Hello? Hello?

I wonder if this is the longest blog hiatus on record. Someone better be keeping a record. Why has it been so long? I'm glad you asked! There was a time when I enjoyed blogging. It was fun to babble about random things and hope people read my blather. However, I have two kids now, am home full time and am also still a writer of books. It's not that juggling everything has been so difficult that it's kept me away from blogging, although, truthfully, there are about fifty balls waiting to be caught at this very moment. But blogging is also writing, and there is very little time for writing in general. I have to pick and choose how much time I can spend writing in any format, and, frankly, blogging feels a little like I'm talking to myself. Being a writer and a stay-at-home mom is freakin' lonely. I live in the Chicago suburbs, and while I have some friends out here, pretty much parents of my daughter's friends, it's not like we do anything or talk about anything adult. My other friends live a good hour or more away, and, aside from the group of dudes with whom I play Dungeons and Dragons every Sunday (I don't know what I'd do without them), I don't have anyone locally to get out and about with. My family is the greatest, and I love them oodles, but we are together all of the time. Like, ALL OF IT. Therefore, talking to myself (ie: blogging) doesn't feel like the most healthy use of my time. I don't know if people even read author blogs anymore. I don't know if my blog actually exists anymore, since it has been so long between postings. If anyone is reading this-- hi!

In the last almost two years, I've had two books come out:
The F-It List, my ode to friendship and cancer, and Maternity Leave, my first foray into adult contemporary. They are both funny and real, and I hope you will seek them out and tell your public library to buy copies. Also, Maternity Leave has a brand new book club guide. (I wrote the questions myself! They are guaranteed to spark conversation, or your money back! On the questions, that is. Which are free.)

I have made this offer in the past and received very little response, and since I haven't blogged in almost two years I expect this year's response to be even smaller. But here goes:
Giving any of my books as presents this holiday season? I will happily mail out a personalized signed book plate free of charge for you to stick inside the books. Send me an email at julie@juliehalpern.com with your name and address, which book(s) and to whom I should sign them. Books make great gifts, and I make great books! (Am I allowed to say that?)

Time to get back to writing my next YA novel (out in 2017, I think). If you found this post, thank you for reading. It means I'm not talking to myself. Much.