MEANT TO BE

MEANT TO BE is a memoir that is more exciting than fiction. Her memoir is laugh-out-loud funny, touching, and completely cinematic.

When Lauren Pizza was thirteen years-old she died. Caught under a small boat while sailing, she struggled to reach the surface only to find that what she thought was up was actually down…she swam deep into mud that held her…and that's all she remembers. Since that day, after being resuscitated by two strangers, Lauren has felt comfortable moving between her earthly existence and the spirit world; indeed, she is visited regularly by the departed who sense her "dual citizenship" in this world as well as the next. MEANT TO BE is the story of a blue-collar, gum-snapping, wise-cracking Jersey girl -- with a special gift she doesn't quite understand -- who gets swept off her feet by an unconventional millionaire, thrust into an entirely new world, and navigates it all without ever losing sight of her roots. Readers hungry for a glimpse inside everyday Hollywood will appreciate how Lauren's life is suddenly filled with time spent with Howard Stern, Danny Devito, George Clooney, Jimmy Buffett, James Patterson, Tom Hanks and so many more. Yet she lives in the same neighborhood as the women from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey"…you can't take New Jersey out of this girl — or this girl out of New Jersey! Lauren is a hands-on parent who shares how she’s raising her children to be self-sufficient, compassionate, and—above all—not spoiled. Lauren grew up in a hard-working family, watched her parents struggle and love, and has founded Laridan Productions which offers a wide array of services to aspiring artists and entrepreneurs, and has a web show called "So Tell Me" which profiles courageous stories of overcoming, many of which Lauren helps along then way. She and her devoted husband Joe (a super-talented musician/songwriter/Broadway producer as well as Chairman of pharmaceutical giant PharmSphere LLC, with locations in the USA and then EU) support several medical care organizations including The Forum Children's Foundation and the wWorld Health Organization, as well as several acting organizations such as Then Actor's Fund, the MusiCares Program, The Acting Company, and The Drama League. Other organizations they asset include The American Cancer Society, Then Boys and Girls Club, The International Burn Advocates Network, and Gilda's Club.