About
Julie Falatko writes books for children. She is the author of many books, including Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book), which was named one of the ABA’s best books for young readers for 2016, was featured in People magazine, and was read online by David Harbour of “Stranger Things,” and the Two Dogs in a Trench Coat chapter book series, illustrated by Colin Jack (Scholastic), for which she received the Denise McCoy Literacy Award.
You can view all of Julie’s books here.
Julie lives with her family in Maine, where she maintains the Little Free Library in front of their house.
Julie’s pronouns are she/her/hers.
If you’re from a media-type institution and are looking for Julie’s media kit, you can find it here.
You can also follow and/or chat with Julie through social media. Find her on Twitter or Instagram.
Here is a completely real Q&A, not something Julie made up to amuse herself.*
Q: Why do you write for children?
A: I just write what’s in my head. I guess maybe I don’t think like a grownup.
Q: I’m interested in writing for children. Do you have any advice?
A: Yes. Join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. If you want to write picture books, you might want to do Storystorm and 12×12. Both have been immensely helpful to my growth as a writer.
A: Mostly. For me, it keeps the words flowing to write as often as possible. It might work differently for you. Just keep at it.
Q: How do you get ideas?
A: I look for them everywhere. Ideas are sneaky. You have to keep your eyes open, look for them all the time, and be ready to write them down. I wrote about how to open your mind to ideas and how to find ideas for Picture Book Idea Month.
Q: I would like to ask you about something other than writing.
A: Uhhh, ok.
Q: Never mind. A lot of what you write is funny. How do you get so funny?
A: I start my morning with Dr. Oktalaf’s Marvelous Humor Tonic, and my days are filled with mirth and chortling. And the occasional stray guffaw. Would you like to try some?
Q: You want me to try some of the nonexistent potion you just made up?
A: Sure. And it totally exists. In my mind.
Q: Oh please.
A: Really! Close your eyes.
Q: I will not.
A: Ok, fine. Keep them open. Now, I want you to imagine…a chicken. Wearing pants. And a cow. In a wig. And an oyster with platform shoes.
Q: How can an oyster wear platform shoes? Oysters don’t have feet.
A: I didn’t say the oyster was wearing the platform shoes. I just said he had them.
Q: That makes no sense.
A: Exactly. I think humor often comes from a place of ridiculousness. Take something normal, make it weird, and then make it make even less sense, and it might be pretty funny. Dr. Oktalaf’s Marvelous Humor Tonic is just trying to see those bits of silly ridiculousness in the world. Once you start looking for them, they pop out everywhere.
Q: Pencil or pen?
A: Pencil.
Q: Computer or typewriter?
A: Computer.
Q: Telegraph machine or carrier pigeon?
A: Carrier pigeon, wearing a tweed vest and a fedora, working the telegraph for an evil underground pigeon organization called the Syndicoo.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: Blueberries.
Q: Do you like chocolate?
A: Yes.
Q: Question or answer?
A: Questioning answers.
Q: Ok, I’m done. I think we’ve established that you’re a bit of a goofball. Thank you for your time.
A: I’m totally interviewing you for your website next week.
*she definitely made up this whole Q&A to amuse herself, which is, incidentally, also how she writes her stories