And now everybody’s talking about it like that’s the fourth album, and it’s like: Why not, you know? It might as well be.

I haven’t given it a name yet or anything, but I guess once I do, I’ll have to update the tat on my arm with all the album titles.

The next morning, I went out and got a different tattoo.

I called up Optimus, and I was like: Yo, I know it’s a holiday, but do you think you could fit me in for a session? And he was like: Yeah, bro, I got you, drop by the spot.

And so I went to the parlor, and I had Optimus do a little something on my heart right under the seagull. I took a picture of it and emailed it to the graphic designer already so she could update the diagram, but she hasn’t given it a number yet.

For now, I’ll just describe it for you:

It’s a little shotgun going off with the shell flying out of it. And on the shell, in really tiny letters, it says:

“Happy Fourth of July, everybody. Stay safe.”

LOL.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Caroline Zancan, my brilliant editor.

Thank you to Henry Dunow, my agent and friend.

Thank you to Amy Glickman, Eli Gottlieb, and Kerry Cullen, my champions.

Thank you to Beth Heffron and Richard Kuritzkes, my always supportive parents.

Thank you to Jonathan Gordon, Isabel Siskin, Will Epstein, Mark Epstein, David Klass, Sander Gusinow, Sean Patrick McGowan, and Max Grey, my treasured early readers.

Thank you to Dianne McGunigle, my manager and confidant.

Thank you to Nicolas Jaar, my brother.

Thank you to Winnie Song, my eyes, ears, and conscience.

And thank you, finally, to Celine, my love. When I say I couldn’t have written this book without her, I mean it quite literally. This book is dedicated to her, but that doesn’t begin to cover it. I owe her everything and more, and it still won’t be enough.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUSTIN KURITZKES was born in Los Angeles and lives in New York. Productions of his plays have been staged by The New Group, JACK, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. He is known on the internet for his “Potion Seller” video and for his pop album, Songs About My Wife. He has been awarded residencies from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and the Edward F. Albee Foundation. This is his first novel. You can sign up for email updates here.

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