Last night, music and fiction came together at the Turtle Club with a performance by singer-songwriter Val Emmich and reading by Hoboken-based writer, Kate Rockland.

Both Jersey natives and Rutgers alumni, Rockland's father was Emmich's American Studies professor. When Emmich asked him to read a novel he had written, he suggested the two connect. "We saw each other at Starbucks and started up a friendship and had an idea to do this event together," Emmich said. "I think it worked out well. I am a fan of fiction. I read her book, and although it's definitely chick lit, I enjoyed it. It was very much my world and it was really authentic."

Those in attendance seemed to agree. The two alternated throughout the night, Emmich played a few songs and Rockland read chapters from her new novel, "Falling Is Like This."

Emmich kicked off the night with a powerful cover of Better Than Ezra's "Absolutely Still." Alone on acoustic guitar, he captured the audience's attention. "Hurt More Later," off 2008 release, Little Daggers followed suit with deep vocals and emotion filled lyrics.

"Conversation comes naturally/He holds your hand real carefully/Butterflies are fluttering/Your courage is sputtering …You're finally there/When your heart starts to wear/'Cuz you know how this ends/Passion fades, you pretend," he sang.

Of the song, Emmich said, "I think it's so joyous to get into a relationship even when you have a feeling, 'I don't think this girl is the right one for me ultimately. But it feels good now. I kind of feel like she's a cheater maybe or she's not being totally honest. But, we have a good chemistry and the sex is good.' So, you let yourself go even though you know you're going to hurt more later. That was the feeling I was trying to capture."

After he performed five songs, Rockland read the first chapter of "Falling Is Like This," where the main character, Harper, first meets future love interest, Nick. The plot develops as the two chat at Mud café in New York. Vividly descriptive, the audience was in Harper's head on an incredibly awkward first date.

We come to find that Nick is a punk rock singer from New Jersey, and Harper is, "A wannabe music writer."  The novel, set in the East Village and New Jersey, is a colorful and humorous account of Harper and her love life.

After Rockland finished reading the first chapter, Emmich sang four more songs. His first book reading performance, he asked fans for requests online before the show.

"With the full band shows, which are what I normally do, it's usually hard to teach a band six albums worth of catalogue so it's limited," he said. "For these acoustic shows, I feel like I need to pay back my fans and play what they want to hear. "

Throughout the night, Emmich showcased impassioned ballads where his voice would waver and crescendo with emotion. Also an actor and having appeared on television shows including "Ugly Betty" and "30 Rock," Emmich likened songwriting to acting. When asked if a song comes out better when based on real life, Emmich said the songs that aren't bound to truth are usually more interesting. 

"It's just like acting. If you go for a role as a killer, do people assume you're a killer? No. You just feel like, 'Oh, I've felt anger before. I've felt out of control before. I can imagine taking the next step and killing if I could just think there.' It's the same thing with songwriting," he said. "If I feel sad, I can sometimes make myself sadder songs. Who wants to hear a lukewarm song?"

Rockland ended the night with an excerpt from Harper attending Nick's performance at Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan. But first, Rockland wanted the crowd to take part in a drinking game.

"When I say Nick you take a sip of your drink and if you run out, you have to get another one," she said.

Wearing a pink wig to try to fit into the punk rock scene, Harper meets Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo waiting for Nick's band to take the stage. Extremely excited to meet one of her favorite musicians, Harper divulges her favorite album tracks and even sings aloud lyrics to a Weezer song, energetically ending with an air guitar demonstration. Incredibly relatable, those in attendance laughed along, perhaps picturing themselves gushing if they were to meet their favorite rock star.

An enjoyable reading and fitting musical performance, the night of literature and music was a success.

When asked for advice on how he accomplished his dreams since his days at Rutgers, Emmich said, "Surround yourself with people who make you believe."  Turns out, a friend of Emmich's who he hasn't seen since Rutgers, was at the show and said, "It makes me feel comforted that you're still doing what you love."