Hi all,

The most amazing thing happened. I PACKED A SUITCASE AND WENT ON A TRIP. After 15 months at home, I took my fully-vaccinated self to New York City to attend the premiere of the musical Breathe, which I’d co-written during the pandemic. And oh, what a night. It was exciting to be the first official post-Covid red carpet for Broadway – but it was MORE exciting to finally meet the songwriters we had been collaborating with on Zoom for the past year. I will never underestimate the value of a hug again. We held the premiere in the same theater where we filmed Breathe against a backdrop of empty seats – but this time, the family of creators that helped make the show was the audience, filling those same seats. It felt, truly, like we’d come full circle.

I am incredibly proud of Breathe – but don’t take it from me. Here are comments from viewers:

"This was phenomenal. I could not believe how meaningful this was." 
 
"You captured the essence of a variety of stories so well. My friend and I were mesmerized and loved every song and story! Such gorgeous voices and the direction was impeccable. Still can't believe how engaging the staged reading was and how the camera angles contributed to the emotion of each scene." 
 
“This was such an emotional production and I enjoyed it so much. Thank you for putting this piece of artwork out in the world.” 
  
“Such an amazing show!!! I love love love it!!! Have to watch it again and again.” 
  
“This show is completely stunning.” 
 
“It is incredible!!!!” 
 
“I want to share this experience with so many people...and, yes, to pay $25 for this quality of theatre is a shameful steal!!!” 
 
“I loved the music so much” 
 
“Watching Breathe helped me heal from all of this. It was very cathartic.”

You can watch it on any device that streams the internet, from now till July 2, no matter where you live in the world. Tickets are available here -- and the soundtrack is available on all platforms for streamed music.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. Did you hear that I am releasing a new book this November? (SURPRISE!) It’s called Wish You Were Here, and it’s available now for pre-order. It’s a story about change and resilience, and it’s the story we all need after the past year. Details are below – I cannot wait to share this with you all.

XO
Jodi

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

Available in the US and Canada on 11/30/21
Available in the UK, Australia and NZ on 11/25/21

Written as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded, Breathe follows five couples grappling with the virus’s impact on their lives, families, relationships, society, and health. Conceived and written by New York Times best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult and playwright Timothy Allen McDonald, and directed by Tony Award-nominee Jeff Calhoun, Breathe consists of five interlocking suites, with music and lyrics from five songwriting teams. By turns funny and heartbreaking, unbelievable and all-too-real, Breathe is an unprecedented musical chronicling an unprecedented time.

If your life flashed before your eyes, what would you see?
Who would you see?
Is it the one who got away?
What if you had a chance to take the path you didn't take the first time?

Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She's on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband, but a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.

Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, where she helps ease the transition between life and death for patients in hospice.

But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she once studied for, but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
Ask Jodi: Answers To Your Questions 

Q: What are you listening to?
JP: Sour by Olivia Rodrigo.

Q: What are you reading?
JP: The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (I cannot tell you how much I loved this book), People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, and Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey.

Q: What are you watching?
JP: The Underground Railroad; Girls 5Eva.

Matt Doyle and Max Clayton perform “Aches,” from Breathe, where a couple re-examines their relationship?

You are an amazing author, mother, and human! So excited to learn you are involved in such an important and worthwhile project like this (Breathe) and are crossing into my favorite medium, musical theater! BRAVO!

Order your paperback copy of international #1 bestseller, A Spark of Light, which includes a Q&A with Jodi and book club discussion questions.

As a nurse during this pandemic, I have experienced many things and feelings I never dreamed. All of the kinds of things you mention do need to be noted and somehow come into perspective. I look forward to seeing this (Breathe). Thank you.

The paperback edition includes a reading group guide plus a Q&A with author Celeste Ng!

YAY! I can't wait to delve into this newest masterpiece (Wish You Were Here). I absolutely love your style of writing, and ability to tell a story that rocks me to my core. Absolutely one of my all time favorite authors...THANK YOU for the gift if a great story.

Congratulations to Kerry, this month's free signed book winner.

Each month, one person will be chosen from my newsletter subscribers or Facebook fans as a winner of a free signed edition of my latest book.

I’m sooooo excited (for Wish You Were Here)!!! I’ve read every one of your books and absolutely LOVE them all! I tell everybody I can after I read one how wonderful your books are. I love that you force the reader to see the other side of the story, the one a lot of people don’t think about normally or refuse to think about. Keep them coming Jodi Picoult!!!