Elizabeth Olsen and Robbie Arnett's Book Signing _ Interview _ Hattie Harmony_ Opening Night

Hello, everybody. Let's see, what do we got going? Hi, everyone. I'm Lizzie. And I'm Robbie. And we are here. I think you want to keep this. Oh, sure, sure. And so we are here to talk about this book behind us. We have it in front of us too. Hattie Harmony opening night. It's out today. We're so excited it's finally out today. This is book two, for those of you who don't know. We have the first book as well, which is Hattie Harmony Worry Detective, which introduces Hattie and her friends at Wildwood Elementary School. And for their first day of school. For their first day of school. And we were trying to figure out when we wanted, we feel like you can have endless stories that Hattie can help because there's so many firsts that can be overwhelming as a young kid. And so we were trying to figure out what kind of second book would we want to have. We went through a list of different ideas, and we landed on something we did all the time. Something we're very familiar with, and that is opening night. We've had many opening nights in our lives, and we still continue to have opening nights. We do. But as you'll see in the book, we're going to read it to all of you. It's not just about performance anxiety. It's also about all of Hattie's friends have all different sorts of responsibilities, because it takes a large group effort to put on something like a show. And having responsibilities for the first time can be a very scary. Overwhelming. Overwhelming new thing. It could be an overwhelming feeling. Well, what do you think? Do you think that we should pop into just to reading? I think so. Okay, let's just get into it. We have our same amazing illustrator, Marissa Valdez. We have to give a shout out to Marissa Valdez. Beautiful, beautiful illustrations. Okay. I wonder, should I do one page and we read off of one? I can get a book. Oh, that's a smart idea. I don't know where you're going to find a book. Oh, my. Almost as good as that opening music. Okay. So should I do that? So you'll do the, well. I'll do this and you read. Okay, okay. Let's do that. That sounds about right. Okay. You got it? Patty Harmony, Opening Night by Elizabeth Olsen and Robbie Arnett. Illustrations by Marissa Valdez. Opening night had arrived and Wildwood Elementary was prepping for the school play. There was still work to be done and some of the students had a case of the opening night jitters. Luckily, Patty Harmony, Worry Detective, was ready to help. Patty Harmony, Worry Detective, how can I help with your worries today? Patty, it's Pearl Peppercord. I have a terrible feeling. I think it's stage fright. Don't you worry, Pearl. Patty said. Meet me at the theater. I'll be there just as soon as you can say. Worry, worry, go away. There's no time for you today. It's opening night of the school play. Patty put on her trusty Worry Detective tool belt. It was time to get to work. Pearl? Pearl, are you here? I'm here, Patty. Pearl cried. I think I've forgotten all my lines. What am I going to do? Patty reached in her tool belt and grabbed Jenny Journal. Sometimes when we get excited, our brains move super duper fast and it makes it hard for us to think. But Patty, said Pearl, I need to say my lines out loud, not write them down. If you give it a try, you might find that journaling can help us understand our feelings and organize our thoughts. I always have my pencil on hand. Why don't you start with I feel and then fill in the blank? I feel nervous. I feel like spaghetti. Patty, it's working. I can hear myself think. Whenever you're feeling overwhelmed, Patty said, you can always write your feelings down. Why don't you keep Jenny Journal, said Patty. Then suddenly, boom! A loud noise came from behind the stage curtain. Oh, no. I went like this. Straight off the press. I ruined my set. I spilled paint everywhere. You don't seem more swiggled to. Don't you worry, Patty said. It's OK. We'll make it. We'll make this better. Just as soon as you can say, worry, worry, go away. There's no time for you today. Patty splashed her tail in the spilled paint and started to use it as a brush. A forest isn't supposed to look like that. Seymour's wheel. Forests are green. But in the play, the forest can be any color in the whole wide world, Patty said. Just use your imagination. What if people don't like it? Asked Seymour. It needs to be perfect. Seymour, there is no such thing as perfect. Every tree is different, just like every one of us is different. That's what makes us special. This set doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to come from within you. You were right, Patty. This might be my favorite set ever. Uh-oh. Who turned out the light? Patty hollered. Whoopsie. Shouted Duncan Delmar. Now I can't turn them back on. Oh no. Patty pulled out her trusty flashlight and discovered