Tom Perrotta's newest book, The Leftovers, has garnered five-star reviews recently. Click here to read what The New York Times has to say. New Jersey Monthly weighs in here.  New Jersey gets a bad rap sometimes. Our down-the-shore antics become televised escapades, and the state's countless homemakers are represented by a handful in the headlines. Fortunately, we have fiction, such as the novels of Tom Perrotta, to reflect another reality. Perrotta is the author of seven books, including Election and Little Children, which became award-winning movies, and The Leftovers, published in August …

Belleville native Frank Iero, 29, is one of the founding members of the rock band My Chemical Romance, which released an album late last year. Iero helped form the band with fellow Bellevillians Mikey and Gerard Way in 2001, and three years later, they released their major-label debut, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, which would eventually go platinum. Iero talks with Patch's Erel Pilo about his early musical influences, his continuing ties to the area (Iero still lives in New Jersey), and what it was like being a young, budding musician.  EP: First of all, congratulations on your latest …