| Interview with Julie Halpern |
TRT reviewer Christian C. recently had the chance to "sit down" with debut author Julie Halpern
for an interview via email. What follows is a transcript of that interview.
for an interview via email. What follows is a transcript of that interview.
About you…
Can you describe yourself in a few words?
Sincere, hilarious (I’d like to believe that, anyway), planny (meaning, I love to plan things)
What do you do in your free time?
Watch TV with my husband, play the Sims, plan vacations, play with my cat, stare at the pile of books I
want to read (and then I read them. I’m a slow reader, unfortunately).
What bugs you?
Incompetence.
What bugs people about you?
How particular I am.
What would you change about yourself?
I’d make my brain slow down so I can relax and get a good night’s sleep.
If you weren’t an author (and librarian), what would you like to be?
A travel agent or a hairdresser.
Can you share an embarrassing moment?
This summer I went to the San Diego Comic-Con and I ran into one of my idols, Joss Whedon (creator of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I totally froze and then cried. I had no idea I was going to react that way, and
I felt like a dork.
Can you describe yourself as a teen?
I was smart (did well in school), had a few really close friends, and relied on music (“alternative” at the
time) to get me through everything.
Did you ever skip classes as a teen?
Only when I was really depressed and at the very end of high school when it seemed like I needn’t
bother.
Ever cheated?
Probably. But I have an annoying conscience, so nothing major.
Ever been dumped? Why? By whom?
Actually, no. I had a lot of mutual breakups and did some dumping myself. Unless I blocked it out, but I
don’t think so.
About writing…
This is your fist novel; what do you expect from it?
I hope that lots of people find it and read it and love it. I expect to make people laugh. I expect that
some people will relate, and that’s a good thing. And since I’m working on my second novel with my
publisher, Feiwel and Friends, I hope that GET WELL SOON will interest people enough that they will
keep reading my books.
What did you do when you found out that your book was going to be published?
I was at work (as a librarian in a middle school), and I ran out of my office and yelled “They’re going to
publish my book!” There were only two students in the library, and they smiled and clapped. It was
pretty funny and cute, much like my job is every day.
Why should anyone read your book?
Because everyone who reads it says they laugh out loud. And because it’s sincere. And a lot of it really
happened to me.
What are you working on now? Is there another novel coming soon?
I just finished the first draft of my second novel. It’s about how friends aren’t always good to you, and
what it’s like to become a nerd. Or something like that. I haven’t sorted it out yet, but that’ll happen
once I finish my first big revision.
Your novel GET WELL SOON is based on your experiences in a mental hospital when you were a teen.
Was your experience similar to what you described in the book?
My experience was extremely similar to the book. Originally, the book was about 90% true. Now it’s
about 60%. Maybe less. A lot of the stuff that probably seems fake actually happened, and the realistic
things never did. People can read it and guess.
Are you ok now?
Yes, thank you. I still struggle with depression every so often, which sucks. But my job helps me on a
daily basis- being around the teens is so fun and rewarding. My husband, family and friends are great
when the sadness hits. Luckily, it’s not that often. And I’ve dealt with it for so many years that I can
usually remind myself that it’s not a permanent crappy feeling.
If Anna, the girl from GET WELL SOON, were your daughter, would you send her to a mental hospital?
Good question. I don’t know. I can sort of see why my parents did it (now I can; I certainly couldn’t back
then) because it was really like I turned into a different person. I wouldn’t go anywhere, I couldn’t go to
school- and it was my junior/senior year of high school, so the question of college was hanging over me.
I just hope that if my daughter suffers from depression, I can find her a good therapist (not like the awful
one I saw in high school) who can help her through it without having to resort to hospitalization.
What advice would you give to teens who are going through the same problems you had when you were
a teen?
I think it really helps to know you’re not alone, which is cliché and annoying, but true. I found group
therapy to be helpful as a teenager. Depression can be so isolating, but being with teens in therapy
(inside and outside of the hospital) really helped me see that I was messed up, but so were a lot of other
people. For some reason that made me feel better.
And I think everyone should try to find something to be passionate about- whether it’s music, or a video
game, or books- whatever it is, as long as it’s not bad for you (like turning to drugs or alcohol or reckless
relationships), try to focus on that thing whenever you feel your worst. I still have TV shows or movies or
computer games I know will help me get through a bout with depression. That’s the most important thing
to remember: as bad as you feel today, it will end, even if it doesn’t seem possible.
