turnout, and the book was good. It made me want to make Frank's vision come to life. Because if I could be responsible for a book like that hitting the shelves, I'd be pretty proud of myself.

After the reading, Frank and I made our way up to the front to speak to the author and his management team. After chatting for a few minutes, I heard someone call my name. It was Ian.

"Oh my God," I muttered under my breath.

"Friend of yours?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, excuse me," I said.

Ian had texted me a few times that day, apologizing profusely, but I hadn't responded. I had told him about the reading and where it was at dinner the night before— I'd asked him if he'd ever been to The Last Bookstore and he said it was a pretty cool place.

I made my way over to him. "What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"You weren't responding to my texts," he said. "Please, just give me one minute to explain. One minute, and I'll leave you alone."

I glanced over my shoulder. Frank was hugging some guy practically two times his size. "One minute."

"I haven't updated that thing in almost two years," Ian said. "I stopped, because I realized how gross it was."

"But when you wrote that thing about me"—

"I know," Ian said. "This is stupid and so embarrassing to admit, but I was excited. I wrote it the way you would write it in a diary. Like, yeah! Going to happen."

"Even if that's true," I said, "You, like, hunted down our classmates."

Ian shook his head vehemently. "It wasn't like that, I swear. It started with Nicole. We just happened to hook up at this Labor Day party at the shore. I was shocked—she was such a bitch to me in high school, I couldn't believe she was interested in me now. Then I ran into Tara at a party and normally, I never would have made a move, but after Nicole, I thought, well, maybe I have a chance now. And it happened. And then again because we had shore houses in the same town that summer. I never like, made a hit list and checked each girl off one by one, I swear. I didn't even want to hook up with you last night."

"You didn't even want to hook up with me last night?" I repeated, incredulously.

Ian smacked his hand against his forehead. "That came out wrong. What I meant, is that I was nervous. We are friends, well, we were. I should never have said that wasn't true, because it is. It just felt loaded with you, and I froze."

"But what you wrote," I said.

"I know," Ian said. "It's disgusting. I don't have any excuse for that. I was in college, or just out of college, and I was an asshole. Just a total asshole."

I glanced over my shoulder at Frank again. "I have to go," I said. "I'm here with my boss."

"I know. I just...I just couldn't have you leave without knowing the whole story."

"I have to go," I said again.

Ian nodded. He didn't try to hug me, just hung his head and walked away.

I took a deep breath to center myself and went to find Frank.

"Josie," Frank said, "meet my son, Nick."

Nick smiled. He was about my age, and he towered over Frank. He had dark skin and I'm assuming dark hair, but he was wearing a beanie even though it was 65 degrees out. Oh, LA. I detected a slight accent as he said, "Very nice to finally meet you."

Okay, so Frank's kid was clearly not his biological kid, unless Frank's ex-partner was in fact a woman and a 6'3 glamazon from Columbia or something, which I found hard to envision.

"Hi," I said.

"Nick is getting his MBA at UCLA," Frank said, proudly.

"Very cool," I said. "In what?"

"Film and media," he said. "I graduate this year. Can't wait to get back to the East coast."

"Well, we'll see you for Thanksgiving," Frank said.

"Can't wait," Nick said. "Anyway, I've got to get going. Nice meeting you, Josie. Maybe I'll see you when I'm in New York." He gave me a smile that despite all the drama with Ian, gave me an uh-oh feeling in my stomach. Even so, wasn't happening. He's my boss' son. That would be career suicide.

104 comments:

  1. Dear lord, stop with Josie getting a new guy every single entry! it's so annoying, cause it doesn't happen that way at all. It's wicked predictable at this point.

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    1. Dear lord, stop with these kinds of comments every single entry! It's so annoying, cause this isn't real and there's a handful of commenters who don't seem to get it's entertainment (the majority do, and my traffic proves it, so not stopping). It's wicked predictable at this point.

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    2. Chris - @nylonlover69 on TwitterNovember 14, 2013 at 2:39 PM

      Josie is 25(ish), single and attractive. If she wasn't getting hot pants for good looking guys(and girls, remember the party Ian took her to?) I'd be wondering what was going on! Oh, and feel FREE to put your name on your comment!

