While I’m working on the second draft, a new chapter is released on Substack every week. So that you can all stay updated on the BTS of writing a rom com and get to read it before the book even gets released 😏.

Along with a new weekly chapter, I thought it would be fun to create a little mood board as well. I wrote all about that in an article earlier this week lol. But basically, I’ve picked out so many songs for specific moments in my book. And I thought it would be fun to give you a little preview of what you’ll be reading on Sunday, when the I Hate New York chapters come out.

This week’s mood board and song of the week is coming at a weird time, since it’s the first one. So I’m going to start off with the chapter that was released just last week, chapter six. Which you can read here!!

The song of the week is…drumroll please…

“Carrie Bradshaw” by Kylie Cantrall.

I’m assuming that you’ve already read chapter six, if not, be warned that there are spoilers up ahead!!

I feel like this song is one that Rosie would listen to as she’s unpacking her new Avenue dorm room, awaiting for her roommate. And when her roommate finally shows up, the encounter is…less than ideal. Rosie would press play on to this song, choosing to frame it all in a positive light.

And of course, this song is all about fashion.

“These tears are designer, my baggage is vintage.”

-Kylie Cantrall, “Carrie Bradshaw”

Rosie definitely sees her tears as designer.

I also compiled some pics that I feel match the overall vibe of Chapter Six and sprinkled them through this article 😇.

Because this is when Rosie, one of our main characters, is really settling into her home for the summer. Which is of course, The Avenue School of Fashion in NYC. Only to find that her roommate is ditching her lol. It happens.

So because “Carrie Bradshaw” is sort of a melancholy, self-reflective song, it’s still stylish and highlighting the beauty in sometimes upsetting moments. And maybe it’s because this is Kylie’s first album, but the song still feels like a Disney Channel movie. And as cheesy as that may be, I think it’s fitting for how Rosie sees her life and herself at this moment.

So, as a member of my I Hate New York production team, what are your thoughts on this song choice for chapter six? And what would you listen to while unpacking your Avenue dorm?

I hope you enjoyed this article, got a new song to listen to and got all caught up on the I Hate New York saga.

Love, Bea 💘

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Just a quick intro, in case we haven’t met: I’m a 20yr old actress and author. Along with theater and commercial acting, I’ve acted in a web series called Theater Kids. Which I also wrote and helped produce :). Now I’m writing a YA rom com called I Hate New York. With your help of course!!

As I write my second draft, I’ve been sharing chapters here on substack for you all to read. And I’m so grateful that people are actually interested in my work, like…what?!?!

You’re so cool and precious, ok?

Along with the weekly chapters (they come out every Sunday at 7:30pm CTE!!), I thought it would be fun to also share a mini mood-board and a song for each chapter. Now I can’t promise that it will happen each week, but for most I Hate New York chapters, there will be a song picked out!

If you watch rom coms or are a fan of TV, then you of course know that music is an essential part of the big moments. So much so that we’re seeing playlists in books too!

I absolutely love music and have so many songs picked out for specific moments of my book. But I can’t share all of them with you yet because you haven’t read the whole thing! Which is why the songs will be shared weekly.

Then, as you read the chapter, you’ll hopefully be able to hear the song as the scene plays out in your mind.

Another reason for this playlist and these music choices is that in my dream world, I Hate New York becomes a TV show. Who’s to say if it will actually happen or not…we shall see. But of course, if (or when????) IHNY becomes a hit TV series, we’ll already have the perfect songs picked out.

And because I think you’re a part of my rom com production team (Bea Kupper Creative Studios) you deserve to be a part of this writing and creating process.

Last night, the weekly chapter of IHNY came out and I actually can’t believe that we’re on Chapter Six: Rosie’s roommate. Already? Crazy!! So, I’ll of course share what song aligns with last night’s chapter. But what about all of the other chapters posted so far?

Don’t worry! I’ll make one big post about those as well. So starting this week, there will be a weekly I Hate New York chapter AND a mini article about the music/mood-board that matches up with it. Yay!!

Lots of things to look forward to here at Bea Kupper Creative.

Writing this book has been such a fun and exciting process. Because I’m also still in school, I have no idea when the actual full book will be released, or what exactly that will look like. But for now, this is such a fun experience, to be able to share my writing with the world.

And I am so grateful to be able to build this little world of Mac and Rosie and The Avenue School of Fashion. Stay tuned for next week’s chapter and have an amazing week.

And help yourself to some free coloring pages too, you deserve them.

FREE rom com coloring pages

Love, Bea Kupper.

It’s called I Hate New York and it’s set at a summer fashion school in NYC. While I’m working on my second draft, I’m sharing weekly chapters here on Substack.

If you like rom coms, reading, NYC and fashion, then welcome to the team! Be sure to subscribe to get free weekly chapters. And before reading, make sure that you’re all caught up on last week’s chapter.

Ok, that’s all for the intro! Enjoy…

Chapter Six

Rosie’s Roommate

On the other side of the glass, Rosie struggled to pull her luggage up onto the sidewalk. Her bags were feeling heavier by the second. She wondered for a brief moment if the entire sewing kit was worth bringing.

She paused.

Of course it was. What was she saying? The exhaustion from travel must’ve been getting to her. Rosie took a breath and looked up at the walk ahead. Almost there…She could see the front doors. Through crowds of families hugging (and embarrassing) their teenagers, Rosie trudged through, dodging various limbs being pulled into group hugs from all sides.

Finally, she stood in front of the Avenue building. A dream come true. The hard work paid off. No, she reminded herself. You can’t get excited yet, there’s still so much more ahead.

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It took everything in her power to avoid jumping up and down right there in the middle of the sidewalk. There would be time to celebrate later, for now Rosie had to stay focused. The competition here was bound to be fierce. Every other student was ready to focus on fashion and work their way to the top, just like her. Except most of them were from NYC or LA. Wealthy upper class families, not middle class from Illinois. She had looked it up.

As Rosie pulled out her phone to prove to her parents that the city was safer than they thought (she had been there a full three hours and not gotten murdered yet!), a stylish group of students walking in a classic teen friend cluster, nudged into her, causing an avalanche of luggage. Rosie struggled to keep all of it from touching the mysteriously wet part of the sidewalk, determined to not drop her phone. Somehow, she managed to keep everything but her makeup case from falling on the ground. Once recovered, Rosie casually glanced around, making sure nobody saw her embarrassing struggle.

The group was now taking pictures together in front of the Avenue sign. How they managed to become such close friends before even checking into the program, was a mystery for Rosie. Making friends was not her strong suit. She had her older sister, Jess. But Jess claimed that family didn’t count. So that also ruled out her grandma. Aside from Jess and Grandma Lane, Rosie spent most of her time alone. She didn’t mind it though. It gave her more time for sewing and planning our her dream career. So that was a plus. If anything, Rosie thought, she was at a major advantage compared to all of the other students here.

While they were all out having fun being teenagers, she was in her room (AKA her studio), drawing and sewing and becoming a brilliant fashion genius. The busyness of her mind and the fans of her vlogs were enough to keep her from thinking too much about what she may be missing out on. But it was the little moments like these, when she was invisible to an entire friend group, that she was reminded just how different she felt. Getting run into by a group of loud best friends? Not an uncommon experience, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, Rosie held her head high. But she didn’t pull out her vlogging camera, like she had wanted to. When the kids at her school had found her youtube channel, she was instantly known. Not for her fashion or her style like she’d been hoping, but she earned her reputation as an attention seeking weird kid with no friends. Not exactly the impression she wanted to make at Avenue.

…

It was perfect. Her dorm was everything she had dreamed of and more. Rosie was grateful that her assigned roommate hadn’t shown up yet. She spun in her new room and flopped dramatically on the bed. Her temporary home was bigger than most school dorms, this was Avenue after all. There was a brick wall across from the door with a big window. Rosie ran to look through it. She had the perfect view of…another brick wall. But she didn’t mind! It was still perfect!

The afternoon sun still shone in at an angle, through the buildings, creating a warm glow on the wood floors. There was a private bathroom on the left, a mini fridge and even a walk-in closet. Rosie set up her toiletries and began unpacking her trunk of clothes. After much debating and checking the clock over fifty times, she decided to go ahead and pick the bed on the right side of the window. Hopefully her new roommate wouldn’t mind. If she did, Rosie could always move everything back.

Once her bed was set she checked the clock. Again. According to the schedule, there was still another hour and a half designated to “Drop off, Check-in and Dorm Set Up”. Rosie’s parents had said a quick goodbye. They needed to make it to Jess’s audition, the only reason they were all in NYC in the first place. And Rosie was conflicted. She didn’t want to see everyone in her family leave. Yet, at the same time, she desperately wanted them to leave. Like yesterday. Because the whole time that her family was there, at the Avenue entrance to drop Rosie off, it was pure chaos.

Her dad was checking his phone, zooming in on the map while Jess was trying to convince their mom to stay at the hotel and not come with to the audition. Rosie winced, embarrassed for her sister. This was one of the many reasons she was glad that her parent’s focus was on Jess’s career and not hers.

Her parents ran to set up the apartment that Jess would be sharing with her dance friends while Jess took the subway to her first official ballerina audition. They quickly took Rosie’s picture by the Avenue sign, cried, panicked when they saw the time and made Rosie promise to call them every chance she got. She promised, knowing full well that she would most definitely forget to call and that she would make up some excuse, like she was just too busy learning! Or something encouraging like that.

And in the quick, knowing look that her parents gave before turning the corner, Rosie knew that they were quietly assuming that she would call crying to be picked up within the next two days. Because while Jess was the bold James sister, Rosie was the shy one. Yes, Rosie had called her parents in tears at just about every sleepover she’d ever attended. But New York City was going to be different. Avenue was different.

And even though Rosie sometimes wished for a bit of the support they gave Jess, she knew it was a double-edged sword. Jess got the support. But she also got all of the unwanted attention, the concerned questions and the unsolicited advice. Leaving Rosie to get the freedom to do her own thing. Even if it meant that people were convinced she’d fail.

…

After two hours of intense cleaning and organizing, Rosie’s side of the dorm was complete. She sat on her bed and took it all in. The other half was still empty. According to the schedule posted on the door, her roommate Parker should’ve been there already.

As if on cue, the door burst open, hitting the brick wall and bouncing back. A tall girl, presumably Parker, with four luxury suitcases tumbled through the doorway. Rosie smiled and was about to say a rehearsed introduction when the girl looked up from her falling stack of suitcases and scowled.

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Rosie shut her mouth, clearly this was not the time for a fun intro/roommate bonding moment. Before she could ask if Parker wanted help with the luggage, the girl put up a hand to stop Rosie from getting off the bed.

“I’m not staying. I’m just here for my Avenue welcome pack.”

Parker let her (very expensive) suitcases crash to the floor and walked to the bedside table where the Avenue welcome packs were waiting for their students. Rosie had promptly opened hers and already added the Avenue stickers to her notebook covers. With the Avenue pack in one hand, the girl used her other to put on her Chanel sunglasses and casually pick up her pile of suitcases from the floor. She sighed and looked at Rosie, still sitting quietly on the bed, through the designer sunglasses.

“My friends are on floor three so I’m staying with them.”

“Is…is that allowed?” Rosie asked, carefully. The girl raised a thin eyebrow, above the sunglasses frames and shrugged, “Umm I don’t know? Maybe? Who cares?”

Without waiting for an answer, she tumbled out of the room just like she had tumbled in. The door slammed closed behind her. After staring at the closed door trying to understand what exactly had just happened, Rosie blinked and decided to continue her decorating. The girl would be back. Rosie was sure of it.

Within twenty minutes, the dreary brick wall was embellished with polaroids of her family and sketches of clothing designs. Already, Rosie was feeling better. She found herself smiling at the wall, admiring the images she had packed from her vision board at home. One night in her Pinterest scrolling, Rosie came across a video clip of some scientist or coach or celebrity podcaster person saying that putting pictures of yourself next to pictures of what you want most in the world will reprogram your brain into achieving it.