Duncan pressing all the buttons in a panic. I'm the director and I can't even turn the lights on. How will anyone be able to see the show? Don't you worry, Duncan. Patty said. I'll find the right tool just as soon as you can say. Worry, worry, go away. There's no time for you today. Patty pulled out Timmy Timer. Let me introduce you to my good friend Timmy. He can remind us to take breaks when things become too overwhelming. Patty said. Come on. Patty and Duncan smelled the grass and felt the cool breeze. They used all their senses to put their minds at ease. I feel so much calmer. Said Duncan. A break really can help. Ding, ding. Why don't you keep Timmy Timer? He'll remind you to take a break when you need it. Thank you, Patty. Said Duncan. You're welcome. After all, you directors have a lot on your minds. It was almost showtime. Everyone lined up on stage in their costumes. Um, Patty? Sweet Bonnie Beverly. I think I ripped my costume. Can you fix it? Don't you worry. I'll find the right tool as soon as you can say. Worry, worry, go away. There's no time for you today. Patty pulled out Sasha's sewing kit and got to work. Suddenly, Patty's hand started to shake. I'm a little nervous about sewing. What if I can't fix it? Worried, Patty. It's OK. Just try your best. I said. Sometimes when I get nervous, I take deep, slow breaths. Then imagine I'm in a beautiful, peaceful place like the beach. Now imagine sand in our hands, the water touching our toes, and the hot, hot sun smiling at us. Ah, this is so relaxing. I can hear the waves. I didn't know imagining a peaceful place could make you feel peaceful, too. I think I'm ready to sit your costume now. Everyone gathered backstage for one last good luck hug. If we get scared or anxious while we're on stage, said Patty, just remember we're all in this together, and together we can do anything. Patty reached in her tool belt and pulled out her old friend, Miss Mirror, so everyone could see their reflection. Worry, worry, go away. There's no time for you today. It's opening night of the school play. We got this. Races, everyone, said Duncan. As the play ended, Patty and all of her friends took a big bow. The audience loved it, but most importantly, everyone had fun. Bravo, bravo. Patty made sure to congratulate all of her friends. Opening night was a success. Oh, and one more thing, Patty said, if you ever need me for anything at all, you can always call your friend. Patty Harmony. Worry, Detective. The end. So, Robbie. Yes, Lizzie. We used some new tools in this book. We used journaling with Jenny Journal. We used creative self-expression or creative thinking, when Seymour Swiggletooth thinks that he makes a mistake and wants everything to be perfect, and he learns that creative self-expression isn't about perfection. Yes, mistakes, failures, those are all part of the process. And then we also talk about brain breaks and using our senses while we have brain breaks. Yes. And we talk about guided imagery. And we also talk about the affirmation. Positive affirmations, the mantra, the worry, worry, go away, there's no time for you today. So, within these tools, how many, do you use all of these in your day-to-day life? I do. Or did you use them as kids without even knowing? I, you know, as a kid, I didn't have these tools. And so, as an adult, learning these tools has become really helpful. I am just starting to journal, which is something that I've never done. I have always, you know, you practice creative thinking and guided imagery and affirmations. But I never really knew about brain breaks, which is so important to do when you're feeling overwhelmed, to say, hang on a second, and, you know, take a breath. Let's see, what other things do we want to talk about with opening nights? Do you have any advice from your own opening nights you can share? Anything you learned as a child or as an adult? I think looking back on the opening nights that I had, I think that it's important to breathe. I think one of the first, one of the lessons or the tools that Hattie learns in the first book, Worry Detective, is all about breathing in and breathing out. And that's something that seems so simple and so ordinary, but it's actually something that takes practice. And it's something that I'm still practicing today, breathing in through my nose, and then blowing out in what is... The shape of a straw? The shape of a straw. These are things we actively work on. It really slows, it really slows down everything. And it's really a nice centering way to center yourself. And yeah, really important. It gives you mental clarity. And I think the greatest thing with the Hattie series is, or the greatest challenge as well, has been trying to figure out tools that we have used as adults and trying to create situations and language for kids where they can relate to it. And maybe it hopefully doesn't feel too complicated, but