Bloomingdale woman writes on rock 'n' roll reality

After launching her writing career at just 16, Juliette Miranda spent years keeping up with rock stars before jumping right back to where she started.

The Bloomingdale woman penned her first novel, "Morning Neurosis," to chronicle her time entrenched in the late '80s Los Angeles rock scene and ultimate journey to a new, more meaningful reality.

The book hit the top 8 percent of sales on Amazon.com when it was released in August.

"Although I fought it at first, it was really always about writing," Miranda said. "That was how I got into the music industry in the first place. All my jobs had a basis in that and it's the most important thing in my life."

When Miranda was just a teen growing up in LaGrange, she launched an independent music publication that granted her access to rock bands like Motley Crue and Bon Jovi in their heyday.

After graduating from Aurora University, she moved to Los Angeles and spent six years working jobs in television, film and music. Her book chronicles that period, including adventures like dating a less-than-devoted rock star and selling concert T-shirts out of her trunk while struggling to figure out what really matters in life.

Miranda said the best part about her book is hearing readers' feedback.

"It's completely surreal and absolutely amazing," she said. "I've always wanted to be able to tell my stories and now I love hearing people react to them."

To protect the identities of famous people in her book - as well as to keep the timeline of the story engaging - Miranda said "Morning Neurosis" is lightly fictionalized. She wanted to be honest with readers, she said, especially since some critics closely scrutinize memoirs.

"A lot of people are very hard core about that," said Miranda. "If you change the color of the coffee cup in the story, they say it's not true."

To celebrate the rock 'n' roll theme of her novel, today's book signing at Barnes & Noble in Schaumburg will be a bit rowdier than a typical literary event. With rock music playing in the background, the event will include perks like a door prize autographed by the hair metal band Firehouse for the person who brings the most guests.

The Schaumburg event is the first in a nationwide book tour that starts in the Midwest and progresses to the West Coast in 2010. Miranda said she's particularly excited to revisit L.A.

"I had dreams that didn't quite work out there, so it's cool to be going back there and to say 'I did it. I made it,'" she said.