Rosie didn’t know what “reprograming” meant. But she did know that on her bulletin board for three years was an embarrassing picture of her wearing the homemade prom dress next to an Avenue Summer Program pamphlet. And now here she was. So obviously, it worked. On Rosie’s dorm wall, above the bed, was a picture of the Avenue offices. If all went according to plan, Rosie would be working there. Hopefully, as soon as the summer ended. Then Michelle Scarn would see Rosie’s skill and insist on promoting her immediately, inviting her on the Avenue jet to Paris fashion week.

She was on the right path. And even if kids laughed at her for dropping her stupid suitcase and girls who were supposed to be her roommate chose to spend the entire summer breaking program rules just to avoid rooming with her, Rosie had her future and her dream career ahead of her. Nobody could take that away. Rosie took a deep breath, slid off the bed and began her multi-step bedtime routine. If she was going to impress everyone in her class, especially Michelle Scarn, she needed her beauty rest.

And that is all for this week’s chapter of I Hate New York!! I hope it made you smile and more will be here soon. Until then, get caught up on any chapters you may have missed, take a look at my free (rom com inspired) coloring pages and have a lovely week.

Love, Bea Kupper 💕.

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My name is Bea, I’m a 20yr old actress and writer. I’m writing a YA rom com called I Hate New York. It’s set at a summer fashion school in NYC called the Avenue School of Fashion.

While I’m writing the second draft, I’m also sharing chapters with you here on substack because you’re super cool. So make sure that you’re all caught up on the latest chapter and happy reading!!

Chapter Five

The Paparazzi Goodbye

Paparazzi tumbled out of the road, onto the busy New York City sidewalk, upsetting both locals and tourists. In their hurry to get photos of the Damien family, without getting run over by the black SUV, one paparazzi accidentally tripped a teen, angering her parents and knocking over a suitcase and three caboodles. The plastic case broke open and mini makeup containers tumbled out onto the sidewalk. The teen glared at the paparazzi as her friends ran to comfort her.

One over-excited paparazzo dove on the top of the hood, in an attempt to get a unique angle on the youngest Damien heir getting out of the vehicle. Teens, chaperones, nannies, younger and older siblings, parents and grandparents and even the angry caboodle teenager, all held their breath, following the lead of the paparazzi, and waited anxiously for a spotting of one of the world’s most famous eighteen year olds.

Mac Damien. The youngest Damien family member. Through his parent’s fame and a little help from social media, Mac was every straight girl’s crush, every guy’s competition and everybody’s fashion inspiration. Mac wore a fur coat with crocs in the middle of summer? The next day, so would every teenager in New York City. In two days, the west coast would catch on and in two to three months, so would the midwest and the south. It was because of this, this fame, this power and the charming looks of Mac Damien that for once the city was almost completely quiet.

The crowd waited. Parents paused with their phones in the air, trying to take a picture of their teenagers. Teenagers paused their annoyance of the pictures. Grandparents paused their confusion of how to use a phone. Siblings paused their complaints. Chaperones paused their yelling. They waited. The back car door opened an inch. Chaos ensued. Paparazzi scrambled over one another trying to get as close as possible. Teenagers took out their phones instantly, ready to film. The door was pulled back shut. The crowd froze, disappointed and too scared to move, as if they might scare the Damiens away and lose their chance at quality photos.

Inside the car, Mac slouched further in his seat. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be in a car with intense air conditioning and stifling silence. It felt like a movie scene on mute. The crowds outside were staring, the paparazzi pushing and shoving to get closer. Yet here in the limo, all Mac could hear was the sound of his mother applying lipstick. Considering how silent the act of applying lipstick is, the car was incredibly quiet. Instead of asking if he had packed everything, if he was nervous or trying to get an embarrassing picture of him like a normal parent, Anastasia Damien continued looking into her miniature mirror. Mac sat, wondering how long it would take for her to realize she was not the only one in the car. As if she could read his mind, Anastasia seemed to remember that she had a son, who was currently sitting across from her. She snapped her mini mirror shut and said,

“Well darling, you will be missed!”

Mac took that as his sign that it was time to go. He knew that she was lying, simply because she had nothing else to say. Sometimes Mac wondered if any of his family remembered that he existed. One year Anastasia had accidentally mistaken him for Lucinda. Who is a daughter. From an entirely different marriage. On his 12th birthday.

“Happy birthday Lucinda! I hope you enjoy your new Kylie Jenner lip kit!”

Mac shuddered at the memory and picked up his Louis Vuitton suitcase. Though it was a summer long program, he had only packed one suitcase. He figured he would just buy more clothes the second he ran out. That and it would mess with his look. Struggling with a giant plastic suitcase was definitely not what he wanted to see in tomorrow’s headlines. Mac opened the door with his sunglasses down and suitcase in hand.

The twenty second journey from limousine to the Avenue dorms seemed to last an eternity, as he expected. People shouting questions from all directions and holding out pictures of him to sign. Once in the building, Mac took a deep breath. Luckily, most of the other students were still saying their emotional goodbyes outside, so he was one of few students ready to check in. The tall glass doors opened automatically and he was greeted by a young adult behind the check in desk. The man had an Avenue name tag that read Intern-Josh. Josh raised an eyebrow as if Mac was disturbing him.

“Can I help you?” Josh asked reluctantly.

Mac felt encouraged by the fact that Intern Josh didn’t seem to know or care who he was.

“Yes, I’m here to check in for the summer program.”

Intern Josh sighed, once again acting as though doing his own job was a major inconvenience, “Name?”

Mac looked around, making sure that none of the fans had made it into the building yet. Two security guards with Avenue badges were calling for backup to keep the fans from following Mac inside the Avenue building. The two other kids inside so far were lounging in the lobby chairs, distracted by their phones. Still, Mac made sure to lower his voice, into a near whisper.

I Hate New York coloring book 💕

“Mac Damien.” Intern Josh raised his eyebrow once again. He looked Mac up and down, checking if he really was the youngest member of the fashion dynasty.

“Hmm. I’ll be right back.”

Mac nodded. Out the big glass windows, Mac could see that the fans were mostly leaving, disappointed. Now it was just families saying goodbye. Most parents actually looked sad to see their kids gone for three months. He wondered for a brief moment if anyone would actually notice that he was gone. Janice, their penthouse maid would. He had left her a note so she wouldn’t be worried. The last time he was supposed to be gone for three months, it was because he was at a survival wilderness camp. Back when Rupert and Anastasia were separated (for the third time before getting back together…again), Mac’s step-dad sent him in hopes that it would “Give the kid some discipline!”.

Unfortunately, the camp lost a kid in the woods and was shut down a week in. So there Mac was, four years later sans discipline. Since his parents had expected him to be gone for the whole summer, they had no plans to pick him up and were on completely other sides of the world. Eventually he made it back by hitchhiking with a family from another camp down the road. It had been the most exciting week of his life.

Out the window, Mac could see through the crowds of families, one other student who seemed to be all alone. She looked up at the building then back at her phone, like she was making sure that she was at the right place. The girl struggled to get her luggage to obey, it seemed to have a mind of its own. She had not one, not two, but three pink suitcases along with a matching duffel bag. Even her sunglasses matched, Mac was impressed.

Her brown curls seemed to be almost as out of control as her luggage. It was piled on top of her head in a bun. Mac could only see part of her face, she was cute. He noticed a birthmark on the side of her face as she looked at the crowd around her, her brown eyes wide. She looked down at her phone and didn’t seem to notice the huddle of students walking and talking as one. They bumped into her, all of her luggage tumbling down. They continued walking, only one of them bothered to mumble a “sorry bro” before they all continued walking in their huddle.

Mac wondered for a minute if he should do something. But he was behind the glass, inside. And by the time he went outside, the paparazzi would be back. And yeah, they’d get a pic of him helping out some sad girl with her luggage. But Mac didn’t want to be that celebrity. People would start thinking he was doing it just for show. Helping only because he knew people had their cameras ready. The girl behind the glass sighed, rolling her eyes at the group, picking up her stuff.

Intern Josh finally returned. This time he had a clipboard with an Avenue name tag and keychain.

“Private suite?” He asked. Mac nodded, “Yes sir.” Even though Josh couldn’t have been more than two years older than Mac, he seemed like the type of guy who wanted everybody to call him sir. Mac assumed that this was the reason Josh was interning at Avenue. It definitely wasn’t because he had any interest in fashion. That was pretty clear by his outfit choice. Josh seemed to disapprove and mumbled something that sounded like,

“Typical rich kids…”

He handed Mac the room key. And Mac wondered just how many young celebrities attended the Avenue program each summer as a way to keep them out of trouble.

And that’s all for this week’s chapter!! I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and get bts on writing a rom com!! Also, because I like making things, I created an entire rom com-inspired coloring book with illustrations inspired by I Hate New York.

So while you wait for next week’s chapter, download some of these FREE coloring pages, or treat yourself to a pretty coloring book!!

Love, Bea Kupper 💖

Below in the bold is a mini introduction. So if you’re new here, you’ll get caught up on what’s happening. Or if you’ve been a part of the BKC team for awhile and you know it all or if you’re simply too cool for that, feel free to skip ahead!!

My name is Bea. I’m a twenty year old actress and author. I’m writing my first book! It’s a YA rom com called I Hate New York. It’s set at a summer fashion school in NYC. If you like rom coms, fashion and reading, then you’ll like I Hate New York.

As I’m writing the second draft of my book, I’m sharing my chapters each week here on substack for you, my creative production team!! Before you start reading chapter four, make sure that you’re all caught up on chapter three!!

Happy reading 😇.

Chapter Four

Rosie’s on her way ✨

Rosie watched as the corn fields flew by. Usually, she found the entire rural area of Illinois to be bland and maybe even a bit depressing. But this was her last time driving through the cornfields of the midwest. For the summer, at least. And if everything went according to plan, Rosie wouldn’t be back until winter break.

And even then she would only take a quick stop in Illinois to say hello to family before flying first class on back to NYC, for her busy job working at Avenue Fashion. Even though she was trapped in her seatbelt, Rosie could feel the anxious energy in her bones, as if she was already there. Like she was walking down Avenue square, in an amazing and perfect outfit. Soon enough, Rosalind Sloan James would be in New York City, studying at her dream school, learning from her idol, Michelle Scarn. This was it.

Rosie’s parents, sitting in the front seats, began talking to Jess, snapping Rosie out of her day dreaming.

“Make sure you remember to hydrate and take care of yourself while there, ok? We won’t be there to remind you.”

Jess rolled her eyes, looking at Rosie as if to say “Ugh, parents am I right?” and went back to her phone. But Rosie was too happy to be embarrassed by her mom and dad. After all, they were driving her to New York. Yes, it was mostly because they were going there anyway to move Jess into her new apartment. But still. The second that her Avenue application was complete, Rosie started working on a presentation convincing her parents to let her attend. Hoping that she would get in. She’d even included the stats on how many applicants actually get accepted into the Avenue program.

A meager ten percent of applicants got accepted. Rosie was hoping that her parents would naively assume that she wouldn’t be one of the ten percent. And would agree to let her go because of that, thinking the entire possibility was hypothetical. It had worked and they agreed to let her go. By the time the Avenue acceptance email was received, Rosie was ready. She had already picked out what to would wear, planned her content for the summer and figured out exactly how she would finance the entire thing.

And after realizing that the entire thing was in fact, not a hypothetical and entirely real, her parents were forced to let her go. After all, they had already agreed. No matter how nervous they were about sending their daughter off to a big city all by herself.

Much to her parent’s relief, Rosie assured them that if Avenue didn’t work out, she would decide to go to college in Illinois next year and study something practical. It was her parent’s dream. And her own nightmare. The stakes were high, but luckily for Rosie, her ambition was even higher.

