I was a sophomore. She was a senior. For a short time, she was my girlfriend. She had a license and a car and great taste in music.

She knew I was in a band. Everyone knew. There weren't many of us -- kids in bands who were performing publicly and recording their own music and selling their handmade cassette tapes to other students in the hallways.

One afternoon, parked in my driveway, she handed me a mixtape. I went inside my house and began listening. Once I was confident I'd properly absorbed it all, I reported back to her.

Me: I love that song "Strawberry Fields Forever." Who sings that one?
Me: "Polythene Pam" is really short and cool. What band is that?
Me: Who sings "Bungalow Bill?" That's pretty catchy.
Me: "Helter Skelter" is sick. Who's the artist?
Me: "Julia" is one of my favorites. Is that someone I know?

Her: the Beatles. 
Her: the Beatles. 
Her: the Beatles. 
Her: the Beatles. 
Her: the Beatles. 

It didn't seem possible. I had heard "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Yellow Submarine" and "Yesterday." Was this the same band that wrote all those songs?

Yes.

The answer still mystifies me to this day. How could one band form so many different shapes -- some obvious, some challenging, all compelling and wonderful -- in the span of only a decade and then just break up and never make anything else again? 

That was twenty years ago when I first discovered the genius of the Beatles. The spell they cast on me still hasn't waned.

I decided to make the main character in my upcoming novel, THE REMINDERS, just like me. Her name is Joan Lennon Sully and she's obsessed with the Beatles and John Lennon in particular. The book doesn't hit stores until May 30, but you can preorder it now and when you do, you'll receive a download of my new EP* featuring one new original song and six of my own renditions of classics by the Beatles and John Lennon. 

Thank you to the girl who gave me the Beatles mixtape. I don't remember your name (shameful, I know, but tales of my poor memory will have to wait for another email). But I'll never forget the music she showed me. I'm thrilled to share my own take on it with you. 

If I still haven't convinced you, here's a little video teaser that lets you preview some of the songs.