even if there's just an association with the image of Hattie that can connect them to these tools on a third read or fourth read or 25th read, that would be pretty special if Hattie makes kids remember, oh, breathe in through my nose and breathe out through my mouth. And also just to put language to complicated feelings. I think it's been really, really... It would have been really important as a kid when we had really big emotions. And instead of just like punching a wall or, you know, you're not a kid, you're not punching walls, but you do throw things and get frustrated and throw yourself on a bed or something. It might be useful to realize that the big feeling actually has a word. And I think that's something... Identifying the awareness is half the battle. Yeah. Do you have a favorite illustration in the new book? There's so many. I have... There's a few that I truly love. Bonnie Beverly is a new favorite character of mine. Yeah. And I loved the way that you just voiced her. Thank you. It felt very Jennifer Coolidge. I think Bonnie Beverly, doing her visualizing the beach with her little visor on is something I find really funny. And I love the way Marissa transformed Bonnie Beverly's actual costume into a swimsuit for the beach scene. I just think Marissa is so incredible at interpreting our words and our humor and creating just so much visual imagery. What about you? Do you have a favorite? I have a few favorites. I really... I like all the nighttime images. I think those are all really spectacular. And even like something like this page here, where we have... I don't kind of shivering up there. It's just like these little moments that we find on... There's a lot of hidden jokes. Yeah, that are so fun. I love the negative space. I think it's always so fun to have so much negative space and really imaginative, even though it feels like, well, there's nothing on this page, but it's still saying so much. And then just her like watercolor kind of palette, that like pastel-y palette, I think is so pretty. I mean, I'm just really amazed by all of her work. I think the thing that's also fun about having opening night as this subject is it also... And not just the kids participating, like I said at the beginning, if you were here, they're not just participating as performers, but they're participating as the painters of the set, the costume designer, the director, that there's lots of ways. There are lots of opportunities out there and ways for us to express ourselves and things that we can try and trying new things. I think it also presents that as an opportunity for kids as well. In ways that maybe they wouldn't normally think about. Sometimes you watch an animated show that you love so much, and you want to be the main character. But if you can also think about the person who's drawing the main character, I think that's pretty important for kids who maybe don't feel like they're a performer, but they want to be a part of some sort of creative expression. I like that opening night. Really explores all the behind the scenes. It doesn't happen without everybody coming together and putting in their creative input. Or even if they're just moving around a set piece and helping set up chairs. These are all people that are important to the process of putting on any event. There are many ways to participate. And it's all so valuable. What are things that inspire your creativity or curiosity, Robbie? I think listening. I think listening to people on the streets. People, friends, and really having a curiosity to understanding where people come from, and how they're feeling, and why they're feeling the way that they're feeling. And I think the curiosity is so important and kind of the fuel for my creativity. What about you? I would say mine's similar. I think traveling is something that I luckily get to do for work. I get to work in lots of different cities, depending on what I'm filming. And I think that's really just connected to getting outside of what our own routines are, and seeing people who are very, not even, they don't have to be that different, but just something different than what I'm used to. I always want to be able to explore what other people's lives are like. Yeah, there's an excitement to getting outside of your own routine. And I think that that's when some of these tools can really come in handy, because sometimes when you're outside of your own environment, or you're away from home, you get a little worried, or anxious, or overwhelmed. Or when I see a crowd, and maybe there's a crowd because people are playing music in a park, this happened to us recently. And Robbie said, let's go over there. And I got nervous, because I get nervous in crowds. And then I was just like, you know what, I got this. I can not overthink this, be in my body, use these tools, and know I'll be fine. What's happening? Oh, I think they're just kind