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    3. how is she "getting a new guy" in every single entry? she's meeting new guys, because yes, that is what happens in real life when you go to new places. i took her reaction to Nick as a sign of her attraction to him, not necessarily a sign he's into her. he's just smiling at her for god's sake!

      another great post, jessica! i want to believe ian, but i think he's just regretting the ways things turned out.

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    4. LMAO, Jessica! Your comment was almost as good as the post! LOVE!! mum

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    5. You have to liken the blog to Sex and the City. Without the Sex, there wasn't too much going on in the City. Same with this blog. Sex is in the title, so although sometimes it might seem a bit much, it should be expected.

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    6. Piss off anonymous. Don't like it, don't read it. Problem solved. Wasn't that simple?

      Jessica, I loved your response just as much as I love this blog! Another great post, looking forward to next week

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    7. I don't know about ya'll (yea, I'm southern lol), but I meet guys EVERY TIME I go out. We're twenty-something year old women for Pete's sake. And just because you meet them doesn't mean you go home with them; or even like them, for that matter.

      Love your work, Jessica!

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    8. TY Nayshondra I have been trying to tell these readers that when I was in my early 20s and single I met guys every time I went out with my friends. And we went out a lot! Its what attractive young women do. It would be weird if Josie was pretty and didn't meet guys out.

      Renee Marie

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    9. Also, let me point out that the simply smiled, and gave her a simple good bye. Just because he said he would be seeing her around doesn't mean that he wants to sleep with her. He is moving have to the city after he is done school and she does work for his father. Therefore, there would be a good chance that she will see the son again.

      Josie has confidence. I sometimes get a smile from a guy and I'm all like "Yeah, he wants some of this…" IT'S SIMPLY ME BEING CONFIDENT. Find some of your own, and stop hating on a FICTIONAL character who has so much self confidence in herself she thinks every guy wants her. It's healthy. Get over it. Don't like that it's predictable then stop reading.

      Kay. Thanks. Bye.

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    10. BRAVO Jessica in your response. BRAVO!!!! People if ya don't like the blog all you got to do is STOP READING. Again Josie isn't real, it's for pure entertainment. And funny enough there might be ladies out there who are getting a different guy every night and enjoying, It might be predictable to you, but us her loyal followers WE LOVE IT!!!...So people who are hating..grow up, stop reading if you cant enjoy the blog for what it is FUN. Or if you haven't nothing nice to say it's best you just SHUT IT. Again good job Jessica, know you have loyal fans all over the world!!

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    11. JESSICA. I. LOVE. YOU.

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    12. You said "wicked" predictable. You are the best.

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  2. seems these come in at 2pm most days... just for those of you re-loaders out there.

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    1. Yup! Stuck to the same Cosmo schedule. Posts every Tuesday and Thursday at 2. I should add that to the bio...

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    2. Feel free throw us off and surprise us with additional posts on other days ;)

      Love your blog Jessica! Thank you for keeping this up. It truly is one of the bright spots of my day

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  3. Hi everyone! Just started my own blog. would love for everyone to check out it. Please leave some feedback and let me know what you think! :)

    http://newyorkdixie.blogspot.com/

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    1. Do you have to post this on every blog entry? I find it rather rude that you are advertising your blog on another person's blog. You should advertise elsewhere.

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    2. Might go read this instead...hopefully the author is more appreciative of her readership.

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  4. I was almost sure Frank's son would turn out to be Ian.

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    1. Chris - @nylonlover69 on TwitterNovember 14, 2013 at 2:35 PM

      I was thinking the same thing!

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    2. That would've been perfect!

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  5. This is a sex blog. If Josie didn't have guys interested in her regularly, there would be nothing to write/read about. Calm down, folks; it's fiction!

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  6. I love your posts! Wish they were more often! :)

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  7. I'm happy Ian apologized, but I'm interested to see what's going to happen with Frank's son Nick might be her true love, or maybe just a fling. Girls got to have some fun.
    PS: if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all.

