Scaredy Cats

You may have all heard the tragic news that Harper Collins is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz by destroying the sanctity of the terrifying, bleeding heart that beats in each book: the illustrations. I don't mean that the new illustrations, by the talented Brett Helquist, aren't pleasing if you never saw the originals. I can't stress enough how it is not his fault and would certainly be a very cool job to illustrate some scary books. But if you have seen the originals, and let's pray everyone has, they are seared into your brain by a red hot poker held in the decaying hands of a skin-flaying scarecrow. Stephen Gammell is a genius, pure and simple. Get this-- I have another regret, and it is another regret about not buying artwork! (Who knew I was such an art appreciator? Perhaps that's why I married an artist...) Many years ago at an American Library Association conference, they had an auction where children's book illustrators drew their interpretation of a letter. All I had to do was outbid some people, and I could have had my very own, drippy, creepy Stephen Gammell "S." But Matt and I had to leave early, and we didn't win. If only I could go back in time and wait another hour for the final bid! Alas and alack. But back to the Scary Stories books. As a librarian, it was like a rite of passage to hand them to the bravest of third graders. I fielded my fair share of phone calls from angry parents after their kids had a nightmare thanks to my Scary Stories shilling (hee hee). I tormented my sister forever by making this face:

And don't get me started on Harold, the scariest thing, well, EVER.

Damn, Mr. Gammell, you are one sick and twisted genius. I love this quote from an article on the Children's Literature Network about Gammell's earliest experiences of drawing as a child. "I was four at the time thinking that I really didn't want to go to school next year...I just want to do THIS... Just scare other children so bad it gives them nightmares for the rest of their lives." Hey pancakes!

Of course, the stories stand on their own for their horror brilliance. You will know this if you've ever listened to the audiobook (don't do it alone in a car). And the fear factor changes with age; certain stories that scared me as a kid obviously don't as an adult, but I can find many others that scare me now that I didn't get at all as a child ("A New Horse" is a recent stand-out). Who can forget the relief felt when the viper came to wash and wipe your windows? Or the confusion over the big cat, "Martin?" Yes, these stories will stand the test of time, making each generation uncomfortable, intrigued, and thirsting for more.

So why did the publisher do it? Are kids today such huge wusses that they can't handle the original illustrations? There are heaps of articles on the web now about this topic, and I didn't have time to research or link to all of them. I enjoy this one where comic artists talk about the original illustrations, and this article is where I originally learned of the changes.

To take the photos above, I went down in my basement to find my copies of the three books. I sighed with relief that I did, indeed, have all three originals. But I also shivered a bit. Because there is still something terrifying about going down to a basement with the possibility of finding a big toe.

Thank you, Mr. Gammell, for the nightmares.

Book Sneaks

Last night Matt and I went out to dinner, and afterward we did what any author does: we went to two bookstores and rearranged the displays so that Matt's new book, Another Brother, was front and center. I encourage all of you to do the same! Really, anytime you love an author, that is so helpful. I moved a copy of Get Well Soon to a table designated "Tough Times." Or was it "Tough Stuff?" Maybe it was "Tough Tushies." (Are the quotes in the right place there? Losing grammar skills at a rapid pace.) I don't remember, but it was all books that had teens dealing with "issues." I thought Get Well Soon fit in there. More so than the "Love Stories" table. Although, I suppose it could have fit in there, too.

And now for the winner of the Another Brother contest: The Erratic Blogger! Please email me at julie@juliehalpern.com with your address and who gets the autograph. Thanks to all (five) who entered! Should I even hold contests? I so rarely get a large number of entries. Or maybe that's for picture books. Maybe y'all are more of a young adult crowd (which makes sense, seeing as I'm a young adult author. Most of the time, anyway).

I'm off to do something productive. Or, not productive at all. One hour until I pick the kid up from school. How much can one really accomplish in an hour anyway? (Don't answer that.)

Geeky Book Love

Today is the release day of Matt's fantabulous picture book, Another Brother! Don't forget to enter the contest to win your very own signed copy! And make sure you demand that your local bookstore carries it, please :) (Demand and please in the same sentence. So polite!)

I also had to share that my second novel, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder (Ha! When I first typed that, it read "Into the Wild NED Yonder!") was named a Popular Paperback for Young Adults by YALSA in their "Get Your Geek On" list! I will admit I would have been very saddened if it had not made that list. How much geekier can you get than Dungeons and Dragons? (Much love to my D&D Crew.) I have been very pleasantly surprised by the reception Into the Wild Nerd Yonder received (and continues to receive!) over the few years it's been out. There's certainly a fear of the dreaded "sophomore slump," but people seem to have really connected with the nerdery of ITWNY. Huzzah, I say! Now if we can only get that television show going again...

