NERD Release! And Contest!

INTO THE WILD NERD YONDER hits stores today! It's so weird when your book is released into the, ahem, wild. I know it's the release day, and you know, now that you're reading my blog, but it's not like there's some red carpet event. In fact, I'm wearing jeans and am feeling a little greasy today. Not red carpet-ready at all. Oh well. I did find a great new review of the book on the blog The Hiding Spot. Super sweet.

Now begins my plan of Rupert Grint contact. I need a catchy title to my plan. Let me think on it... I am partial to Conquest: Rupert. HA! Yeah, that's the title. See, the plan is that I send ol' Rupe a copy of NERD and tell him that the main character has pictures of him on her wall. The guy's gotta at least send me some form letter, right? At the very least? And at the very most, he will call me personally telling me that he's buying me and my family tickets to visit him and the entire cast of Harry Potter 7 (part 2) on set. Right? I'll keep you posted when I hear from him. Cause I will. And I'll post all of my pictures from the set.

Now to the contest: In honor of NERD's release, I will be giving away a signed copy of the book. All you have to do is go to a book store and find NERD on the shelves. Either take a picture of it, or just write down what book it's sitting next to. And you should also put it cover out so more people will want to buy it :) Then just send me the picture or send me the book neighbor's title, and you will be entered into the drawing. Woo hoo! Send all entries to julie@juliehalpern.com. I will draw a winner on OCTOBER 9. That should give people enough time to go to a book store and enough time for the stores to unpack their shipments. Sorry, Rupert, but you are not eligible because you are already getting a free copy [as if he will actually receive the book. Some mail handler will probably covet it. I know. I'm not that crazy.]. Good luck to all, and to all a good night.

A Happy Story, an Interview, and a Podcast

I was going to tell a funny and slightly interesting story about this woman who sold me a coat last weekend. OK, maybe I'll still tell it, in miniature. The woman asked the name of my baby, and when I told her Romy, she asked, "Like the movie?" (as they all do), and I said "Yeah." Not that I named her after the movie, but it is the same name. And I like the movie very much. Anyway, the clerk starts saying (and loudly), "I'm the Mary! You're the Rhoda!" over and over again. It was slightly frightening. In the same interaction, I also got a fabulous deal on said coat, plus the woman next to me in line let me use her extra coupon. Wow.

Two links comin' at ya. The first is a great interview with the newly minted YA author, Josh Berk, of the February release THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN (that's actually how we got to be friends; his book title is almost my name. Really). The second is my follow-up episode of The Never ending Commute about what inspired my last episode, all about my internship on "The Adventures of Pete and Pete."

Episode 8 Part 1

Episode 8 Part 2

Proust Questionnaire Thursday! Today's Special Guest: Billy Bones/Christopher Lincoln!

Christopher Lincoln is the author of the new middle grade series Billy Bones, about a skeleton living in a closet. I have not read the books yet, but they look delightful and thoughtfully designed (which is probably due to the fact that Christopher is an art director. Perhaps. I'm just guessing.). I am facebook pals with Billy Bones, but the questionnaire below was filled out by Christopher, so I was a little confused as to who I should say is the special guest. Visit Chris and Billy on the web at chrislincoln.org/ (and now I'm even more flummoxed-- is Chris a human or an organization? The mysteries continue!)

The following questions are based on James Lipton's questions from Inside the Actors Studio, which, in turn, are based on the Proust Questionnaire. One of the questions is about swearing, so please excuse our French.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present-- Billy Bones (or Chris Lincoln-- I'm not sure! I know I could have just emailed him to clear all this up, but I think it's more fun and mysterious not to know)!

Filled out by Christopher Lincoln (the man who types up my stories).

1. What is your favorite word?

Codswallop

2. What is your least favorite word?

Can’t

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Most anything that is creative, spiritual, or emotional. Oh, and funny, too.

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Very serious things like accounting.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Sound effects from Don Martin cartoon strips.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

Screeching metal and angry people.

7. What is your favorite curse word?

BLAST!

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Fulltime author would be great. I’m an advertising art director at the moment.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Politician. I’m a bit too shy for that.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

You’re in!

Next Thursday's author: Jill Wolfson!