of saying hello. Hello, Lizvon. Hello. I just wanted to make sure that it was all working. I think it's all working. Okay, good. Well, actually, should we go to some questions that were asked? Yeah, let's go to some questions. That were submitted earlier. The first question was asked by Emily G. from San Rafael, which we know where San Rafael is. California, what made you want to write a second book of Hattie Harmony? Well, I think we wanted, we always knew that we wanted to make Hattie a book series. I think we feel like there are lots of ways to put her in situations that could be very helpful for lots of firsts. And so I think, so we knew that we were going to write a second book, we just didn't necessarily know which subject to tackle. Asked by Laurel from Los Angeles, California. Laurel says, I'm six years old. And I was wondering if you have fun writing Hattie Harmony stories. Laurel, we have fun. We do have fun. I also I also think sometimes it feels hard. Like editing. I think editing sometimes can feel hard. Yeah. And you can't quite understand why something maybe isn't working. So there's, I mean, it's not, I think when you are working on something that you care a lot about, it's yes, it's fun. And it's also sometimes the research that goes into it, and it can be extensive and be time consuming, and challenging, but ultimately really rewarding when you have a finished piece that you're really excited about. And what's your favorite? What what is the part that you find the most fun? The process of writing most fun for me is that initial spark that initial moment when you have a new character idea or a new situation idea or some sort of theme that you want to explore. Those are those moments when it just kind of all makes sense. And and they happen quickly. And then you kind of have to keep that momentum going yourself, which is a lot of the practice and perseverance. Yeah, I think my favorite part is getting the first illustrations back from Marissa. It's like a present, like it's a thing we have, we don't, we can't, we can't control. And we don't Yeah, we don't see her stages. And so it's really exciting. Yeah. And they usually don't have color first. They're just drawings, right? And we just still love them so much. Asked by Joe wheel 40. Puerto Rico, would you do the voice of an animated cartoon character? Um, would I? Yeah, would you? I think I would. Would you? I would. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. I don't know if I'd be any good at it. Because I have no consistency. I don't know. Yeah. My voice works. Pearl peppercorns are different. Pearl peppercorns only when I got I think I think you got pro but Duncan and Seymour are doing a good job. They're different. Then we have a question by Ava Ava from the UK. Have you experienced writer's block? And if so, how do you handle it? That's a good question for you. Yes, yes. The answer is yes. I have experienced writer's block. Usually what I do when I experienced writer's block is I what do I do? I have to basically first of all, I identify become aware. It's like, Oh, I'm not right where I'm not. Why? Why am I not writing? What's going on? This is what I do. And it's not coming out. And then I have to just kind of sit there and say, Okay, I'm having writer's block. And the first thing you do is you identify I identify this like how he does. Exactly. And I'm okay, this is writer's block. Chill. This isn't really what I was hoping to do today. But then there are a lot of things I mean, you can go I mean, this is one of the reasons why I started journaling. And just writing down random words or random thoughts in a journal can kind of jumpstart an idea. And all of a sudden, you see two words together. And you're like, Wait a second, that's something. Or I will read. Reading always kind of is inspiring to read other people's words. I will go and take a walk. Just being outside. You walk a lot. That's always kind of helpful for clearing your mind. I'll play guitar or drums or something that kind of just keeps me active and not consumed with the thought of I have writer's block, I'm never going to be able to write again. Oh, I'm doomed. And so yeah, I feel like, for me, because I'm not I'm more, I'm more, I'm more of an editor. I come up with some of the some of I mean, I, it's a collaboration, but you do a first draft. Sure. I'm not a first draft girl. But when it comes to creative blocks, like if I'm trying to approach a character or make character choices or decisions, I think like what you're saying with reading, it's really helpful to sometimes reach outside yourself from other people's work that you might find inspiring. And sometimes that cracks something open, and sometimes it doesn't. But then journaling, I think is also a really helpful tool. So everyone could get a Jenny journal. Yes. You name them whatever you want. But her name is Jenny. Yeah, Hattie