My Regret

I notice, particularly on facebook, that people like to mention their regrets. Aside from an invitation "regrets only" here or there, I thought I didn't really have any regrets. I'm happy to say that I live my life in a way where I know there have been challenges, mistakes, and major triumphs, and a lot of those have to do with my own decisions. My favorite quote is "Build yourself a life, and live with it." However, I learned today that I have one official regret. It's nothing life-changing, but it's so annoying that I truly do regret it. Here goes the long and (maybe, sort of) interesting story...

I hope a number of you are familiar with the art of Reverend Howard Finster. I was introduced to his work back in college, probably because he did the covers for albums by REM and Talking Heads.

When on a road trip in 1994 or 1995, I stopped by Finster's home ("Paradise Gardens") in Summerville, Georgia for a visit (it was open in the back for people to see his work). You can view pictures of it here, and they make it look much busier and fancier than it was when I saw it. On my visit the only people there were me and my traveling companion (a college ex-boyfriend). We were able to roam freely and take pictures of the wonder, with no one else around to interrupt or explain the beauty. Those pictures are now in the garbage, alas, along with a lot of other stuff of mine from that era (Oh, where have you gone, Monkees Tour t-shirt from 1986?). On our way out of the Gardens, there was a shed (as I recall) filled with Finster's art that you could purchase on the honor system. They had a little birdhouse-type thing, I think, where you could put the money. I remember being all, "Twenty dollars?!" or "A hundred dollars?!" about the works, and I wasn't about to spend my meager greens that needed to be saved for the next Guided by Voices album or whatever. Such are the spending habits of a college sophomore.

Fast forward to me being a grown-up. My family has a lovely collection of original and limited edition art, many from comics artists and children's book illustrators. And here we were yesterday, at a gallery show for Howard Finster's work. Finster passed away in 2001, and I guess the price of his art skyrocketed. A ritzy-looking couple walked into the gallery, and I heard them say that they paid $900 for a piece that was being sold for $500. Apparently they bought it right after his death. Matt and I ended up buying a piece (so awesome!!!), but I couldn't help thinking about if I had only been savvy as a twenty year-old. I could have bought something for under $100 that at this gallery was selling for, no joke, thousands. Sigh. Double sigh. And now you know my regret. What are yours?

Don't you regret not entering the ANOTHER BROTHER CONTEST! You can win a signed copy of Matt's new book, in stores tomorrow!

Another Brother Contest!!!

My adorable and talented husband, Matthew Cordell, has a whoppin' year ahead of him. First up? Another Brother, a book he both wrote and illustrated, which will arrive in bookstores this Tuesday. Ano Bro received two starred reviews, and I'd like to post quotes from all of the reviews but in the interest of time and the child who is asking me "are you done yet?" over and over, I will let you see the glory of the book for yourself. Matt finished his Ano Bro trailer yesterday, complete with homegrown music. Here it is:

And here's a great interview with him over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Truth be told, I don't like the part where he says in reference to his office, "My wife calls all of this disgusting. I call it my studio." Makes me sound like a bitch, right? Like I don't jibe with the creativity at hand. But we only have a three bedroom house! That's the third bedroom! I worry it's contributing to allergies. It's all about me. That's the name of a store nearby. "All About Me." Isn't that weird? Anyway-- a contest! Yes!

Here's the rub: You have until Tuesday 9 p.m.Central time to enter. All you have to do is watch the trailer above, then decide what you would name the next brother if another happened to pop out! Type it in the comments of this post, along with your email address, and I will draw a name at random on Tuesday, the book's release day. Sorry, but I can only ship within the U.S. Unless someone buys me a house on Degrassi Street. Wha?

Pants

I don't know anymore. I just don't know.

So here's a pair of Power Pants. Stealth.

Metal Brain

I'm trying so hard to write an excellent blog post about my rediscovered love for heavy metal, mainly thanks to the slew of metal documentaries I've watched over the last several years and the brilliance of VH1 Classic's "Metal Evolution" (made by the same guys at Banger Films who did one of my fave metal documentaries, Metal: a Headbanger's Journey), but I'm all slow and boring this morning. I get so charged up when I watch the show (DVR'd and snuck in whenever I can find a moment or my mom babysits), but then I run out of time and never get a chance to use that energy for the good of the blog! As of right now, I'm in dorky pajamas, I have a cold, and I am getting ready to go see "Chipwrecked" with my daughter. So un-metal. Hopefully, I'll find my groove and get that post up, but in the meantime I highly recommend checking out the show and the movie. I also just watched another documentary by the same guys at Banger Films about Rush called Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Amazing. I'd love to write more about Rush, too. Geez, obviously, or at least at the moment, music writing is not my calling. Although, hopefully I get across music fandom in my novels. That feeling in life when MUSIC IS EVERYTHING.

Dude, this post is a dud. I give you permission to smash it against some amps. Perhaps the Chipmunks will inspire me to write my Great Metal Post. That, or smash myself up against some amps.