She pulled the camera out of her bag and began to film the rolling hills passing by, turning it to show her smiling face. Later, Rosie would edit music over the clip and use it as the beginning of her first NYC vlog. She had no idea how much time she would have to film or edit, but she had promised her small but loyal following that yes, she would post updates and bring them on the journey while at Avenue. After all, they had helped her get to where she was so far. It was Rosie’s YouTube channel that helped her gain the confidence to start wearing clothes she had sewn and designed herself. When people in the comments started asking for patterns and tutorials, she realized that maybe fashion wasn’t just a hobby. But an actual career path.

Rosie made eye contact with her Dad in the rearview mirror. She knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth, “Rosie, enjoy the moment!”

She put the camera down and prepared her usual response, “I am, this is how I enjoy moments.”

If Jess was on her side, Rosie would return her earlier eye roll of “Ugh, parents am I right?”. But when it came to Rosie’s social media, Jess agreed with everything their parents said. Maybe because she was older and wiser. Or because she was equally confused about Rosie’s world. Jess had never needed to try at anything. She just did it all effortlessly. So when Rosie followed her ambitions and actually had to work hard to pursue her dreams, she knew that it all looked “cringe” to Jess. To someone whose perfect life was entirely effortless, any effort seemed like overkill or obsession. Rosie was on her own in her endeavors. Mrs. James turned around in her seat,

“You both packed your pepper spray? And you have maps of the city in case your phones die?”

In unison, the girls answered as if they hadn’t been answering the same question the entire time on the trip so far, “Yes.”

Jess looked up from her phone, “Even if our phones do die, we can literally just ask someone where to go.”

Their mom, who had gone back to facing the front, turned to face her daughters again. But this time, so suddenly that her seatbelt locked, making her fly back, pinned to her seat.

“No-Aaah! No talking to strangers. You could get robbed, or kidnapped. Promise me that you’ll be safe.”

Their dad chimed in, “Stop upsetting your mother.”

Jess sighed, looking at her phone again, “Ok, well I’m well into adulthood and Destiny’s lived there for three years and hasn’t gotten murdered, so…”

Their mom shook her head ominously, “Yet…”

Rosie tuned out the arguing. She’d heard it all before. Jess was a 24 year old ballerina who had “no choice” but to live in New York. Their mom was a 52 year old mother who had lived nowhere but her hometown and spent too much time watching the news. If it weren’t for the fact that Jess would be staying in the city with her best friend, Rosie knew that there was no chance her parents would let either of them go. Somehow, ballet was an acceptable profession, yet fashion was too “unstable”. Once again, it was all down to the fact that winning came easy to Jess. Every dance competition, every challenge she faced, it was all easy for Jess. The whole town knew from day one that she was going to be a star. The one to put Oakwood, Illinois on the map. But for Rosie, she was always the quieter one. The other James sister who cried on every first day of school because she was scared. The one who was so average at everything that it was a shock for people to learn that she was related to the Jessica James. Anything Rosie was good at, felt like it didn’t count because it wasn’t something anybody else seemed to value. Posting videos sewing and designing clothes. It all seemed silly or self-centered or surface level to everyone else. And she knew because they’d all told her. Rosie stared out the window, pushing away the negativity for now. She was starting fresh at Avenue. Putting on her head phones, Rosie let her mind wander, already planning her photo dumps for the next three months.

And that’s all for now!! I hope you enjoyed it!! A new chapter comes out each week, while I’m working on the second draft. So go catch up on the last few chapters and stay tuned for next week!!

Love, Bea Kupper 💖

Welcome to the world of my book, I Hate New York!! IHNY is set at an elite summer fashion school in NYC called The Avenue School of Fashion. Though I’m only working on the second draft, I want to include you into my writing process since I consider anyone who supports my work (by reading, watching, subscribing, etc.) a part of my production team. So as a thank you, here’s chapter three!!

Also!! Here’s last week’s chapter, so you know what’s happening!!

Chapter Three

Mac’s Meeting With the PR People

He should’ve known. Mac should have been able to call it a million miles away and run for the hills. Literally. He had perfect access to the Adirondack mountains just behind his school. But no, Mr. Parson’s school had made him weak to his family’s games. Maybe being around celebrities who were rich instead of smart had taken a toll on him, making him dumber.

For awhile in high school, Mac had actually lived like a normal kid. Well, a normal kid with one million followers and three houses. And that had been a mistake. Partly because of how the rest of junior year unfolded and ended up completely ruining his life. And partly because when cool Uncle Shawn pulled up in a limo, Mac was ready for an adventure, completely falling for his parent’s tricks.

Shawn had tried to stay outside with the limo driver, but Mac forced him inside, as punishment for leading him straight to the wolves. So there both of them sat uncomfortably in the freezing office of Anastasia Damien’s makeup headquarters. That’s where she held all of her meetings. That way any transportation costs or food delivered could be written off as a “business expense”.

Anastasia sat at one end of the big table, doing her makeup. Using only her own brand’s products, of course. Mac sat all the way at the other end, waiting for somebody, anybody to say something. Uncle Shawn pulled at his collar, uncomfortably. One of the social media managers leaned over the long table to get the perfect “candid” video of Anastasia adding some kind of powder to her face. Anastasia’s social media manager had her own social media manager who did the exact same thing, but instead of filming Anastasia, she was filming the first social media manager.

The two lawyers sitting on the sides of the table shuffled through papers as though this was a perfectly normal meeting for them. There were two people across from the lawyers with matching glasses who Mac recognized as Public Relations people. He didn’t know their names, or even exactly what they did. But they definitely worked for his family and did something involving “branding” and “image repairing”.

Finally, Anastasia snapped her makeup case shut, surprising the two social media managers who were leaning on the table. One of them slid right off, the other one struggling to catch her. Anastasia didn’t seem to notice or care, instead she looked directly at Mac, seemingly confused as to why he was there. As if had simply appeared, like she hadn’t called him into a scheduled meeting,

“Mac. You’re here…?”

Mac couldn’t tell if this was a question or not. He blinked, finally looking at his mom in person for the first time in over a year. Each time he saw her, there was something new. And Mac knew that it was still his mom, but every subtle change made her look nearly unrecognizable to the image he had in his head. That was true for everyone in the Damien family. There was the version of the Damiens that was all over the media, their faces synonymous with fashion. Then there was the version of the Damien family that Mac himself remembered. Every time he saw his family again, it was like he had to figure out which version he was talking to. The one that he remembered as a kid, or the one that he couldn’t seem to escape, thanks to the PR people.

Anastasia blinked again and seemed to remember, suddenly, “Aaaah, yes. Mac! You’re here!” She repeated, this time with as much of a smile as she could manage, due to the recent botox. Mac had learned years ago that the best thing to do at any meeting was to stay silent and wait for everyone else to talk. He refused to give any of the lawyers, social media managers or even his own mother anything they could use against him. Anastasia cleared her throat and held out her hand to one of the lawyers. He silently placed a folder in it. She opened it up, delicately, cleared her throat and began her speech, reading the papers inside like a script.

“Mackenzie, as you know your Image Consultant Darlo has quit her job and will no longer-”

One of the lawyers cleared his throat and pointed to the folder in Anastasia’s hand. She looked down, “Oh, Darla. Yes, that’s her name. That’s what I meant to say. Now, where was I?”

The meeting dragged on. The lawyers had taken over the reading from Anastasia since she kept getting the names wrong. Mac almost fell asleep. Somehow, through pure grit, he managed to stay awake for all of it and understand most of it. Apparently, because of his “questionable” reputation, nobody wanted to be Mac’s new Image Consultant. Yet his parents had discussed it, (meaning that their PR people had discussed it) and decided that though he was eighteen, for the sake of the Damien family reputation, Mac still needed supervision. Especially when in public. Mac sighed in his chair. He should’ve known that this was coming. Yes, he was technically an adult and he had technically graduated from school. But he was a Damien.

He was then presented with a contract from one of the lawyers, who went on explaining it in a boring, dry voice. From what Mac could understand, he was being punished. Because he’d tarnished the family’s name and reputation, he needed to continue having an image consultant. Unfortunately for him, nobody wanted the job.

So, according to the contract, Mac would attend the Avenue School of Fashion, where his parents had gone and now donated, as a student for the entire summer. To keep him out of trouble. Then, when fall came around, Mac would need to either join The Dashing Damiens reboot full-time and comply with the family’s PR team, or prove to his family and the entire team that he could be responsible for himself.

When he asked how exactly he was supposed to accomplish that in a year, Anastasia shrugged like it was simple, “You get a job. You start a business. You build a brand like your brother. His cologne line is doing so well!”

Mac fought hard to avoid rolling his eyes. Anastasia continued, “Body by Brosiah is always looking for models…there are endless opportunities!” Mac tried to imagine modeling for his brother’s cologne line. That was his absolute nightmare.

Sure, Mac had been a bit careless with his fame. Had he used the family’s name to get into clubs and to the front of lines? Occasionally. Did he enjoy messing with the tabloids? Ok, yeah. But that wasn’t a crime. Breaking his silence, Mac tried to say that a worse punishment for a social boy like himself, would be spending the entire summer alone in their summer house. Of course, everyone at the table could see through that. It didn’t work. Anastasia insisted, “Avenue is spectacular. You’ll be in good hands.”

Mac didn’t want to be in good hands. He didn’t want to be in anybody’s hands. And he definitely didn’t want to be back in a class with rich famous kids. Except that Avenue was worse than school. Because he had to learn about fashion. The one topic that he already knew too much about, thanks to being a member of the family that ELITE magazine named “America’s Most Stylish Household”.

When it was clear that there really was no getting out of this (the lawyers started throwing out all kinds of legal jargon that nobody else understood and Anastasia nodded like she did), Mac simply slumped in his chair, like he was back in high school and whispered to himself,

“I hate New York.”

Aaaaaand that’s all for this week!! I hope you enjoyed it 💖. More will be out soon. Love, Bea Kupper.

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Well hello there and welcome to Bea Kupper Creative!! My name is Bea, I’m a 20yr old actress and author. I’m currently writing my first book!! It’s a YA rom com called I Hate New York. It’s set at a fashion summer school called Avenue School of Fashion. Basically, if you like rom coms, fashion and NYC, then this is the book for you.

Each week I’ll be sharing a new chapter of I Hate New York with you here on Substack so you can stay in the loop!! Assuming that because you’re reading a rom com, you’re super cool, I’ve decided that you’re an honorary member of my production company. Which means that you’re essential in the production of I Hate New York. Let me know you’re thoughts!!

Here’s last week’s chapter, aka chapter one.

Along with weekly chapters, I’ve been making cutesy things like 2000s magazine inspired quizzes and free rom com coloring pages. So if that’s your vibe, then be sure to check those out!!

Chapter Two

The Limousine

The crowd cheered. Mac, along with the other two hundred and fifty graduating students, threw his graduation cap in the air. As the hats fell to the ground, the principal and staff ducked to avoid being hit. Mac’s classmates pulled out their phones and digital cameras and began taking smiling pictures of themselves and their friends. I should get a digital camera, Mac thought to himself as he dodged limbs being pulled into hugs around him.

He wouldn’t be needing pictures with anybody here though. Already, four of his classmates and two of their visiting family members had asked to take a picture with him. He of course, said yes. Saying no was bad for his image, according to Darla, his “Image and branding consultant”. Darla insisted that she was not his manager. She didn’t want that responsibility over him. Nobody did. Not even Mac’s own parents. Mostly because according to the press, Mac Damien could not and would not be reigned in. He’d heard it all. And while most of his life was actually pretty chill, if not straight up boring, the paparazzi and the Damien family’s PR team (including Darla) worked hard to brand all of Mac’s issues as trendy rebellion. Currently, the biggest Mac Damien news was that he was seemingly back together with his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Blaire Anders.

He wasn’t. He hadn’t actually spoken to her in over a year. But rumors kept spreading through fans on social media. And both Mac and Blair liked the attention, so instead of ever actually addressing the rumors, they played along, keeping the fans convinced that there was more to the story. Last week, while at a movie premier, Blair was asked what she thought about Mac’s new haircut. She just looked at the camera and shrugged, cheekily. Almost every comment on the post was something about how the two must be back together. Mac didn’t really mind. There were worse things than people believing that he was cool and interesting. Besides, due to the whole family being extremely famous thing, chances were slim that he’d be getting a real girlfriend any time soon. So a fake PR relationship was it.