calls her Jenny. Chantel from the Netherlands says, Hi, I'm Chantel. And I am almost graduating as a teacher. Congratulations. Yeah. In the Netherlands. Do you have any tips for how to use your books in class? Well, you've read them to a group of first graders before. Yeah. How did you guys use the class? I find it what I kind of I will for that specific thing, I had cutouts of the characters. And I don't know if you have those capabilities, but maybe picking an activity is out. Yeah, if you can kind of pick an activity around, around, you know, maybe it's opening night, and kind of a site, maybe assign different kids different tasks or jobs to do in the theater, whether it is directing the acting, the lighting director, you want them to do that with the book? That sounds crazy. This is just off the cuff. Don't listen to him. You already got too much going on in the classroom. Maybe that's true. You want to pick up props for these? Well, maybe maybe the best thing. Yeah, maybe the best thing to do is is just read it and talk about tips and maybe and apply it to the classroom, apply it to whatever you're working on and apply some of the tools, the breathing, the journaling, you know, of course, the there is one of the steps that we do while writing these books is we then share it with a professional children's emotional behavioral learning psychologist. And so we try to make sure that the language we're using is language that she thinks could be the most helpful. And I do think that one of the things we learned from her, we knew we wanted the kids to take a break. That was something that we researched as a tool when kids feel overwhelmed, it's sometimes good for them to take a break. And she was the one who said, it's, it's actually most productive for kids to use their senses during a break. And in our first book, we also talked about squishy ball. So I think there's something maybe to bring into the classroom that has something to do with like, a smell and touch and sound just to make. So if kids are feeling distracted, they can then focus their energy on on to something. And I think that might be that's something that came from a woman who's a professional, and we are not. But that's why we end up saying we say in the book, using all of our senses to put our mind at ease was because that was a tool that she uses with her with the children that see her. And then we have a Morris, I'm sorry, I'm saying your name from Georgia. Will there be another audio book release read by you guys? Yes, we've already recorded. Yes, we've recorded it. And Howdy Harmony opening night. audio book will be if maybe I'm assuming it comes out today, right? I these are things I don't think it might come out today. So look for that. So wherever audio books are sold. Noah from Noah O'Falun. Yeah. From Missouri, Missouri says, if you could live in one children's book other than your own, which would it be? And why? If you could live in one turn to odd, that's a good one. I would like to live in that world. It's kind of like spooky and scary. But like, I don't know, really magical. I kind of just want to go up to an emerald stone and go, eyes, and then it become a real existing thing. I just love that book. And those terrifying books. And I loved that movie as a child, which says a lot about me. Very terrifying and creepy. Um, what would I I would probably, um, maybe maybe Dr. Seuss because to get to like makeup words and like wear cool clothes and have different colors and hang out with like cat in the hat. And these just like let the imagination run wild. I think that would be that kind of feels like a very cool and carefree and stylish, stylish world. I think I've jumped into that world. I'm Robert from San Tan Valley, Arizona. How has had he helped you guys overcome worries in your personal life? I think we both talked about talking about Jenny germ. I don't have my journal's name isn't isn't named my journal's not named. But I've been journaling more this year. And that's been the most helpful new habit that I have been forming. Mm hmm. I mean, I not to sound like a, you know, copycat, but I have, I have also taken up a journal, and it has been really helpful. And even though I've never done that before, and sometimes don't know what to write, it is still nice to just write words, and you just put them together. And it kind of, you know, centers yourself and kind of gets you ready for your day like to do in the morning. Yeah, I think there's something about the thoughts that we have to slow them down enough to not speak them, but to have to write them, I think is a really helpful repetition. Kaylee, Massachusetts. What is a topic you each want to cover in your books? I really liked the idea of covering something like swimming, for whatever reason. I think swimming, I think it's because I might be a little scared to swim in the ocean myself. Sure. And it doesn't