My Heart Glows to You, a guest post by David Arnold

“Okay, first things first. The kid needs an E.T. poster.” Or something to this effect, was what I said upon discovering my wife was pregnant. I found an authentic film poster on eBay, ordered it, hung it, bring on the baby, baby. How hard could it be? Over the course of the first year-and-a-half, I found out exactly how hard it could be. As a stay-at-home parent, I spent a lot of time in that nursery, learning how to dad as my son learned how to human, and on occasion, he would look up at the poster of a kid and an alien flying on a freaking bike, and I would say, “Kid, just you wait.”

If you haven’t seen the movie (go see it), it’s about a lost alien trying to find his way home, and the lonely ten-year-old (Elliott) who helps him. Over the course of the movie, E.T. and Elliott become connected, and E.T.’s heart lights up so you can actually see it through his chest. My kid was five the first time we watched it. At the end, when E.T. told Elliott, “I’ll be right here,” my kid tucked himself under my arm, and we both cried because we knew they were saying goodbye forever, but also because they loved each other enough to let go. “It’s like us,” said my son. “What do you mean?” I asked. “My heart glows to you,” he said.

My heart, once it was done glowing, melted.

Over the years, we’ve had E.T. birthday parties, E.T. Halloweens, and played with E.T. toys while watching E.T. Once, when he was six, I asked if he’d like to watch E.T., and he said, “No thanks, I’ve already cried today,” and I wondered if I’d actually purchased a film poster all those years go, or just ordered up a clone. When he was seven, we entered a five-month period which I like to call the Golden Age, during which time he would only watch E.T. Every Tuesday night, while my wife taught group exercise at the Y, we would hunker down for a viewing. The thing about watching the same movie once a week for twenty weeks is, you start noticing things. Like the single mom trying her best. Like the massive crater where the dad used to be. Like each sibling adrift in space, until the gravitational pull of a glow-hearted visitor brings them together. We all know the scene: that luminous finger reaches out, miraculously heals Elliott’s cut. But after once a week for twenty weeks, you start to get it: that alien healed more than a cut finger.

On October 10, my new novel will be out in the world. It’s called I Loved You in Another Life, but part of me will always think of it by its original title: I’ll Be Right Here. The book is about a lot of things, but one of those things is the bond between two siblings who love E.T., and how the mutual love of a thing can strengthen the love between those who love it. It’s about healing in every sense of the word, and the importance of letting go, saying goodbye. Crying has always been part of my process, but I don’t think I’ve ever cried like I did while writing this book. Thinking about a kid in a nursery who’s looking up at a poster, not yet knowing what it means to love a movie. Thinking about a dad watching his kid in a nursery, still learning what it means to love a kid. Thinking about craters where dads used to be, and glowing hearts, and cut fingers, and wishing time would slow.

He’s eleven now. We don’t watch E.T. every week, but it’s still in rotation. And at the end, when Elliott and E.T. say goodbye, my kid still tucks himself under my arm, and we cry together. No craters, just tears. “I’ll be right here,” E.T. tells Elliott, and then he flies off forever, but we know it’s okay. Some hearts just go on glowing.

Meet the author

David Arnold is the New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland, I Loved You in Another Life, The Electric Kingdom, Kids of Appetite, and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik. He has won the Southern Book Prize and the Great Lakes Book Award, and was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for his debut. His books have been translated into over a dozen languages. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his wife and son.

Learn more at DavidArnoldBooks.com and follow him on Instagram @IAmDavidArnold.

About I Loved You in Another Life

New York Times bestseller David Arnold returns with a poignant love story about two teens whose souls come together time and again through the ages—for fans of Nina LaCour and Matt Haig.

Evan Taft has plans. Take a gap year in Alaska, make sure his little brother and single mother are taken care of, and continue therapy to process his father’s departure. But after his mom’s unexpected diagnosis, as Evan’s plans begin to fade, he hears something: a song no one else can hear, the voice of a mysterious singer . . .

Shosh Bell has dreams. A high school theater legend, she’s headed to performing arts college in LA, a star on the rise. But when a drunk driver takes her sister’s life, that star fades to black. All that remains is a void—and a soft voice singing in her ear . . .

Over it all, transcending time and space, a celestial bird brings strangers together: from an escaped murderer in 19th century Paris, to a Norwegian kosmonaut in low-earth orbit, something is happening that began long ago, and will long outlast Evan and Shosh. With lyrical prose and original songs (written and recorded by the author), I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE explores the history of love, and how some souls are meant for each other—yesterday, today, forever.

ISBN-13: 9780593524787
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date: 10/10/2023
Age Range: 14 – 17 Years

Filed under: Guest Post