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  8. oh man that would've been awesome if Ian was really frank's son! haha anyways great job with these posts. this blog is super awesome and it is fun to see where you take these characters. they have become so much more three dimensional since you've switched over to your own blog and i just wanted to commend you for finding that perfect balance of just enough depth without making it boring. love josie as a character, she is flawed and that is real.

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  9. For a second, I thought Ian was Frank's son. That would've been funny and such a Josie moment!!! Anyways, back to the Nick issue. Josie has to develop a stronger people radar. Maybe Frank has told Nick Josie is a good person and thinks they could be good friends. You know, two people who work in media. I can't wait until Thanksgiving.

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  10. Ian being Frank's son would've been hilarious! I'm happy that Ian apologized and that Josie didn't forgive him.. despite what he said, he seems skeezy. I hope Josie doesn't ruin her relationship with Frank by hooking up with her son.. looks like she has the sense to.

    And people, it's FICTION. If Jessica wants Josie to meet a new guy in every entry, that's the reality for her fiction world! Calm down! :)

    Nice entry!

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  11. Oh my gosh people need to stop with the whole Josie getting a guy all the time!! NOTHING HAS EVEN HAPPENED WITH HER AND NICK. All she did was make a comment to herself about him - which, I'm sorry, women do every single day when they see an attractive guy!! It's natural!! She's not doing anything wrong! I can't even imagine how frustrated Jessica, herself, gets when people don't understand what it means for a character to be fictional.

    Jessica, you have a true talent as a writer. Thank you for being amazing and continuing this blog for everyone. Those who are appreciative of Josie and her crazy fun stories really admire you and your writing, so thank you! :)

    As for the post, I'm proud of Josie for just hearing Ian out and not believing him on the spot. This is something she has to digest and really think about whether he's telling her the truth or if he's just trying to go around the situation to make himself look better than how Josie perceives him now. But I agree with others, if Ian would have been Frank's son it would have been hilarious!! Hahaha but I'm glad he's not! Thank you for another great post Jessica!

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  12. For the reader of a sex blog, you are pretty judgmental. Ha.

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  13. Why don't you go out and get some yourself, maybe you won't be such a negative Nancy all the time about a 'sex blogger' having *gasp my precious ears* sex!

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  14. I truly believe Ian was sincere, but what he was doing was a totally douche thing. I don't think we've seen the last of him. mum

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  15. I love your blog, I read it religiously! Haters hate because they have nothing better going for them than to pull others down to their pathetic, hating their life, level. Keep at it, you're appreciated!!

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  16. As a twenty something female I can totally relate. I love that she meets new people (guys or girls), it helps me think of her as fearless in a way, kind of outgoing. Jessica, I don't think you should allow these negative comments to affect you. I love your writing style! I look forward to your posts every Tuesday and Thursday before Chem class (ugh). I guess you could say I'm vicariously living through her. :) it's pretty awesome how you have amazing comebacks for these rude people.

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  17. I enjoy Jessica's comments on the haters, as well as your blog! But do you really have to bring up the popularity of your blog every time someone says something negative about it? I don't think there was anything wrong with someone commenting about things being unrealistic, just someone who obviously doesn't get this is a fictional bedroom blog... but yeah bringing up the blogs popularity every time someone says something negative takes away from your argument. We are all very proud of you but appear gracious! I like hearing thanking more than bragging :)

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    1. I think mentioning her readership was a quite sensible thing to do... the person told her that her writing was unrealistic and predictable. That was unnecessarily offensive and took it further by suggesting she take a different approach. By mentioning her readership at this point, she is making the point that why would she do something differently when she has so many views a day??? She is pointing out that the commenter is the minority opinion here which is completely legit after being treated so rudely. Her mention of numbers was used to make a point, not to show off.

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    2. It might not be the minority opinion. It's hard to tell when anyone who shows criticism is told to zip it. It might be where I am in life but I personally get tired of a ton of guys being thrown into the story. It's hard for you to get a good sense of a new character when there are so many being introduced all the time. And I don't agree with all those who label this just a sex blog, it's more than that. Honestly, K's story was more my style but I still like to read the blog because there are some posts that I find funny and entertaining. I look forward to those posts. So people need to quit with the whole "you don't like it, don't read it" attitude. As long as our comments are constructive and not 'rude, crude, and socially unacceptable' let us speak.