have to be an ocean can be a pool. But I think I had a bit of a fear as a kid, not the act of it, but the experience of water overwhelmed me. And I think it's a really crazy thing. We like throw, we teach kids how to swim. And you see people with babies, there's like dumping them underwater, so they get used to it and comfortable and learn how to hold their breath. And I think that's like a really vulnerable thing. It's a really crazy thing that we do, and that we learn to do. And it's also really an important skill for safety reasons. And so anyway, I'm kind of interested in, in what that is, which which doesn't mean it would be a book about all the different things that come up while swimming, but more about, you know, the steps that we have to take in order to get comfortable. Pool party, first pool party, and all that. Yeah. What about you? I think mine would center around flying, getting in an airplane, or even just being really high heights. There is something, there is something, I've always kind of had that fear. And so, you know, again, it's not something that is normal for us, land creatures, to be all of a sudden put in a little tube and then like, shoot them off into the universe, or even to like, climb up on a hundred foot ladder and be like, how's it going down there? Those are, those are things that we innately feel comfortable doing. And I think a lot of fear and anxiety surrounds those. So those would be something that I could. And also, there's a reason we fear things sometimes. Yeah, actually, it's helpful to have fear because it means that there maybe should be limits to whatever we feel safe with. It's a defense thing. You're detecting danger, danger. And that is a very positive response. Yeah, it's not a bad feeling. No, no, no, no. It's a smart, it's like a good thing. And then you kind of examine that. Why do I feel fear? Why is there danger? And what can I do to adjust? All right. And then we have Adriana from Davis, California. What was your favorite part about making Hattie Harmony? Something that we've already kind of touched on. We did. So, so I hope we answered your question. Yeah. Or I really like the illustration. I love the illustration. You like the first idea. Coming up with those sparks. Amanda from New Jersey. What inspired you guys to write children's books about such important topics? Well, do you want to talk about that? I think I mean, I've always been really interested in writing children's books. And I was writing children's books for a while. And, and, you know, I wasn't able to get them published. And, and so that was that was hard, because, you know, it felt like a fail, a failure. And, but I kept going, and I kept pursuing it, and kept learning about how to write children's books by reading other children's books, and immersing myself in that community, going to libraries, and, and then got in touch with a publisher here at Penguin. And she really responded positively to the writing and was excited by the writing, and had an idea for a topic to explore, and asked if we'd ever thought about the, the mental health, and anxiety, and worrying. And so being an anxious child, I thought, that's a really important topic to discuss. And so Lizzie and I then thought about ways to approach that. And we both, the kind of brainstormed ideas, and everything that I like writing is really character driven. And so it was like, first thing, let's think of a character that can kind of help us navigate this world. And that character was Hattie Harmony. And that's kind of the... We almost didn't know more than that at a point. It's just like, well, we have to... Yeah, we have Hattie Harmony. She's a worry detective, and it's kind of like a film noir. And at first, she was a little girl. And, and we started writing in her voice and kind of creating her community. And then we sent that off to Marissa. And Marissa came back with illustrations of animals. And we were like, oh, this is awesome. And that was kind of the origin story to Hattie Harmony. Ashley asked probably one of the most important questions. How's the gardening going? You guys, it's going well. It's thriving. It's really thriving. It's been a long time since I've been able to garden for springtime. And it's been really exciting. I grew from seed this year, because I wanted to challenge myself and learn something new, because I had the time. And that was one of the most thrilling experiences I've ever had. I'm still not very good at transplanting the seeds from inside to outside. But the seeds that were grown directly into the soil did very well. We were, I have to say, we were a little worried coming to New York, because we have a beautiful new blueberry bush. That's not new. I mean, I'm new in the sense of it just kind of started blooming. Yeah, it's the season. It's the time of year where we get the harvest. And so we started battling the