Typically, people wanted to be with Mac for an average of fifteen seconds. Just enough to get some pictures, a video and maybe a signature. Then they left, satisfied that they had whatever it was that they needed. Hence the incredibly boring life. But anytime he did anything (leave the house, use a public restroom, get food that wasn’t made by one of the family’s chefs), Mac knew that he needed to make it splashy. Sure, there was Darla and the PR team. But other than them and his fans, Mac didn’t have people who cared about him all that much. So he did whatever he wanted. And what he wanted usually got people’s attention.

Unfortunately, after enjoying his freedom a little too much, Mac was now a graduate of Mr. Parson’s School of Education for Well-Known Children. Aka, a boarding school for misbehaving nepo babies who had too much fame, money and time. And apparently, who also weren’t very smart, considering that the Parson guy thought it would be a good idea to clarify in the name that schools are for education. Finally, Mac had made it through the crowd of celebrating celebrity teenagers. Now he was trapped in a new crowd. This one was somehow much worse. Relatives of his classmates were everywhere. Babies were crying, kids and parents were arguing about various unimportant things. As Mac walked through the school gardens, to the snack buffet, he overheard the conversations,

“But Jen, I told my mom to meet us at brunch! She’s probably already there!”

“Wait, what do you mean Elanore went with Jabari to Bora Bora? She told me it was a school trip!”

“Oh, it was such a delight to have Athena in my class!”

Yeah right. Mac swore that he could see his teachers glaring at him as he made his way to the refreshments table. Families around him took advantage of the scenic upstate New York campus and began taking photos with whichever one of their kids had just graduated and was therefore, their current favorite. Mac bit into a freshly made scone from the large table. Pastry chefs hurried on the other side, holding neat trays. Attending a school for stupid and famous kids did have its perks. He looked around, squinting to see through the crowds. Mac was supposed to meet his not-manager Darla here. But she was nowhere to be found. And he had literally no idea where his parents were. In an instagram post a week earlier, it looked like Anastasia Damien was still in Paris promoting a new launch of her makeup brand BOLD. And his dad…well nobody really knew where Rupert Damien ever was.

In fact, Rupert himself probably didn’t even know where he was. The famous fashion designer was “brilliant”, sure. But often clueless when it came to common sense. Like, you know, remembering your son’s high school graduation. Not that Mac had expected any of his family to actually come. But…maybe a text or something would’ve been nice. Instead his mother was planning on just paying her oldest son, Chauffeur to photoshop a picture of her at Mac’s graduation. That way she could anonymously submit it to tabloids to prove that she was an amazing mother.

He sighed and checked his vintage watch. It wasn’t like Darla to be late. Maybe this was retaliation for all of the times that Mac had shown up late, or not at all. He was getting hot in his graduation gown. All of the shaded areas were being taken up by families, so he stood awkwardly in the sun. His phone buzzed. Maybe his dad Rupert had actually remembered an important life event! Mac struggled to find his pocket through the gown. Finally fishing it out of the awkward gown, Mac read the screen. It wasn’t a text from his dad. Or anybody. Instead it was a notification from Uber, to let him know that his ride was here. Which was strange. Because Mac hadn’t ordered an Uber.

…

Maybe this was the day he was going to get kidnapped and held for ransom money. It was bound to happen eventually. Nearly everything he did was recorded by fans, so of course, everyone knew where he was at all times. Maybe it would be good for him to get kidnapped, Mac thought as he walked to his mysterious Uber. He could have some adventure. Maybe then he could escape dramatically and write an inspiring/motivational book about it. Assuming that his family would remember his existence and care enough to bail him out. Finally out of the crowds, he could see a black limo idling in the full parking lot. Leaning against it was Uncle Shawn, wearing a black suit. Shawn looked up from his phone and nodded a hello to Mac.

“Uncle Shawn! What are you doing here?” Shawn reached out his hand to complete the secret handshake they had come up with when Mac was seven. As his dad’s best friend, Shawn was the closest thing Mac had to an uncle. When Rupert became a famous fashion designer, he brought Shawn with him and named him the Rupert Street Fashion CEO. Somehow, the two best friends managed to run a successful business, though neither one of them actually knew what they were doing or had the proper experience to actually run a company, much less a multi million dollar high fashion brand. Nevertheless, they were basically brothers.

Uncle Shawn had been there with Rupert and Anastasia for Mac’s preschool graduation, his tenth birthday party where Anastasia and Rupert announced their divorce and Mac’s eleventh birthday where Anastasia and Rupert announced that they were getting back together. That was a real surprise for Steve, Anastasia’s new husband. Through it all, Uncle Shawn had been there. He completed their secret handshake with a serious expression. While Rupert Damien was the expressive, wild one, Uncle Shawn was the calm, more sane one of the two. He looked up, over Mac’s shoulder, taking in the sights of the school. Mac couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Uncle Shawn, or any of his family, really. But now he had gained a full four inches over Shawn, who was now looking at Mac in the eye, like he was starting to put the pieces together,

“You’re graduating today?”

Mac shrugged, “Looks like it.” Shawn nodded, “Huh. Congrats.”

“Thank you.” Aside from the few courtesy congratulations from teachers who were overly happy about him leaving, it was the first time that day that somebody had congratulated Mac.

“I’m assuming that Rupert and Anastasia aren’t here?”

Mac nodded, “Your assumption is correct.” Uncle Shawn sighed. He patted Mac on the back, turned and said, “Let’s get a drink.”

Mac dumped his cap and gown and grabbed the diploma before leaving school grounds once and for all. Now the limo sped down the winding road through the spring trees. Uncle Shawn helped himself to the sparkling apple juice in the back. He offered Mac a glass. Mac shook his head. Uncle Shawn had quit drinking two years ago, originally as a publicity stunt. But then he realized how refreshing it was to be sober for the first time since he was 18, so he decided to focus on sparkling juice from there on out.

He threw back the sparkling juice as if it was a shot and winced at the carbonation. Mac sat across from him, with his Louis Vuitton suitcase of belongings. Because he changed schools so often, Mac rarely brought too many material things with him. He had his notebook, three outfits, his shoes, headphones, his flip phone (just for aesthetics, he had an actual phone too of course, because a flip phone just wasn’t practical). Then his wallet. Which had his money, not that it really mattered considering that his family had millions more in various banks around the world. And if he really wanted, Mac could always just say yes to filming a commercial and get paid thousands to say that he loved some random product.

But of course, Darla would have to approve which commercials would be good for his “brand”. But Darla wasn’t here. After Uncle Shawn seemed to recover from the bubbles, Mac looked at him and asked the question he had been holding in since he saw Uncle Shawn.

“Is someone dead?”

Uncle Shawn was already looking like he needed another sparkling apple juice. Mac usually had that effect on people.

“No Mac! Nobody in your family is dead. It’s about Darla.” Mac nodded grimly, seeing where this was going, “Is Darla dead?”

“No Mac! Nobody is dead. Well, that I know of.”

Mac leaned back. So then why in the world was Uncle Shawn here. And where was Darla? And the rest of the PR team? Was one of Mac’s older brothers, Derek, in jail for trying to sneak into Area 51? Again? When Uncle Shawn said nothing and went back to swirling his apple juice and dramatically looking out the window, Mac wondered if he’d forgotten he was even there…Mac cleared his throat uncomfortably,

“Ok…so if nobody’s dead, what’s the emergency? Why are you here?”

Uncle Shawn gave Mac a look. Not quite disappointment, Mac had seen that one too many times and could tell that this wasn’t it. Maybe…distraught? Wow, Mr. Parson’s School of Education really paid off, Mac thought to himself, pleased that he’d come up with distraught. Uncle Shawn sighed and looked down, avoiding Mac’s eyes. As if ripping off a bandaid Uncle Shawn broke the news fast, “Darlaquit.”

Mac, who had been leaning forward, bracing himself for something good, fell back into the limo seat. He’d been wondering when Darla would finally quit. So far, she was the first “Image Consultant” (cough cough, manager) to last over a year and a half. The others had gotten so fed up with Mac’s antics that they quit before they made it to year two. There had even been an article about Darla in ELITE magazine, talking about how she put up with crazy celebs. That’s how much of an anomaly she was. But now, as Mac watched the scenery fly by in the limo, he realized he was free. He turned eighteen last month. He graduated high school. Now Mac was free to live his own life, his own way.

“That’s it? You made it seem like some big tragedy!” Shawn grimaced, pouring another shot of sparkling apple juice, “Do you want a tragedy?”

Mac shrugged in his seat, “I mean it could’ve been kinda exciting.” They were now out of the woods and slowly merging into traffic moving into the city. Uncle Shawn took a deep breath in,

“Well, I just might have one for you.”

Mac turned away from the window and back to Shawn, “Yeah? What is it?” Mac was skeptical. After the big buildup of the last announcement, it was clear that Uncle Shawn really didn’t know how to announce bad news.

“We’re on the way to a meeting with your parents.”

Aaaaaand that is all for chapter two of I Hate New York!! I hope you enjoyed it. And stay tuned for next week’s chapter. Until then, go ahead and catch up on some episodes of Writing a Rom Com either on YouTube or Instagram. Ok, byeeee!!

Love, Bea Kupper 💕

My name is Bea, I’m a 20yr old actress and author. And I’m writing my first ever book!! It’s a YA rom com called I Hate New York. If you’re new here, (welcome!!) then I’ll quickly summarize my book’s vibes so you can get the idea.

I Hate New York book summary:

I Hate New York is set at a prestigious summer fashion school in NYC called The Avenue School of Fashion. The two main characters are Mac Damien and Rosie James. Mac is a nepo baby who grew up on the reality TV show, The Dashing Damiens (which you can read all about here lol), who longs to have control over his own life.

And Rosie is a small-town fashion obsessed girl who isn’t going to let anyone get in her way of pursuing her dreams of an epic fashion career. Not her parents, not her own insecurity and definitely not Mac.

Basically, if you like fashion, early 2000s rom coms and NYC, then you’ll like I Hate New York. I just started my weekly chapters back up. So now, every Sunday at 7:30pm CDT, a new chapter of I Hate New York will be released FOR FREE!! YAY!!

Because I love working on projects and get very bored very easily, I like to create as much as I can in the world of my stories. For example, while I’m working on the second draft of I Hate New York and doing all of the editing stuff, I’ve also been working on more illustrations. And last winter, when I was still stumbling my way through the early drafts of my book, I released an entire rom com coloring book.

And for the price of a fancy latte, you can buy it here!!

buy the coloring book of your dreams 💖

All of the illustrations have something to do with the world of my book, which I think is fun. Even though you may not get it yet, I know all of the secret hidden references in there. Hehehehe.

But this week I’ve been focused on the setting of my book, The Avenue School of Fashion. I made a series of videos on Instagram about the school and I also have made a few articles on here about it, but I wanted to create a little something more. So, I now present to you, a map of the Avenue School of Fashion/Avenue Square.

Like I said in my videos, I made up a block of NYC where the school is located lol. So the whole neighborhood is entirely pretend. But then I can let anything happen and nobody can tell me that it’s inaccurate to NYC, because that whole part of the city is made-up and therefore, I can set the rules of what is possible.

So the Avenue Fashion Offices and the Avenue School of Fashion campuses are set in Avenue Square.

Ta-Da!! Here’s a free coloring sheet for you of the map and the design classroom!!

Again, there are so many little details in here that connect to my book…

But, to make these drawings your own, download the page, print it up and color it in!!

coloring sheets here!!

Personally, I love the fashion coloring books from the early 2010’s, so my drawings are very much inspired by those. I hope you enjoy!!

And even though you can’t actually attend the Avenue School of Fashion, you can take this quiz to find out what class you’d be in!!