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  18. I know right, she had soo much sex in this post!

    About just as much as the post where Morrison was coming on to her and she refused his advances.

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  19. I love this blog and the fact that Josie meets new men on the regular keep it interesting! I have been in a long term relationship for 6 years and for some reason most of my friends are in long term relationships so I live vicariously through this blog.

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    1. Me too. It's my juicy piece of freedom!

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  20. Firstly, you are wrong.

    Secondly, even if that were true. SO WHAT? This is a SEX BLOG.

    Even if this mirrored real life, again, SO WHAT? There is nothing wrong with a woman having sex and enjoying sex. Dammit Anon 2:14, if you are a woman you should be ashamed of yourself. If you are a man, go eff yourself.

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  21. I'm still creeped out by Josie giving Ian the time of day but... I do think it's good that we learned he didn't stalk these women... and that the last one was about 2 years ago, still he should have gotten rid of the book, not added josie's name to it. the whole argument that he was excited about this one is weird. I mean, by liking her he should have instantly realized how wrong it was to note it in the same book that he so cruelly commented on other women in. ew. Not sure what all the hype about her boss being decent is. I thought we read earlier that he was a heavy man? Maybe that's just how I imagined him. I think a new guy at this point is fine. If she's not settling down we can expect a lot of steamy hook ups right?

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    1. That was William who was heavy.

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  22. I like Nick, maybe because I knew guys like him when I was in grad school. Hopefully he meets up with Josie during Thanksgiving and we get to know more about him. I don't mind Josie meeting new guys, how can you know what you like and dislike if you don't experiment in your 20s?

    I don't buy Ian's story....seems very convenient. He clearly went to homecoming with an intention. Who knows if the whole I haven't done this is two years is true.

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  23. Okay Ian is done-zo. over and out the door.

    Now Nick...Josie needs to think this twice!

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  24. I know it's a fictional blog and the writer has been really sensitive about the comments lately; however I really need to address this:
    "a woman and a 6'3 glamazon from Columbia or something..."
    Columbia is the university in New York. If you're referring to the country, it's Colombia. I've seen this error way too many times.

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    1. SO glad others noticed this. This mistake annoys me way to much. I hope the author edits her post.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. That's "too*" much actually.

      Grammatical errors annoy you, huh?

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  25. Jessica, love your blog. Have been reading it since it started on Cosmo. I'm a college history professor in the U.S. focusing on Latin America, and I'm from South America. It's COLOMBIA. Columbia is a school. I have to correct my students all the time. They're you're target audience. Help me out and fix it. And you know...be more careful this time. Thanks for the entertaining blog!!

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    1. Excuse me, your*.and next* Hey, you have an edit button. I don't ;)

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  26. Jessica, in a previous comment you said you welcome any kind of feedback, even negative ones, yet today you get one and you tell them to stop. That's pretty sad. Learn to take criticism, especially when it's in the right. And don't let the "traffic" fool you, we get it's mindless entertainment, you're not Shakespeare. Get over yourself.

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  27. Thanks for the entertaining blog! I love what you do and yes keep up the interesting men! I'm married with 2 kids so my days of flirting and fooling around are looong over and same with many of my friends so its fun to be reminded twice a week of what my twenties were like! Also I have just started reading newyork dixie it is pretty great also!

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  28. The only thing I don't understand is that if he last wrote in the book 2 years ago how did he know the exact date that Josie would sleep with him? Seems a little shady

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    1. He got excited and went and wrote it in there...read again

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  29. I think Jessica's responses to some commenters on here are out of line. The comments are not even that bad. I mean, come frigign on, it's a BLOG, she should understand that her writing is not perfect and every once in a while criticism is okay. I know the simple solution is to stop reading this blog and I know she doesn't give a da*n whether or not I read it. The thing is, I like reading it. I look forward to Tues/Thurs. at 11 am (West coast reader).

    For that same reason, it totally sucks to read the same exact plotlines: every dude she meets is into her (except Morrison) and she thinks every other dude is gay - she may be making the SAME EXACT mistake with Frank. Doesn't she learn from her mistakes? She's already effed up many times (Richard, Morrison, her professor) and she's still making the same mistakes. To me, this seems like lazy writing.