squirrels. Producing new blueberries. We started battling the squirrels and the birds. We had a tree for a little while that was unnoticed by the critters. They had a time when they didn't know. Now they noticed. So yeah, we covered it. And we're hoping to go back. We're saying a lot of worry, worry, go away, squirrel. There's no time for you today. And drink water and cough. Some things are in our control. Okay, we have one more question from Romania. Alexia, what do you think is the best way to deal with anxiety attacks, I'm assuming? And especially today, when it may seem very hard to just be yourself? That's a really good question. Yeah, well, I think, you know, what's the good thing about having lots of panic attacks is you learn how to navigate them when they start to come up. Yeah. So luckily, I get an inner, because I have worked with them for so many years, when they start to creep up, instead of letting my mind wander into that spiral, I start thinking about all the things, it's the senses then. I start having to put myself back in my body. I think breath work works for some people. For me, it's really about verbalizing where the things around the jacket, necklace, earring, or even a color. Jump, get up and do jumping jacks, or just, that's helped me before. And I think when I feel kind of out of my body and out of control, I like to walk. I've done that before. But I do think that walking is just also a way of breath. Because when you're walking, you're kind of running or jumping jacks or doing something like that physical, you're kind of forced to breathe. And so it is sometimes I need that reminder to breathe. And the second part of her question is about, especially today, when it may seem very hard for yourself. I don't know if I haven't saw it. I don't have when my at my own experiences, when I have panic attacks, it's not usually around that. But I do think the fear of trying to be yourself, I think right now, we maybe you mean when you're on social media or something. And I think it's very hard to be yourself. I think it's really I think once we have our, our comparative brain right now is so present, and so every it's everywhere. Because that's, you know, we're constantly looking at our phone and judging ourselves and comparing ourselves to others. And why aren't I like that? Or why don't I look like that? And, and I think that we have to just remember that, like, we're, it's kind of simple, and maybe even trite as it sounds, it's, we are each on our own journey, we're each on our own path. And, and that is, it's so unique, and so special to kind of remember that that there's never going to be this moment, there's never going to be this, this minute in time, and to kind of just think about that from a bigger perspective, which is really difficult to do. And it's something that I have to constantly work at. And just remember that, wow, there's, there's never going to be another moment like this, where we're hanging out with you. And, and, and, and really kind of just like thinking about that and staying really present. And I think that if you can stay really present and not let your mind wander, then you can at least be able to identify when it is. Yeah. And if it is, it's okay. And you can kind of just acknowledge that I was like, oh, I'm judging myself. Okay, chill out. I don't need to judge myself. And one of the guided meditations I love is from this app I use, is you're supposed to like name the, name the thing you're doing, like planning, judging. And that's all I do when I'm like, sitting trying to just, you know, whatever, do breath work. Like, oh, I'm planning. I'm planning. I'm always planning. Right. Or if I write something that I'm like, not liking, I'm judging and just kind of like, let it be what it is. And maybe it spurs the next thought. Anyway. Anyway, to wrap this up, since we've been, we've, we've enjoyed your questions. Thank you so much for joining us and submitting the questions. We're going to do a rapid fire, 22 questions in two minutes. So thank you for providing us with these, with these fun questions that we haven't looked at. Yeah. So this is, this will be interesting. We'll do it quickly. Okay. So we don't, and they're rapid fires, which is, we're both very bad at editing ourselves. Okay. So here we go. Where were you born? Los Angeles. Arlington, Virginia. Who would you want to play you in a movie? No clue. Who, who would I want to play in a movie? Oh, shoot. Gemma Rollins. Gemma Rollins. Yeah. Then I'll do Cassavetes. What was your first job? First job. I think it was pizza. My first job was Noah's Bagels. I worked at Noah's Bagels. What chore do you hate doing? Floors. I'm starting to embrace it though, but I used to hate doing floors and I really don't like cleaning toilets. I was going to say cleaning toilets. That's, that's like, I have a hard time. What is your biggest fear? Hmm. I really