And you can start reading chapters now, and live out your fashion school rom com dreams. Enjoy!! And happy coloring!!

Love, Bea Kupper 💖

P.S.

I want to see people’s creativity! So if you do color it in, feel free to share what the end result is!!

But I’ve got some news…

A while ago I shared that I had officially completed my first draft of I Hate New York. Which feels kinda crazy. Because even though the entire time that I was working on it (about a full year) I kept thinking “this is taking forever!” and “I should’ve already published seventeen books by now, why can’t I work faster?” It actually has flown by.

Now I’m working on the second draft and I am so very glad that I took all the time to outline everything and rework specific scenes because now the second draft is much easier. Now is the fairly easy part. But it still takes a lot of time. Sooooo…

Last summer I started sharing chapters of I Hate New York, even though I actually had no idea how I was going to end the book at all lol. I’ve been sharing chapters since and I think they’ve gotten much stronger and much more accurate to how I want my book to be. Which is great! And it also means that the chapters available to those of you in the Bea Kupper Creative community (or anyone reading this substack) aren’t my favorites.

So while I’m editing, I’m going to reshare the chapters of I Hate New York. But this time, they’ll be in order. And they’ll feel more like how you can expect the actual book to feel.

Also-I have no idea if I’ll be keeping these I Hate New York chapters up once I release it as an official book, so read up now while they’re still free!!

Aaaaand without further ado, here’s the first (updated) chapter of your new fav rom com, I Hate New York:

Chapter One 💕

In the basement of a modest ranch style house, with outdated wood paneling, an eighteen year old fashion designer checked her email for the seventh time that hour. She was waiting for news. News that could make or break her career in fashion. Rosie James refreshed her email again. Nothing new. She sighed and folded her laptop, taking it off of her unusually messy desk.

The rest of her room however, was incredibly neat, just as she liked it.

This was her happy place. The cold fake wood floors that bubbled up in weird spots because of water damage, the small window overlooking the underground well that tended to collect frogs, the low ceiling that made her dad have to duck almost every time he entered the room. Rosie had managed to work with the strange space, trying to convince herself that it was her dream room. In reality, it was either this or continue sharing a room with her older sister. But after Jess turned seventeen, she kicked Rosie out every time she wanted to call her friends, have her friends over, or even just do her homework, “without having to hear Rosie breathing!”

Rosie was fed up and convinced her parents to let her move into the “guest room” that was used for storage.

Now, five years later, the room was very Rosie-coded. The dark wood paneling was unfortunately there to stay. But the window had a pink lace curtain that Rosie had sewn specifically the right size (no stores carried curtains that could fit the tiny window). Her bed sat directly underneath, with a poufy pink comforter and too many fluffy pillows on top. The closet had been fitted with thrifted Ikea shelves for optimal clothing storage. Her sewing machine and fabric had been stuffed into a small trunk that she painted white, to match the shelves. A dress form sat in the corner, usually wearing one of Rosie’s latest designs. Fairy lights and a pink lamp gave the room a warm glow, despite the lack of sun coming through the window.

Still with no updates, Rosie set her laptop on the top closet shelf, with the rest of her electronics. With headphones on, Rosie sat at the desk and began to draw. Even if her designs didn’t get her accepted into the Avenue School of Fashion, at least she would have the sketches to add to her growing portfolio. But this thought didn’t comfort her like it usually did. Rosie longed for more. She needed more. More than her small room (no matter how cute it was), more than sketches, daydreaming and fashion montages in her mind. And definitely more than living in her small town, with the same people she’d grown up with, for the rest of her life.

Avenue was her way out. And up. The summer program had launched countless professional careers and Rosie wanted to be one of the success stories. She wanted to be able to come back and make an inspirational speech at her school someday. She would encourage the students there that there was a way out! She had made it!

But for now, Rosie sighed as she picked up her purple colored pencil, for now she was here. Here in her cute but cold basement room until further notice. Trying to focus on the gown she was drawing, Rosie fought the urge to run to her laptop again. But maybe in the past three minutes someone at Avenue decided that Rosie would be one of the lucky few to be accepted. There was a knock at her door. Rosie lifted one ear of her headphones, the music pausing,

“Yes?”

Her mom answered from behind the thin wooden door,

“It’s Mom and Dad. Can we come in?”

Rosie leaned in her desk chair, to reach the handle, opening the door to let her parents in. Her mom walked in slowly, her smile way too big. Her dad followed snacking on some peanuts, looking confused as to why he was there. Her mom sat on the bed, cautiously. Rosie’s mountain of pillows threatened to fall.

“Rosie,” she started, folding her hands in her lap, “We wanted to see how you’re feeling about graduation.”

Rosie raised an eyebrow. She knew where this was going. “Are you sure you don’t want to have a grad party? You could invite all of your friends.”

Her dad seemed to also realize what this was about and joined in, “And family!” Mrs. James nodded, excited, “That’s right, family too!”

Rosie sighed. She looked down and played with the buttons on her headphones. She had only graduated from high school only four hours ago. Yet her parents had been wanting to plan a graduation party since March. The classic midwest tradition of inviting every single person you knew to either your garage or backyard for drinks in labeled coolers, paper plates with food and a giant sheet cake. Rosie didn’t want to invite her whole high school class to her house to see her baby pictures and meet her Great Aunt Cheryl. She nodded, “I feel good about my decision. But thank you.”

Mrs. James seemed defeated, deflating slightly, “Well, if this is because of your program, honey we can just schedule a party for you before you leave!”

That was the other reason Rosie had no interest in having a party. If she did get accepted into the Avenue Summer Program, she would need to pack her bags immediately. The program started on June 5th and there was a possibility that she wouldn’t hear back until May 31st. This left her five full days to prepare. Not to mention that if she planned a whole party, assuming that she wouldn’t get in, then she might not. As Michelle Scarn, the top designer of Avenue and the leader of the entire design program, always said, “If you have something to fall back on, you’ll fall back.” Rosie wasn’t going to jinx her shot at getting into Avenue.

But she knew there was no point in bringing this up to her family. They were sick of hearing about Michelle Scarn and Avenue Fashion. Her dad reached out and patted her knee, awkwardly, “At least consider it. Great Aunt Cheryl has been talking about your mom’s famous bars since Jess’s graduation!”

Before getting up from the bed to leave the room, Rosie’s mom said, “I’m sure your friends would want to see you before they all leave for school, too.”

Rosie nodded, not saying anything. At her graduation that morning, her parents insisted that she say goodbye to all of her friends and join in all of the group photos her peers were taking. She didn’t have the heart to tell them that none of those kids were her friends.

Aquantances, sure. Enemies, yes. Friends? No…And that was reason number four thousand and one, why Rosie needed to run away to New York. She had faith that somewhere in that big city of dreams, her dream life was waiting for her.

As her parents gently closed the door, Rosie put her headphones back on and continued to draw, trying to push away the guilt of not quite being the kid her parents thought she was, and instead tried to focus on the drawing. One way or another, Rosie was going to make it to NYC.

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And that’s all for this week! But stay tuned for another chapter next week, Sunday at 7:30 CDT.

Love, Bea Kupper 💘

As I’m writing, I’ve been sharing some chapters here on Substack! So if you’re new here, then first of all welcome! Second, be sure to at least read this chapter first, so that today’s chapter actually makes sense.

And without further ado, here’s another chapter of I Hate New York!!

Because she had been so prepared, Rosie managed to get in the classroom two minutes early. Though she was still bitter about the fact that it wasn’t the 15 minutes that she’d hoped. After walking as fast as she could without running, through the Avenue campus and straight to her class, Rosie stopped suddenly. Here she was. Face to face with the Avenue class that would change her life. She would walk out of this door in three months, a new person. Hopefully a new person with a fancy job in the fashion industry…

This was the class that would change her life. That classroom door represented all of her hard work. All of the money she saved. It was all paying off. After this moment, Rosalind Sloan James would never be the same. As she closed her eyes and prepared herself for her big monumental moment, two kids bumped into her, shoving their way into the classroom. Rosie felt her cheeks grow pink, slightly embarrassed about the fact that she had been caught staring at a door. But she decided to follow them and brush off the fact that she had been run into for the second time that day. And it was only 8:28 in the morning.

…

The room was set up like a real Avenue design office rather than a typical classroom. Instead of desks all facing toward the front, where the teacher usually stood, there were large tables huddled together throughout the expansive room. Floor to ceiling windows let in the natural light, making the room glow with the morning sun. As she stepped further into the spacious classroom, Rosie did her best to take it all in. Other students were doing the same, looking up at the crystal chandeliers and stringed lights around the ceiling.

As more students shuffled inside, Rosie decided to join the few students who had sat down at the tables. She walked around once, scoping out where she could get the best view of the teacher without having to crane her neck too much. And without looking too eager. Finally she chose a spot not too close but not too far from a blonde girl who already had a notebook out. It was covered in scribbles that appeared to be the girl’s handwriting. She furiously turned a page and continued her scribbling. The girl’s blonde curls seemed to be just as inspired as she was, sticking up in all directions.

This bodes well…Thought Rosie as she slid into her chosen seat. It was her first day and she didn’t want to mess it up by choosing the wrong place, next to the wrong classmates. One boy at the other end of the table, wearing jorts that looked three times too big, was scrolling on his phone with the volume ALL THE WAY UP. The blonde girl, looking up from her notebook, scowled at the boy and shook her head. He didn’t even notice, he was too busy laughing at a video on his phone. After sighing and muttering something that sounded like, “Some people…” the blonde girl turned to see Rosie and smiled, giving her a small wave. Rosie smiled back.

To Rosie’s right, the Jorts Boy continued scrolling, carelessly. At the cluster of tables next to them, kids talked in hushed tones. She studied all of their outfits with approval. It was clear she had found her people. A large white board at the front had a presentation slide projected onto it that simply said, “Welcome,” in black cursive letters. After fifteen minutes (Rosie knew it was exactly fifteen minutes because she had been obsessively checking the clock on the wall) the students around her began to grow restless.

Other kids pulled out their phones. Some put in earbuds. Rosie checked her watch, 8:45. They definitely should have started by now. Breaking her thoughts, the blonde girl reached out a hand, over her scribbles, “I’m Amelia, by the way.”

Rosie shook it and smiled. She had just made a friend! “I’m Rosie. I like your rings.” The girl’s hands were covered in jewelry and hand drawn tattoos of butterflies that were starting to fade.

“Thank you! I made them myself.”

Before Rosie could ask more about the homemade rings, or the tattoos, a door opened abruptly. It was the glass door that led directly to Michelle Scarn’s office, which was in the slightly elevated loft area of the classroom, with a sleek staircase leading up to it. A few students gasped. Jorts Boy finally decided to turn his volume down. Kids put their phones away and sat up straighter in their chairs, terrified into perfect posture.

The woman who had opened the door was Michelle Scarn. The Michelle Scarn. Rosie felt herself take an unsteady breath in. Everyone in fashion…no actually, just everyone who wasn’t living under a rock, knew that Michelle was responsible for making Avenue what it was today. Michelle Scarn was the leading fashion mogul in the United States, maybe even the world. Rosie had listened to all of her interviews and carefully examined every clothing line she had established. Most likely, every kid in the room had. Even Jorts Boy.

Slowly, Michelle made her way to the desk in front of the board. She set down her leather tote bag, carefully took out a laptop and reading glasses. All eyes were on her. She opened up her laptop casually. The room was silent except for Michelle’s typing. Kids shifted uncomfortably in their seats. She peered at the class from over her glasses. It seemed she was counting how many students were there. Which made Rosie want to count how many students there were. She looked around the room. Including herself, nineteen. Her lucky number. Michelle typed something into her computer. She finally looked up, acknowledging the students and motioned to the board,

“Welcome.”

She typed a few more words into her computer and started the presentation, changing the slides on the board.