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    1. If you don't like Jessica, Josie or the blog, go somewhere else. Leave.

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    2. Why should she? She said herself she enjoys reading the blog. Commenters need to stop outcasting those that have differing opinions. I could just as easily say "If you don't like the comments, then go somewhere else. Leave."

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    3. yea why should she leave. @Anonymous November 14, 2013 at 10:54 PM: Who do you think you are to kick someone out of a blog you didn't even write. Get off your high horse.

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  30. You guys, can we please just stop with the comments about Jessica and her being out of line. Have you ever thought that maybe she's just having a rough week? And she just wants to come home and relax or go out and socialize with friends. But instead, she comes home to graciously write us another post and sees people negatively commenting and nit picking at everything that's wrong with the character and her lastest post. It's not exactly that greatest thing to come home to. She could easily say to hell with this, and stop writing the blog all together (which I'm sure is what's going to happen if people keep this up).

    I just think we should be grateful that she's continued to write a post twice a week in her free time on top of all else she has going on and we should just enjoy it more than anything. So what if there's errors? So what if there are certain things about Josie you don't like? This blog isn't Jessica's priority now that it's not part of her job anymore, so considering the circumstances, I'd say she's doing a pretty great job continuing Josie's story for all of us. And those saying that Jessica can't handle constructive criticism - well, these recent "constructive criticism" comments haven't exactly been the kindest. There are much much nicer ways people could have said things if they really wanted to give some input. And if you really have a problem with something, then just send her an email! Rather than posting it for every single reader to see, just tell Jessica herself and she'll respond to it. It so much more courteous to bring something up/constructively criticize something, about the post, to just the author's attention rather than making it publicly available to everyone else who comes across this blog.

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    1. This is her hobby and she chooses to write the blog. This is not a favor that she does for us. We choose to read her blog just as she chooses to write, so I don't think it's necessary for us to be "grateful" for her consideration of us. Not to say we shouldn't appreciate, but this is her hobby, not ours.

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    2. ^ Grateful, appreciative - I find those words to be synonyms so I use them interchangeably. Sorry if they hold two different meanings for you, but I just wanted to get across that we can be more kind in the way we deliver our constructive criticism about her writing (or hobby as your put it). I'm sure a lot of us would get frustrated from time to time if others were constantly negative about our hobbies too. Yes it is her hobby, but taken all things into consideration, I think she truly did carry on this blog out of the kindness of her heart mainly for us readers who enjoy it so much. I have emailed her before and she's mentioned how much she has on her plate. So I really do think the followers were a big part of why she continued Josie's story (aside from her passion to write) - otherwise, there really wouldn't be a point in having a set time and day for posts. I'm in no way saying it was a favor, but I do see it as kind of her to continue it for the readers, even though it's no longer part of her job :)

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  31. To those with the unnecessary harsh criticism, please stop. Jessica writes this from the goodness of her heart. She doesn't have to, she's not being forced to. She does it for the majority of readers who enjoy it. Please think about what you say before you post it. If Jessica decides to not continue writing this blog, you people who have unnecessarily criticised her work will ruin it for the rest of us readers who enjoy and appreciate the blog. Please continue writing, Jessica.

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    1. I loved this blog, but since reading Jessica's rude comments, I don't know whether I want to continue. I *thought* she was cool, now I'm just disappointed.

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  32. Hi my name is Elizabeth. I have been reading this blog for years and I love it. It give me something to look forward to. Especially when I dont have any good books to read. Thank you for taking the time to write it!!

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  33. Wow a lot of hostile commenters on this post!
    Jessica- I'm so impressed with how you've been able to grow your audience base, last post had almost 80 comments! I have no idea why all these people are harping on you for it not being "realistic" enough, haters gonn' hate!

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  34. darn, and I was starting to like Ian almost as much as Justin.

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  35. Why are Josie's boss and his friend "privileged old white guys?" What makes them privileged? The fact that they are successful in their careers, probably because they've worked hard at them? What does being old or white have to do with it? Racism. The author sounds like a total lefty lib.

