My Little Bit of Free Happiness Right Now
(Also, hello new subscribers!)
I recently received an influx of new subscribers after sharing this Note1, so I thought now would be a good time to reintroduce myself to readers.
My name is Kirthana Ramisetti, and I’m the author of three novels: Dava Shastri’s Last Day (a Good Morning America Book Club pick), Advika and the Hollywood Wives and The Other Lata, which just came out April 1. I’m a former entertainment journalist and perennial pop culture obsessive, and channel this obsession through my other newsletter, Ministry of Pop Culture, which I co-founded with author friends, and through my novels.
Music is one of the great loves of my life, which I paid tribute to in my debut novel, Dava. And the concept for this newsletter came from Dava, who says that she listens to her favorite songs when she needs to boost her mood, describing it as “a little bit of free happiness.”
(Fun fact: In the book, a rock star writes a song about her called “Dava,” and I wrote lyrics for it and a melody, and then it was produced for the audiobook, which you can listen to here. One of the most surreal experiences of my life to date.)
If you’re a writer, a few posts that you might find of interest:
Since the original intention of this Substack was to share some “free happiness,” which I think of as a quick serotonin boost to lift your spirits, I thought I’d share what is currently lifting mine. I’ve watched this close to fifty times this year, and it still awes and inspires me every. single. time.
I’m a bit of a Broadway nerd, which is how I stumbled across this clip from the 2024 Miscast, an all-star Broadway charity benefit, in which Tamika Lawrence performs “From Now On,” a song from The Greatest Showman, a popular Hugh Jackman movie I’ve never seen. And I honestly don’t think I need to, because Tamika’s performance of this song is what the word “legendary” was created for.
I urge you to watch this twice: 1) to watch Tamika sing the hell out of this song, first by commanding the stage, and then while casually sitting down, and 2) to watch the reactions of her fellow Broadway stars who are seated to the side of the stage (including the late and much missed Tony-award winner Gavin Creel) as they react with incredulity and joy.
But if you’re not in the mood to watch this clip, then let me share the song’s lyrics, because these words might light something within you like they do for me:
From now on
What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight
Tonight
Let this promise in me start
Like an anthem in my heart
From now on
From now on
I’m telling you, you want to hear Tamika sing this. And if you ever need a burst of uplift or motivation, this song will give you that, each and every time.
The Other Lata bobs & bits
Since my third novel just came out a few days ago, wanted to quickly share a few things. Starting with the fact that PEOPLE magazine gave it a nice little mention in the latest issue! I still have to go out and find my copy, but it can be seen in the bottom right-hand corner:
The write-up says: “After she gets swanky party invites meant for a high-society woman with the same name, Lata steps into her designer shows. When she’s found out, the fun begins.”
I also recently had my book launch at the fantastic indie Yu & Me in Chinatown, which was a tremendous amount of fun (you can see photos from the event here). If you’d like to see me on book tour, I have appearances in LA and SF later this month. My events calendar is below, and detailed info, including additional events, can be found here.)
And finally, I’d love to know: What is your “little bit of free happiness” right now? Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful week. 💐
I have never had anything close to this happen before on any kind of social media! And I’m so happy that so many people connected with this. I really tried my best to read and like every comment, but I’m not sure I did. So if you liked, shared or commented, my sincere thanks—it means a lot.