“Welcome class, to your first day of Avenue Design and Styling. In this class you will experience a rigorous education of what it takes to survive in this industry as a designer. Each of you are going to create and present a clothing line by the end of the summer, during our presentations week. You will gain real world experience and have countless opportunities to grow, learning the Avenue industry secrets.”
Rosie felt like she was bubbling with excitement. This is all she ever wanted. And it was only the beginning.

Michelle continued, now pacing behind her desk, “I expect a lot from you. You are all young adults, or almost there. If you want to be successful in this industry, you must learn to deal with criticism, critique and intense competition.” She paused to write something on the whiteboard, next to her slides, turning over her shoulder to speak to the class, “I hope that you are ready for it.”

Rosie nodded as if Michelle was speaking directly to her. She was ready. Michelle shuffled more papers around the large desk and changed the presentation slide to show the criteria for their clothing line design project.

“First I want you to introduce yourselves to the people at your table. Discuss any possible ideas you have for your final design project. You need to be thinking of these now. Otherwise you will fall behind. Understood?”

She eyed the students, carefully. Some nodded solemnly. Others looked to their classmates, to see if they were just as nervous.

“I must leave you now, I have an appointment. Josh, my intern, will be here to answer any questions.” With that, Michelle gathered her papers and strode up the stairs, and shut the door of her office. The intern Josh, seemed to appear out of thin air. Or maybe it was just the fact that Michelle’s presence was so big, that in it, Josh was unnoticeable. He began making his rounds through the room, making sure students were conversing. Rosie and Amelia once again struck up a conversation easily. In an attempt to follow the rules and talk to everyone at the table, Rosie turned to her right, to Jorts Boy.

“So, do you have any ideas about your project?” The boy shrugged and looked up from his phone that he had pulled out again.

“Eh…not really. This project thing seems a bit tricky.” Rosie had nothing to say to that. So she nodded politely and resumed her conversation with Amelia. She quickly learned that Amelia also had an older sibling, (one older brother), she liked sushi (but only California rolls) and bought most of her clothes at thrift stores while she was traveling with her dads, who were apparently famous chefs. Though she was only-Rosie checked the clock on the wall-a half hour into class, she knew that this was her place. Even if her morning had been a bit bumpy, nothing could possibly go wrong. Not that she was here at Avenue.

And that’s all for today. Don’t worry, more will be here soon! Until then, go ahead and catch up on some of the earlier chapters of I Hate New York, watch some of the WRITING A ROM COM vlogs (on YouTube), or rewatch your fav rom com.

my YouTube channel!!

Love,

Bea Kupper 💖

So today I thought I’d invite you to step into the world of I Hate New York and find out which class you’d attend! And I always loved the quizzes in magazines as a kid. So here’s a quiz that will tell you which Avenue class you’d be in for the summer!!

First, pick which party you’d want to attend the most.

Next, pick out an outfit for a day walking around the city.

And now a pair of shoes (they don’t need to go with the outfit you picked above, just choose whatever shoes are calling your name)!!

Now that you have your perfect outfit, how are you spending your day? Shopping, filming, drawing, gossiping??

And finally, choose a rom com:

Aaaaand now it’s time for your answers!!

Obviously, you can take this as many times as you’d like. And let me know if you’d actually want to attend the Avenue School of Fashion (ok but who wouldn’t) and study fashion for the summer!

The Results!!

If you got…

MOSTLY A’s: Fashion Design

You are creative yet determined. You’re a leader with a clear vision of what you want and how to get it done. Your summer classes will emphasize the importance of fashion throughout history, how to create a fashion collection. And design students have free time to use Avenue supplies to create real clothing items for their collections, which they will present to a board of famous fashion designers at the end of the summer.

MOSTLY B’s: Modeling

You’re confident and artistic, not afraid of the spotlight. Even though you have great style, you’re ready to collaborate with others to enhance beautiful designs. Your classes will break down the basics (posing, confidence on camera, perfecting the runway walk) but also will discuss the modeling industry. How to build connections, make a name for yourself and build your personal brand. At the end of the summer, all Avenue Modeling students will collab with design students and walk, showcasing the best designs of that year.

MOSTLY C’s: Marketing

You’re fabulous and curious. The marketing students at Avenue are known for their ability to connect with anybody and everybody and be the life of the party. Even though parties aren’t technically allowed in the Avenue dorms…STILL!! You use your creativity to connect with others and highlight different styles in ways that nobody else can.

MOSTLY D’s: Photography

The Fashion Photography class at Avenue is no joke. You’re there because you’re passionate about fashion and you have the ability to capture it in a clear, yet artistic way. You have the ability to see the details and center people’s attention on the specifics of fashionable designs. In the photography class at Avenue, you’ll take a deep dive into the history of fashion photography and build a portfolio, collaborating with the other classes to curate your own photographing style.

I hope you enjoyed this mini quiz!! And I hope you feel inspired by the fictional classes of the Avenue School of Fashion.

And to find out which character from I Hate New York you are most like, take the quiz here 🤭.

Love, Bea Kupper 💖

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Below is a new chapter from my book, I Hate New York.

But first!! Here’s some background. If you’re too cool for that, it’s all good. Feel free to skip right ahead!

An introduction:

My name is Bea, I’m a 20yr old actress and author. And I’m writing a book! It’s a YA rom com called I Hate New York. It takes place at a fashion summer school in NYC. If you like rom coms, reading and fashion, then you’re in the right place!!

I’ve been releasing chapters weekly, while I’m writing it. Along with some other fun articles here and there. So welcome to the team!! Follow along to join the rom com production team 😇 💖. Be sure that you’ve read this chapter, so you know what’s up!

And now, without further ado, here is the newest chapter of I Hate New York:

From his seat, Mac could see his new classmates. The glass office walls allowed him to see over the classroom. But because Michelle’s office was slightly elevated, none of the students could see him. Mac slouched back in the chair, observing the students while he waited. His parents had organized a meeting with Michelle and the head of admissions to ensure that being here wouldn’t “taint Mac’s image”. So apparently, his parents did remember he existed, only when the family’s reputation was involved.

So there he sat, in the office of a world famous fashion icon, bored out of his mind. Mac shifted in his seat. He could tell from the writing on the back that it was a FluGendorph. The brand made stylish but apparently very uncomfortable chairs. Naturally, Mac’s dad owned three. For such an expensive chair, he had no idea how it was that unpleasant to sit in.

Mac sighed. He didn’t want to be here. Not in this office, not in this city, not at another school that was really just an obvious ploy from his family to get him out of their hair. And it wasn’t like he ever needed them for anything anyway. Mac would’ve been perfectly happy to stay at home all summer. Or even to join his dad in Europe for his “Modern Art Excursion”, even though he had no idea what exactly that meant. Before he had time to contemplate what an art excursion included, Michelle opened the door. He turned the FluGendorph around to face her. She sat down at the desk, across from him.

“So, Mackenzie,”

Mac cringed at the use of his full name. “Tell me a little bit about why you’re here.” She looked at him from under her glasses. It was as if she knew that it wasn’t his choice to be here. Mac shifted in the FlugenDorph uncomfortably. Mac weighed his options before deciding what to say.

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Option one: let Michelle believe that he wasn’t interested at all in fashion or discipline or learning in any kind of way, show up late for class or or just not at all. Miss all of his assignments and get caught by the paparazzi doing stupid things with famous people who would be more than happy to get pictures with him. Then let those pictures go into the tabloids and the press. Mac would get calls from Uncle Shawn asking him to please behave, at least while they wait for a new PR manager. Mac would promise to do better and really try this time! Though they would both know that he wouldn’t. Then he would get kicked out of Avenue for his class disruptions and lack of attendance.

His parents would receive calls or letters explaining that their son was misbehaving and got terminated from the program. Though, neither Rupert or Anastasia Damien would notice. Then Mac would go back to the family’s Manhattan penthouse and have the rest of his summer to be by himself in peace. No manager, no family, nobody there to have any opinions about who he was or wasn’t.

Of course, there was the second option. The most unlikely option. Mac could actually try in the Avenue program. He could put in the effort, surprise himself and everyone else. Maybe even be proud of one of his accomplishments. Maybe his parents would hear about their son graduating from the prestigious program as the top of his class. Maybe Mac could actually gain some real world experience in a field that he was interested in. But in order to learn, he would actually have to put in effort. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

So, Mac continued to slouch on the FluGendorph. He did his best to look as uninterested as possible. Behind Michelle, the tall glass windows revealed the scenic New York City skyline. Mac could feel her staring at him, waiting for an answer. He looked back up at her and shrugged,

“Ugh, honestly? I don’t really know, man.”

Mac did his best to not cringe at himself. He had just called the most powerful woman in fashion in modern history “man”. She seemed unfazed. This was why people were so scared of her. It wasn’t that she was explosive like some of the industry leaders. No, Michelle didn’t raise her voice, she didn’t roll her eyes. In fact, she hardly even blinked. You were lucky (or terribly, terribly unlucky) if she even made direct eye contact with you.

Michelle took a deep breath in and lifted her folded hands from the papers on her desk. Mac crossed his arms and caught a glimpse of the papers. They were labeled “Student Files: Mac Daniels”. He couldn’t read the rest of the print since it was too small and he refused to lean in to get a better look. That might imply that he actually wanted to be there. Which he did not. After what felt like a half hour of uncomfortably listening to Michelle look slowly through papers that Mac knew were all about him, Michelle refolded her hands on her desk. She looked at Mac once again. He stared back, trying his best to emulate Brosiah, the douchiest of his older brothers.

Slouched posture, hair in his eyes and a confused expression that nobody could decipher. Either Brosiah just did his best to not listen, or he was genuinely always confused. Nobody knew for sure what was up with that guy. Perfect, Mac thought. That’s who he needed to emulate. Michelle squinted, as if she could read his mind. It’s like she knew that this wasn’t the true him.

So Mac awkwardly slouched even more. If he kept this up, he was bound to slide all the way off the FluGendorph. If that wasn’t awkward enough, the leather FluGendorph squeaked slowly, as Mac slouched, cutting through the awkward silence. Michelle kept eye contact the entire time, looking completely unfazed. Finally Michelle looked back down at her desk, began shuffling papers and said simply,

“You may go.”

Mac got up, happy to be out of the FluGendorph. He opened the glass door, feeling like a winner. Despite the incredibly awkward conversation. Now in just a few day’s time, he could go back to being an underachiever. Life would be easy and simple again. His only worry would be what shoes he should buy next. Just how he liked it. Mac felt free as he walked down the stairs from Michelle’s elevated office. His phone in his pocket buzzed. It had been going off all day. He was getting tagged in pictures that tourists had taken of him running this morning. And just like he predicted, the tiktok he agreed to make for the family in return for their scooter blew up and went viral within seconds. Another reason to hate New York: the tourists. Luckily, nobody had seen him practically run over the girl in high heels. That really could’ve been bad for his image. Mac reached into the pockets of his oversized jeans for his phone. But this time it wasn’t another notification that he had been tagged in a post.

This time it was a text. From Blair.

Heyyy!! Just checking in! How’s summer going so far??

This happened every once in a while, when Mac would go viral again. Blair would remember his existence and want to join in the five minutes of fame. Sometimes he let her, when he was bored. Usually he just typed out a basic, non-detailed response about how he was doing so well and his life was so good.

The glass door closed behind him with a loud thud. The entire classroom went quiet. Mac looked up from his phone to see that every other kid in the classroom was staring directly at him. And now it was showtime.

Aaaaaand that’s all for now!! I hope you enjoyed it. And there will be more coming soon. For now, go catch up on the past couple of chapters or rewatch your fav rom com. Thanks for joining the team!
Love,

Bea Kupper 💕

But first, I want to introduce myself and catch you up. If you’re too cool for that, that’s totally ok. I get it, you do seem really cool. You can go ahead and jump to the chapter and skip the intro. But, in case we’ve never met,

My name is Bea, I’m a 20yr old actress and writer and I’m currently working on my very first book. Yay!! It’s a rom com called I Hate New York. It takes place at a summer fashion school in NYC called Avenue. Basically, if you like early 2000s rom coms, you’ll like I Hate New York.