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    1. google "White Male Privilege" and educate yourself.

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    2. Yeah, you can't really be racist against white people.

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    3. HAHAHA Meredith! You're cute.

      Gosh I love ignorant people. They are always so good for a laugh

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  36. Lol Jessica! 95% of your readers are giant dicks. Your blog is worth following. I never miss a post & while it may not be Shakespearean, the readers who expect you to be an artist are NUTS. This is just something you continued for the benefit of the readers, if I'm correct. Those readers ARE FREE TO LEAVE of they don't like it. They aren't paying you for this.

    I always find your posts entertaining & a nice break from my day. (: keep it up, keep introducing new guys & KEEP DEFENDING YOURSELF.

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  37. I love this blog. Randomly came across it on Cosmo one day and I really appreciate the fact that it's concise and gets to the point of the story quick. Forget the haters continue writing for those of us who love it please!!!!

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  38. I love this blog, but I think she should bring Peter back!

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  39. The people who get really defensive about the comments should stop reading the comments. It's ridiculous. People should be free to say what's on their minds.

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  40. And to think that a stupid comment I made about her having saggy tits last week started this huge debate.... wow. the internet.

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    1. I didn't think your comment was out of line considering that there's been constant criticism since this blog was in the Cosmo website.

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    2. I'm aware that it wasn't the actual comment that changed everything, just that my comment pushed her over the edge and got her to start commenting. as well as starting this huge uproar of comments. I feel bad about it.

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    3. In all fairness, if you want to make unnecessary comments such as that one about Josie's tits, have the balls to post your name instead of hiding behind anonymous. You feel bad now, why didn't you respond to your initial post where Jessica responded. I have much respect for those of you who post your name and comments, instead of hiding behind the anonymous guise and throwing shade.

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    4. Well I don't want to start another fight, but "Britney" is hardly a step up from anonymous. There's thousands of Britneys.

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    5. And whether or not I had my name showing, the comment was still made. People would still be upset about it. And honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal. I made a comment (though distasteful) about a FICTIONAL character. It's not like I was attacking the actual writing or Jessica herself, like so many others are doing right now. I get it was out of line, but come on. We can bash her writing all day long but the minute someone says "saggy tits" people freak out and it causes Jessica to start (kinda rudely, sorry) commenting. Common people, calm down.

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  41. Haha I love your blog Jess! Although I have to say I'm still on Team Peter! Xx

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    1. I'm holding hope that Peter is the one Josie ends up with! I'd love if that happened.

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  42. people want to be able to criticize the author's writing and yet have that criticism welcomed. They want to be able to complain about the plot, yet not be told to stop reading if they don't like it. Some have gone as far as wanting to suggest the author make changes because they like to read it but it is annoying for a, b and c reason. She shouldn't bring up how many readers she has (as if the fact that a blog has a million readers and the author must be doing something right isn't an important piece to consider when an issue with the blog). What's going on here? A few people take the blog too seriously mask it as "having different opinions." Your opinions aren't different... we all agree that this isn't realistic and that Josie meeting a guy all of the time is predictable. This isn't unique insight... we're just not complaining, because we're not rude and because, like the million other readers, we like it. It couldn't hurt for the author to just ignore such comments, as we've seen here, but as a general rule if you're going to be rude, don't ask the person whose writing you're bashing to sit back and take it. Should she out of professionally? Yes. But she's human. Give her a break.

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    1. and yes, my writing above is a mess and no I don't see how to edit it AND I don't see why people always give each other a hard time about the tiniest errors... again, what's the deal?

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  43. Can we just go back to commenting and bantering about the blog than Jessica or each other? IMO the first post wasn't that bad, she stated her opinion in a respectful manner. only thing is i didn't see nick falling for her here, just her bosses soon being introduced and being polite. I understand Jessica's response, I'm sure it gets frustrating at times because after all she is doing this blog during get free time for us to enjoy. Just like on cosmo we still have the posters that tell you to stop reading or leave....that's not your place. Instead of attacking each other let's banter of need be like the intelligent, thoughtful women we are.