Skipping Podcasts

I had recorded an episode of The Neverending Commute (that was actually a rerecording of several stories that I thought were too dull the first time around), but it ended up being too large for me to upload. So until I have the time to split it, it will be known as "The Lost Episode."

Today's two part episode is a good one. In it, I talk about my internship in the mid-nineties on the Nickelodeon TV show The Adventures of Pete and Pete. For those who have never seen the show, it is a must watch. The music, the cute kids, the heartwarming stories, the downright kookiness of it all make it one of the greatest kids' shows of all time. And I worked on it! For a summer! For free! Each piece of the podcast is about twenty minutes long and well worth the listen. And I have already recorded the follow-up, which details why exactly I started talking about my internship in the first place. Podcasts galore! Enjoy.

Part 1

Part 2

Proust Questionnaire Thursday! Today's Special Guest: Janette Rallison!

Janette Rallison is the author of nine books for teenagers, three of which have been chosen for the IRA Young Adults' Choices List. Her latest books are My Fair Godmother and Just One Wish. Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as "an eccentric cat lady." She did not do this on purpose. (The cats, that is; she had the children on purpose.) You can visit with Janette at www.janetterallison.com.

The following questions are based on James Lipton's questions from Inside the Actors Studio, which, in turn, are based on the Proust Questionnaire. One of the questions is about swearing, so please excuse our French.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present-- Janette Rallison!

1. What is your favorite word?

That depends if you mean to hear or to write or to say. To hear: Yes. (when I ask my kids if they did their jobs, when I ask my editor if he liked my latest manuscript—it just works so well in so many arenas.) To write: Just. I write it way too much and have to go through my manuscript de-just-ifying it. Oh look, there it is in the beginning of this answer. To say: my husband’s name, because it means he’s near.

2. What is your least favorite word?

No. We all hear it far too often in life.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Being around other people who are upbeat, creative, and charged. Also, taking walks by myself.

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Getting my editor’s revision letters. I usually decide to quit writing and raise ponies every time I see his stack of comments.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

The sound of my kids getting along together.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

The sound of my kids fighting. (Wow, I’m beginning to sound like my mother. How did that happen?)

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Crap, if that counts as a curse word.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I always wanted to be an actress, but I thought it was too impractical, so I became a writer instead. If you are a sensible person, you should be laughing at that statement, because being a writer is as impractical as being an actress—I just didn’t know any better. Sometimes ignorance can help you in life.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Food service. Been there and done that and still remember what it felt like to rush around a restaurant making sure everyone’s water glasses were full.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

You did everything you were supposed to do.

Next Thursday's author: Billy Bones!

57th Street Children's Book Fair

Today was perfection. The type of day where I keep thanking life over and over again. We (me, Matt, and Romy) drove an hour and a half South to the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago, where President Obama's Chicago home is, to attend the 57th Street Children's Book Fair. 57th Street Books is a fantastic book store that I had never been to, with a really cool, winding basement layout and a cute little bathroom (which I appreciated after the long drive). The store had a table set up where they invited local authors to come and sign copies of their books. Copies, I might add, that the bookstore paid for and then gave away to kids FOR FREE. How cool is that? And the area was so gorgeous, filled with unique and vast city homes, tasty restaurants, and old, leafy trees. We truly had the nicest day. On the ride home, we podcasted about the experience. So, for the first time, here is a podcast from Matt's car. Note the sound isn't as good (I don't think. Maybe because I'm holding instead of wearing the mic? Maybe the car is louder?), but the podcast does include an interview with Matt about his new picture book, TROUBLE GUM. Enjoy! And don't forget to check out my new book trailer on You Tube (see previous post). I'm super proud of it. Can you tell?

The Neverending Commute Episode 5

INTO THE WILD NERD YONDER: The Trailer

As promised (to myself?), here is the trailer for my new novel, INTO THE WILD NERD YONDER. I'm so excited about it, since I worked quite hard on this, however, I may need to upload a higher quality version of it. Send me some feedback as to how it looks. I have tested it on four computers; on two it looked good, two it looked fuzzy. I prefer it look good. Huge, giant thanks to Meredith and Eastman for your contributions! Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Children of all ages (actually, the book is recommended for 14 and up), I present... The Trailer.