Because all of my subscribers are automatically honorary members of my rom com production team, I wanted to share another mini chapter of my early draft of I Hate New York. Last spring, I was posting a new chapter almost every week! So if you’re new here, first of all welcome!! And second, go check those out too, to see what you may have missed!!

And you can read all about the characters here!!

Ok, and now to the mini chapter of I Hate New York!!

Rosie shuffled through her papers, happily. It was nine thirty and there was still no sign of Mac. Her plan of payback was working. After his little party, Rosie decided that she too was done playing nice.

Besides, she wasn’t doing anything malicious. She just decided to listen to his request and be quiet. She had figured that Mac had gotten used to waking up nice and early with her admittedly loud morning routine in the dorm directly above his. That morning however, Rosie had gone on a run, instead of doing her usual yoga. She had made oatmeal in the cafeteria instead of making a smoothie. And yes, maybe she did tip-toe through her room. But it was simply out of a sudden compassion for her downstairs neighbor. Nobody could prove that she did it out of hate for a certain conceited nepo baby. Why she did it, did not matter. What did matter was that it was working.

Rosie was there, in class, on time, getting her work done and Mac wasn’t. Hopefully, Mac would sleep through half the day, wake up to realize that he had already missed most of the class, and decide that he may as well just give up. Rosie knew that he wouldn’t give up that easily, but it was nice to think about what-ifs. It was also nice to be able to sit in class focusing fully on her work. Not on her family or on the fact that she still hadn’t called them back. Not on what her classmates were saying about Mac or Blair or whoever.

But just focusing on her designs, surrounded by other Avenue students focusing on their designs. This was her happy place. After her three and a half cups of coffee this morning, she was feeling energized, excited. Did she dare say, inspired? Why yes, yes she was feeling inspired.

Pencils and pens were spilling out of her pouches, onto her desk. Papers with half finished sketches of dresses covered her work area. She couldn’t get that pink tulle out of her head. Rosie looked up from her drawing just in time to see Mac walk into the classroom, with confidence, as though he hadn’t just missed an hour of the class discussion.

He was holding a tray with two coffees, headed towards Michelle’s office. Despite seeing him, Rosie found herself smiling slightly. Everybody knew that Michelle did not drink coffee. And she most definitely would never drink an iced latte. Not after the fashion week incident of 2012, when she was struggling with a pumpkin spice addiction. She had so much caffeine, the authorities were called. The press had a heyday, calling it Michelle Madness after the seven nearest coffee shops had completely run out of pumpkin spice syrup due to her obsession.

Rosie almost felt bad for Mac, he had no idea what was coming for him. That was a downside to getting everything you could ever want without actually earning it, she realized. Mac hadn’t done half the research about Avenue and the fashion industry that Rosie had. He was wildly unprepared.

As he strode into the office, he nodded at their fellow students, who were whispering as usual, like they still hadn’t gotten over the fact that they were in class with a real celebrity. As he passed Kyle, the two boys did some sort of complex one handed handshake, all while Mac held the coffee tray in the other hand. Mac passed by Rosie’s desk, seeing her, he gave her his classic Mac Damien signature smile, the one that he seemed to think made everybody fall to their knees in love with him, before flipping her off and backing into Michelle’s office. She rolled her eyes before letting them settle into a glare.

Poor innocent Mac, walking unannounced into Michelle Scarn’s office bearing coffee. Interns got fired for pulling stunts like that. Rosie watched through Michelle’s clear office doors as Mac set the coffee on the desk in front of her. Rosie leaned in on her seat. This was it. This was going to be a humiliating experience for Mac.

Michelle looked at Mac, stone faced, but Rosie knew from the slight raise of her left eyebrow that she was confused. She reached for the coffee with her short manicured fingernails, took off the lid and sniffed. Mac was explaining something, gesturing casually with his hands. Rosie adjusted in her seat to watch over the bent over heads of her classmates working at their desks. Michelle nodded slowly, still no expression of any emotion on her face. She carefully took a small sip of the iced drink and raised both eyebrows, (as high as she could with the botox), seemingly pleased.

Rosie watched in confusion and horror as Michelle continued sipping the drink. She was…enjoying it?! That couldn’t be right. Mac walked out of the office, closing the door carefully behind him. From across the room he made eye contact with Rosie, smiling at his success and her fury. Rosie took a deep breath and stared straight ahead, furious as he walked past her to his own in the back of the classroom. Before sitting all the way down, he leaned forward over her shoulder, and whispered,

“Iced chamomile latte.”

So he knew about the coffee thing. Great. Rosie wondered what else Mac knew. All of her years of hard work and research obsessing over Avenue and reading every possible interview about Michelle, only to be bested by Mac Damien. Reality TV show star and a favorite of teen tabloids.

And that was it. No punishment for being late. No remorse, no apology and nobody even cared. Mac Damien was the most frustrating person Rosie had ever met. He couldn’t seem to lose. But Rosie was determined to find a way. She would find a way.

Aaaaaand that’s all for now!! But I hope you enjoyed it. And stay tuned for the next post coming soon!! Until then, go rewatch your favorite rom com or catch up on past chapters of I Hate New York. Thanks for reading!!

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Love, Bea Kupper 💘.

Hello and welcome!! In case we haven’t met, my name is Bea, I’m a twenty year old actress and writer. Currently, I’m working on my first book. It’s a rom com called I Hate New York.

And if you like early 2000s rom coms, fashion and New York City, then you’re my target audience and should totally join my rom com production team, if you haven’t already subscribed.

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Because you’re an honorary member of my production team, Bea Kupper Creative, I wanted to give you a little book update!!

First, I have officially completed the first real draft of my rom com, I Hate New York!!

Woohoo!! Yay!! I made banana bread to celebrate.

Originally, I Hate New York was written as a movie, then a short story. So I’ve had the characters and basic plot around in my head for a long time. Two summers ago I even wrote the first quick draft of the book!

But back then it was only for myself, as a fun summer project. So I hadn’t done any real outlining. And my characters were pretty simple. It was a fun story, but it was missing a lot. Then fast-forward to last summer, when I finished work on my comedy series Theater Kids, quit my retail job, I decided to work on a book!! And I Hate New York was picked back up. But through school, work (other jobs, not the aforementioned retail job), and being in shows as an actress, I simply wrote any time I could.

As someone who likes to speed through projects, it was (and still is) a real test of patience.

And I posted about it!

So if you’ve been here for awhile, then perhaps you’ve read some of the I Hate New York chapters posted earlier this year, (if not you can find them here!!). Now that I’m entering the editing phase (woohoo!!), I’ll get back into sharing some more chapters for you to read!! Hopefully back to the regular schedule in spring of a new chapter every Sunday at 7pm.

Anywaaaayy, back to the updates…

There’s also a new(ish) coloring page for my book!

Last December, I made my first coloring book. Yaaaay!!

Side note: Can you tell I’m working on celebrating my wins?? lol.

This specific coloring page is a reference to the fashion school that my book takes place at. It’s called Avenue School of Fashion. You can see the daily school schedule here!! So obviously, because it’s the setting, Avenue is a big part of my book. And the person on the cover, is Blair Anders, a famous actress/side character in my book, too!!

tap to get the coloring page!!

Even if the details on these illustrations only make sense to me so far, it’s still a ton of fun to be able to sneak some references to my writing in there. And it’s a fun way to stay inspired while I’m working on the more tedious parts of writing.

Though I haven’t officially started editing, (I feel like it will be good to have a few days of reset after my writing marathon), I’m already questioning what pieces of my book need to be chopped off and which specific moments need to be a bigger part of my story.

So of course, the only way to figure out the answer to these questions is to watch a ton of rom coms and take tedious notes.

So that will be a very enjoyable time. But, for the parts of my book that do get cut, don’t worry, I’ll still share them! You are a part of my rom com production team, after all. And some of the moments that I already know aren’t quite fitting in with the story, are some of my favorites!! So I want them to be enjoyed.

And that’s my book update for now!!

An official first draft, with outlines, real characters and everything! An old coloring book that I’m perpetually adding coloring pages to, and some bonus pages that are free! And they are also hints to characters/moments in my book 🤭.

So as I’m working on editing, and you know, creating the actual book of I Hate New York, I’m also continuing to build the world of my story. Through coloring pages like the one below (it’s free for you to download and print out!!), my coloring book, and Substack/YouTube/Insta posts, I’ve been so lucky to be able to share my creations with you all.

get the coloring book!!

I’m excited to keep adding to the world!! Thank you for being a part of the team.

Love, Bea Kupper 💕.

The Goal 💕

My current dream is to someday own a production company that produces rom coms, sitcoms and overall makes the world a better place through storytelling. A bit of a lofty goal, yes. But I do believe that stories have the power to change people’s lives! Or at least make them laugh. Which in turn makes the world better.

My logic is that if more people are laughing, then their lives will be a bit lighter, then enabling them to encourage other people around them and overall making the world better. Is this an overly simplistic way of looking at the world? Perhaps. But I don’t think I’ll ever regret trying to tell stories that resonate with people and brings them joy.

If you’re a young creative like me, then you know that it can feel daunting. I’ve gone through so many of the highs and lows, questioning my choice to pursue a creative career millions of times, before it’s even had a chance to really start!

But now may just be the very best time for us all to pursue our delusional ideas. Because the industry is changing. While there is AI everywhere, and it’s truly terrifying that anyone uses it for their “art”, creativity and authenticity is in.

Thanks to olympians Eileen Gu and Alyssa Liu, we learned that being joyful actually helps us achieve so much more. And with Backrooms and Obsession, we’re seeing that audiences want something that resonates with them and reflects their fears and the current zeitgeist more than big budget films. With Grace Reiter’s The Hunger Games (but better)-A Parody, there’s proof that you don’t need a crazy budget to be funny or build a wide audience. Because of Off Campus we’re seeing that it’s possible to tell an entertaining love story where the boys aren’t awful human beings, the girls don’t turn on each other and the people in love actually like each other.

So the entire entertainment industry is changing fast. And I believe that now might just be the perfect time to pursue our crazy dreams. Because now there’s a bigger chance that we can actually make it all happen.

So what is this imaginary production company that I’m talking about?? What is Bea Kupper Creative?? And why do I want you to join??

The Dream Game Plan…

Well, let’s start with a quick recap. As I mentioned, I’m writing a book. A rom com, specifically. In dream world (aka my definite future because all of my dreams WILL come true), I Hate New York will be enjoyed by rom com readers and eventually turned into a TV show adaption. Not a sad streaming era series that feels like it was written by a team of people who are scared of and or hate Gen Z and rely on AI. But an actually entertaining and enjoyable series.

That’s the goal. But in order to do that, I need cool people on my team. Already, I’ve been able to work with some super smart and amazing people. Last summer my big project was a comedy web series called Theater Kids.

The month of May flew by while I was juggling finals and gathering together a cast and crew. But it ended up working out so, so well. As last minute unexpected changes usually do.

That experience inspired me to keep building a team, working to collaborate. Because Theater Kids was so low budget, none of us got paid. But we all got experience. Which is the one thing that we’re always told to get by professionals in the industry.

But now, experience doesn’t just serve as an opportunity to put something on a resume. It can now be a way to build an audience world-wide, reaching the people who would actually enjoy it instead of waiting to be found by an agent who decides that your work isn’t going to be successful enough.

So I want you to join my team. Even though right now, I’m still working on the actual writing of my book and there’s no clear meetings with TV people anytime soon, now is the time for us to be creating. I want to know what you’re making and what you want to see in the entertainment industry in the future. How are you going to create your dream job? Because there is a place for it and the world does need your stories. I look forward to seeing all of your names on my screen one day 💕.

Love,

Bea Kupper.

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Here are some of the vibes…

Basically, if you like rom coms, fashion and NYC then this is for you.

I’m in the process of creating the OFFICIAL first draft, after writing all of the messy, confusing and plot-hole-filled first drafts in the past year. Now it’s time for the actual first draft that will hopefully become the amazing book that I want it to be!! And that I want to write for you 💕. You deserve a good rom com.

watch the rom com writing vlog!!