don't like flying. I really don't like flying. Um, I don't know. Death. Death. That's a fear. Um, okay. Uh, who makes you laugh the most? Uh, yeah, I was gonna say you, but then I was trying to figure out if there is, it is you, but I was trying to figure out if there's like a comedian that I wanted to give a shout out. I mean, Jacqueline Novak, uh, um, John Early, um, incredible comedians. But who makes you laugh the most? I know it's not me. Uh, uh, John Early. Uh, what is the one thing you need to have in your fridge at all times? Where are we? Okay. What is one thing you need to have in your fridge at all times? Seven. Peanut butter? Peanut butter. Yep. Um, I, I like that. Um, what is your favorite school subject? I had so many. I loved school. I loved math. I loved chemistry. I loved English. Okay. One English. Who is the most interesting person you met recently? Uh, I think the tall guy, um, tall guy, Curtis, his name was Curtis. And, um, he was, uh, helped us over at, uh, we did an event, um, in Barnes at Barnes and Noble in, um, Union Square. And he was one of the sweetest men, um, we've met recently and very interesting and had a, it was just really open and, um, and sweet with us. I think the most interesting person I saw recently, but I didn't get to meet them because I didn't want to bother them. Yeah. Was we went to see the Brooklyn symphony at the Brooklyn museum. Oh yeah. And there is a man, an older man in front of us, uh, who brought, uh, on his iPad, the music of all the movements that the symphony was playing. And I just wanted to know his whole life story. Yeah. He was going, he was going over it. He was, and he was going over it and he was, you know, following it with music and he would make notes and I wanted to know all about his life. What is your middle name? Chase. Nicholas. What is your biggest pet peeve? Uh, it's people taking their shoes and socks off in public places like airplanes and theaters. Yeah. Clipping their nails in public places is a pet peeve. Even outside? I think if you're sitting on a bench next to somebody, a stranger that starts clipping their nails. That happened to us recently, not me. What is your favorite hobby? Uh, I'm really into, uh, uh, well, gardening and pottery has become a new hobby. Yeah. What is my favorite hobby? Um, I don't know. I, I, I need more hobbies. What is your guilty pleasure? I don't feel guilty about any of the things that make me happy, to be honest. Do you have any hidden talents? Nope. I don't know if I do either. They're all, they're all just out in the open. Uh, my, I push my, I push my talents out to the world. What color is your toothbrush? I force them on the world, actually. Uh, what is your, what's the color? What color is your toothbrush? Bamboo color. Bamboo. Yeah, we have the same toothbrush. I mean, we don't use the same toothbrush brand. That's a pet peeve of mine. Um, what is your pet's name? We don't have a pet. We had a, we had a, uh, we had a fish called Mr. Putt-Putt. And, uh, Mr. Putt-Putt had a hard time to transition from store to home. Um, what is your favorite word? Uh, favorite word? I don't know. I've been saying savage a lot lately. I don't, yeah. What is the last album you bought or you streamed? Harry Nielsen. Um, uh, that would be the last one. What is the last gift you gave? I gave... What did you give Veronica? I gave Veronica candlesticks and candlestick holders. And Jake, we gave, uh, uh... Oh, Jake, we gave a potted tomato plant from Margarita. That's my little brother. He has a green thumb. What cause is dear to your heart? Um, anything... Stewart House. Yeah, anything that has to do with gun control. Um, and regulation. What is your greatest, uh, achievement or love? Um, where do you want to go that you've never been? Japan. Uh, Norway, uh, Copenhagen, Sweden, that part of Europe. I feel like that's where I'm from ancestrally and I want to check it out. Yeah, I'd love to go with you. Um... I'd love to go with you to Japan. Well, we should figure that out. Thank you so much for joining us. Live signing event. Everybody that has been involved, we really appreciate you supporting Hattie. Come here at Collectibles. Get your signed copy at the link above. Yeah, get your signed copy. Tell your friends. We signed. We signed, you guys. We signed a lot. So all your friends and your relatives, they make great gifts. Um, but thank you for joining us on our release day. We're so happy that Hattie Harmony opening night is in the world. Today! And we hope, um, to be speaking with everybody soon. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Hey, this is Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of seven books and someone who's done a live signing. If you like the one you just watched, make sure you check out our YouTube channel. It's full of amazing authors having great conversations and signing books for viewers just like you.