    And to the poster who said "95% of your readers are huge dicks", what do you think comments like that say about you? We all appreciate Jessica and her writing skills. Who cares if there is a typo or misspelled word, no need to make a huge deal out of that. Get over it, no one is perfect, no need to point it out and disclose how you hope Jessica fixes soon. Really? Like she doesn't have a full time job and personal responsibilities on top of writing this blog for our entertainment. Btw many thanks for continuing this Jessica.

    We might not all like Josie's decisions but we are surely captivated by her otherwise we wouldn't read. instead of us attacking each other and Jessica's ability let's focus on the storylines and discuss that.

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  44. Jessica, before you get so frustrated with the bashing (bashing is not constructive criticism) considering disabling your comments. I know it sucks for those who actually like to debate/discuss the story, but like so many times before, people are getting out of control with their hateful comments, and I would hate to lose another good blog because of it.

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  45. An easy way to solve this. Just like Cosmo, your comment has to be linked to your Facebook profile=Fewer comments. Either team Jessica/Josie or not everyone has bigger balls when it's anonymous.

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  46. I have never posted before but just wanted to say that I love this blog and following Josie's adventures! It is the highlight of my day on tues/thurs and I always look forward to reading it! Keep up the good work Jessica!

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    1. Forgot to say that I am also team Peter! Loved reading the posts with him especially the steamy parts!

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  47. I'm absolutely loving this story line with Ian!! This storyline with Ian has definitely piqued my interest the most out of all of Josie's other storylines :)

    I'm glad he came around with a proper apology for Josie, and am totally hoping that he will be sticking around for a good while. Given his shared history with Josie and given his character development from being a nerdy teen into confident young man, I can see great potential in this multi-layered character. He seems to have the perfect blend of a humble/nerdy side and a suave/confident side.

    I'm personally hoping he doesn't stay in LA on his own for too long ;) haha

    A great post as always, Jessica!

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  48. For God's sake, its COLOMBIA with an O, you have no idea how annoying it is for me to read my country's name misspelled. I like this blog, but please do your research if you're not sure. And by the way, women in Colombia are generally short. Much shorter than in the US.

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    1. Calm down, it was probably typing error. Jessica didn't make some widely false or crude assumption about your country, she either just miswrote it or thought its name was spelled with a 'u.' It's not a big deal.

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    2. I agree... don't be so touchy. Computer's don't have autocorrect... and even then, it's just a spelling mistake. It happens. And if you're so frustrated reading COlOmbia wrong, maybe you should just learn to let the small things go?

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  49. Sometimes people don't realize that they "aren't sure" about something.... then it's called a MISTAKE. How can you know you should be researching something if you genuinely believe you have it the right way. Like most bashing types of comments, turn inward. Why in the world would it be annoying enough of an experience for you that you would want to comment on it and give someone a hard time for an honest mistake.

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  50. I absolutely love love love this blog. By chance I read it on the Cosmo website and I loved it so much I started from the very beginning and have almost caught up.

    I love reading about Josie's life and how the author talks like a real girl's girl, what a 25year old would really have issues with - saggy tits (I do secretly have issues with this when having sex with my boyfriend, he has never said anything and loves them but it's just typical girly insecurities).

    I did like her relationship with Justin and such a shame he turned out to be a douche. I LOVED Peter, I really felt like I could imagine a Mr.Big type of character and I hope that both Peter and Justin will keep entering Josie's life because it is a sure good read.

    Ian has completely annoyed me after this post and tbh I hope Josie just wipes this one under the carpet.

    I would love for this to be published into a book one day!

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  51. Jessica, thank you so much for writing this blog. It really has become a part of my weekly routine. I was super bummed when I read that you were leaving Cosmo, I was of course relieved when I saw the blog was going to be continued! I ALWAYS look forward to the Josie's antics. I really appreciate the way you keep Josie's story fresh. There really has not been a time where I felt the story line becoming a cliche! To me, that is what makes this a worthwhile read.

    There have been times where I have been able to relate some of Josie's life decisions to my own life. I have a friend very near and dear to my heart that is going through a situation like Ashley's. My point is, even though Josie and her life is fictional, it is relatable. That is what makes this an amazing blog. I really appreciate the work you put into it. :-)

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