As I’m writing, one of the things I am absolutely loving the most is doing research. Some of it is real, some of it is scrolling on pinterest. Either way I’m reaching a creative flow state.

Some things I’ve been researching:

• private jet interiors

• shoes (specifically these Isabel Marants!!)

• small towns in Illinois

• fashionable celebrities from the 90s

All normal things that I’ll need to know about for my book. Now obviously, because it’s a rom com, there are two main characters who eventually fall for each other.

Or will they?!?! (They will, it’s a rom com, I just didn’t want you to think I was spoiling it for you.)

One of my main characters, Rosie, is a successful beauty and fashion content creator. Not full-time influencer with three million followers, but a successful niche creator. I have been loving writing for her and detailing her outfits, style and video-creation process.

Now, here are some important questions that I need to ask you as a reader. It doesn’t matter if you engage in social media often, if you read rom coms all the time or consider yourself an expert or not.

What do I need to know when writing a main character who is a content creator?

Is there anything that makes you cringe when you read it? Especially in terms of social media in books?

As a member of Gen Z myself, I feel like social media in books is sometimes like social media in teen movies in the 2010s. Where a character posts one picture and goes viral in a minute, then has their life changed even though they never actually post anything else. Or they’ll post only selfies…which wouldn’t instantly make someone viral in today’s world.

So who are some content creators that you feel could be the lead in a rom com? And are there social media tropes in books that you just know are highly unrealistic?

Obviously, it’s a rom com, my book will not be the most realistic…but the things that I want to be unrealistic are like, the falling in love part. Not the social media/content creator part.

So what is there that I need to know??

Ok, team, that’s all for the day. I appreciate all of the amazing teamwork on this rom com 💕. Thanks for joining the Bea Kupper Creative writer’s room!! And if you want to read some of the chapters of I Hate New York, you can start here.

Love, Bea K.

First, a personal introduction in case we haven’t yet met. My name is Bea, I’m a 19yr old actress and author. I’m currently working on writing my first book, with the help of my fantastic production team (this substack). It’s a YA rom com called I Hate New York.

I Hate New York takes place at a summer fashion school in NYC called Avenue.

So if you’re anything like me and you grew up obsessing over Sharpay Evans, Barbie and loving all rom coms, then welcome to the team!! I think you’ll like my vibe.

⭐️ If you want to read any of I Hate New York, I’ve been posting some early, early, rough drafts for you to read, so you can get a feel for what it is that we’re working on here ⭐️

Now, I also have Rosie’s pinterest board here too, so that you can really get to know her. Because obviously, you can tell a lot about a person based on the vibes of their saved ideas.

Since you’re a part of the rom com production team too, I’m asking your help and opinions from a few things. Mainly, your thoughts on social media in books and how to avoid being cringe when writing a content creator.

So, if you love to contribute ideas and share your rom com beliefs, then feel free to do so! They may or may not be used, but either way, I appreciate it and so will the rest of the rom com production team!!

Now, about Rosie,

Rosie James is my first main character of I Hate New York. There is then Mac Damien, the second main character (and love interest!!). And of course, the two quirky best friends, Kyle and Amelia. But those three will have their own posts. Back to Rosie!!

She grew up in a small town in the midwest, with her parents and older sister Jess. Rosie has always loved fashion and designing. But living in a teeny-tiny town, there weren’t many opportunities to design the way that she wanted to, or really engage in fashion at all. So, naturally, she knows that her future is in NYC, following the steps of her idol, Michelle Scarn (the woman responsible for bringing the Avenue brand back in style).

Rosie’s love of fashion is just one of the things that makes her feel different from the rest of her small town. Everyone else seems to be happy following their parent’s (and grandparent’s) footsteps and stay in town, working with the same people they graduated high school with. The entire town looks like it was taken from a Hallmark movie. Everyone knows everyone, forever. For the rest of the town, it feels safe. For Rosie, this feels like a nightmare, like she’s trapped.

It’s been her dream to attend the Avenue Summer School ever since she heard of it as a kid. As soon as Rosie was old enough to apply, she did. And got in!

Aaaaand that’s where our story starts…

But here’s a bit more background, just for fun.

Rosie is a successful (micro) fashion and beauty content creator. No, she’s not a full-time influencer, nor does she want to be. But it’s her way of sharing her work with people outside of her own life. People who actually understand the validity of her fashion dreams.

get the coloring book!!

Through her videos, (that she started sharing on youtube in middle school, without her parent’s knowledge…), Rosie has built up a digital portfolio of designs and creations and a small but loyal fan-base.

I won’t tell you too much about what exactly happens at Avenue, since I’m not about to spoil the entire book for you. You deserve to stay surprised!!

But, I will say that everything in Rosie’s life absolutely changes. She expected a big change, sure. Going to your dream summer fashion school in NYC is bound to change your life. But none of it is what Rosie could’ve ever imagined. And no, not in the “Wow this is better than I thought!” kind of way. More in the “This is so insane, are we sure this isn’t all a big prank???” kind of way.

Because those are the moments in our lives that make the best stories. So!! Now you know Rosie!! I hope you like her, because personally, I LOVE her. More will be coming soon…but for now, enjoy reading the past couple of chapters of I Hate New York!

And go watch a good rom com while you’re waiting for the next post. You deserve it.

Love, Bea K 💕.

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And here’s the moodboard of my book…

So if these are your vibes, then welcome to the team 🥹.

Personally, I get frustrated by the “adult coloring books” because why are there so many tiny lines?!?! And not even a fun cutesy scene to color in. What a shame.

I also miss the fashion illustrations of the 2010s that I grew up with. They really had me excited for my teenage years and adulthood. Because like, look at how much fun they’re having!!

So I decided to make my own coloring book with fun fashion illustrations inspired by rom coms! Am I a professional illustrator? No, no I am not. Am I a crafty girl who dreams of living in a rom com? Well, yes, yes I am.

One thing I love most about writing (as you can probably tell just by looking at my articles…) is creating an entire world for my stories. That’s something I’ve always admired about other creatives, the way that their characters are living in their own world that the readers are then invited to step into.

If you’re like me and sometimes wish that life were a rom com, then I made you a little something!! It’s not much, but I wanted to find a way of inviting you into the I Hate New York world that I step into every time I sit down to write.

Ta-da!

It’s a coloring page that you can download for free! I do have my entire rom com coloring book with illustrations that are based on my story and characters, but this is a mini version of that. And even though the full book is, let’s be honest here, the same price as a fancy latte, I wanted to make illustrations more accessible for everyone.

So you can click the button below to print the page for yourself!!

new coloring page here!!

This illustration is inspired by the early 2000s fashion magazine covers. Because my book takes place at a summer fashion school, called Avenue, I thought they should have their own magazine as well.

• and there are references to my book too! You can find them in some of the chapters here on substack!!

So now everyone can spend some time coloring in rom com-inspired illustrations 💕.

Here is mine all colored in as well…

And because I’m so, so grateful for all of the people who have recently joined the Bea Kupper Creative team here on substack (and on insta and youtube, I love you all!!), I wanted to give you a little something extra.

another coloring page for you!!

If you’ve read any of my work, or watched any of my videos about writing I Hate New York, then you’re a big part of my team!! And you’ve already taken a step into the I Hate New York world, walking around amongst these characters.

I hope you enjoy these new coloring pages! And while you wait for the next chapter of I Hate New York to come out, go ahead and catch up with the older chapters, or treat yourself to re-watching your favorite rom com or sitcom.

Love,

Bea K 💘

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I’m writing my first book, a YA rom com called I Hate New York. The first (official, good) draft is almost done!! Woohoo!!

Because I Hate New York is set at a fashion summer school called Avenue, fashion and clothes are a big part of my story. Which is great for me because then I can spend hours researching fashion and scrolling on pinterest to find the exact right shirt for my characters for each moment.

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And, since you’re a part of my Bea Kupper Creative production team, I thought I’d share with you some of the clothes that my characters would wear. The last post was all about Rosie. Now we’re moving on to the other main character, Mac (aka scooter boy).

Mac’s family is famous from their reality TV show, The Dashing Damiens. because of this, he grew up in the spotlight, but rebels from his fashion-forward family by wearing more casual clothes (even if they’re still technically designer).

For example, this entire ensemble from Dolce & Gabbana.

Shoes are also a really significant part of my book, though I can’t tell you why exactly just yet, (you’ll find out when you read it!!). Some shoes that I think Mac Damien would wear are the DC Court Grafikks. Like…just look at how cool those are??

⭐️ Side note: when I was six, I had a TA in my class who wore these shoes in pink and I remember hoping that I would grow up to achieve that level of swag. I have yet to achieve it, but I’m getting there. ⭐️

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Anyway, along with the DC court grafikks, I think Mac would also have a pair of these Jeremy Scott x Adidas winged sneakers. Because just look at how cool these are?!

Outside of shoes, Mac would be wearing fits inspired by Seth Cohen from the OC. Obviously. So lots of layered shirts, baggy jeans, watches (real ones, not a fitness watch), and the cool shoes that we’ve discussed.

One specific shirt is his classis “I Hate NY” tee shirt. Instead of the usual “I ❤️ NY” shirts, that every tourist gets (I hope to acquire one someday!!), Mac wears his own version. Because, yes, he does hate NYC. But not forever!!

And if you want to read about the meet-cute, where this shirt is featured, then feel free to start reading here!!

What else do you think Mac would be wearing??

P.S. you can check out his entire pinterest board that I made…enjoy!!

As I’ve mentioned, one of my main characters, Mac Damien, is the youngest som of a famous reality TV family. Even though my book takes place at a summer fashion academy called Avenue, and isn’t even specifically about this reality TV show, weird details about it still come up. And since I thought they were funny, and you’re a part of my production team, I wanted to share some of the deets with you!

So here are the names and lives of Mac’s famous family…

Because celebrities sometimes have a reputation for giving their kids very…unique names, I decided to just have fun with the names of the Dashing Damiens. Obviously, there’s Mac, my main character. His name is pretty normal. However, his full name is Mackenzie. And in my first very VERY rough draft that I wrote about a year ago, there were two kids in the Damien family, both named Mackenzie lol. Mac’s parents just forgot that they already gave a kid that name, so they just call him Mac, to avoid the confusion of having two kids with the exact same names.

Now this is a bit extreme, and very silly, so I’m not sure that I’ll keep it in the actual book, but let me know if you think it should stay or if it’s too silly, haha!

Ok, then there’s Mac’s oldest sister, named Ricola. Yes, like the cough drop brand. Ricola got famous on Pinterest for her aesthetic pictures, then married a rapper and is now a trad wife, who is still famous on Pinterest.

Then there’s Chauffeur. Mac’s parents were at the hospital, googling fancy words because they wanted to give their kids memorable names. So they decided on Chauffeur.

Chauffeur and his best friend Derek tried to make a spin-off reality series of The Dashing Damiens, but nobody watched it. They then wrote a sci-fi book together. Though it was horribly written, the two of them did make it to the New York Times bestsellers list, because of how many people bought it, in the hopes that it would be good. It was not.

Then there are the twins, Bart and Batterie. No, not Battery. But, Batterie! It’s much fancier. In season four of The Dashing Damiens, when the family moved into their California mansion, the twins built a miniature version in the backyard, where they still live, simply because they could. Bart is now a famous lawyer and Batterie is a politician. Unfortunately though, Bart is Batterie’s lawyer and can basically get away with anything because he’s famous, and Batterie (the politician) always pardons Bart when he does get caught.

While they’re off committing (mostly harmless) crimes, there’s Brosiah, who is working diligently at his cologne line, Body By Brosiah. Originally, his name was Brody. But Body By Brody was already taken. So naturally, he legally changed his name to Brosiah.

Then of course, there’s Mac. Who you can read all about in my chapters of I Hate New York!!

I hope you enjoyed this silly post and that it made you laugh. Or at least smile just a little bit…