I was so depressed my parents put me in a mental hospital, but I survived, went to college, traveled the
world, got married, have an amazing career, and have a relatively happy life. And if I never had to deal
with depression, maybe I never would have written a novel.
Can you describe yourself in a few words?
Sincere, hilarious (I’d like to believe that, anyway), planny (meaning, I love to plan things)
What do you do in your free time?
Watch TV with my husband, play the Sims, plan vacations, play with my cat, stare at the pile of books I
want to read (and then I read them. I’m a slow reader, unfortunately).
What bugs you?
Incompetence.
What bugs people about you?
How particular I am.
What would you change about yourself?
I’d make my brain slow down so I can relax and get a good night’s sleep.
If you weren’t an author (and librarian), what would you like to be?
A travel agent or a hairdresser.
Can you share an embarrassing moment?
This summer I went to the San Diego Comic-Con and I ran into one of my idols, Joss Whedon (creator of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I totally froze and then cried. I had no idea I was going to react that way, and
I felt like a dork.
Can you describe yourself as a teen?
I was smart (did well in school), had a few really close friends, and relied on music (“alternative” at the
time) to get me through everything.
Did you ever skip classes as a teen?
Only when I was really depressed and at the very end of high school when it seemed like I needn’t
bother.
Ever cheated?
Probably. But I have an annoying conscience, so nothing major.
Ever been dumped? Why? By whom?
Actually, no. I had a lot of mutual breakups and did some dumping myself. Unless I blocked it out, but I
don’t think so.
About writing…
This is your fist novel; what do you expect from it?
I hope that lots of people find it and read it and love it. I expect to make people laugh. I expect that
some people will relate, and that’s a good thing. And since I’m working on my second novel with my
publisher, Feiwel and Friends, I hope that GET WELL SOON will interest people enough that they will
keep reading my books.
What did you do when you found out that your book was going to be published?
I was at work (as a librarian in a middle school), and I ran out of my office and yelled “They’re going to
publish my book!” There were only two students in the library, and they smiled and clapped. It was
pretty funny and cute, much like my job is every day.
Why should anyone read your book?
Because everyone who reads it says they laugh out loud. And because it’s sincere. And a lot of it really
happened to me.
What are you working on now? Is there another novel coming soon?
I just finished the first draft of my second novel. It’s about how friends aren’t always good to you, and
what it’s like to become a nerd. Or something like that. I haven’t sorted it out yet, but that’ll happen
once I finish my first big revision.
Your novel GET WELL SOON is based on your experiences in a mental hospital when you were a teen.
Was your experience similar to what you described in the book?
My experience was extremely similar to the book. Originally, the book was about 90% true. Now it’s
about 60%. Maybe less. A lot of the stuff that probably seems fake actually happened, and the realistic
things never did. People can read it and guess.
Are you ok now?
Yes, thank you. I still struggle with depression every so often, which sucks. But my job helps me on a
daily basis- being around the teens is so fun and rewarding. My husband, family and friends are great
when the sadness hits. Luckily, it’s not that often. And I’ve dealt with it for so many years that I can
usually remind myself that it’s not a permanent crappy feeling.
If Anna, the girl from GET WELL SOON, were your daughter, would you send her to a mental hospital?
Good question. I don’t know. I can sort of see why my parents did it (now I can; I certainly couldn’t back
then) because it was really like I turned into a different person. I wouldn’t go anywhere, I couldn’t go to
school- and it was my junior/senior year of high school, so the question of college was hanging over me.
I just hope that if my daughter suffers from depression, I can find her a good therapist (not like the awful
one I saw in high school) who can help her through it without having to resort to hospitalization.
What advice would you give to teens who are going through the same problems you had when you were
a teen?
I think it really helps to know you’re not alone, which is cliché and annoying, but true. I found group
therapy to be helpful as a teenager. Depression can be so isolating, but being with teens in therapy
(inside and outside of the hospital) really helped me see that I was messed up, but so were a lot of other
people. For some reason that made me feel better.
And I think everyone should try to find something to be passionate about- whether it’s music, or a video
game, or books- whatever it is, as long as it’s not bad for you (like turning to drugs or alcohol or reckless
relationships), try to focus on that thing whenever you feel your worst. I still have TV shows or movies or
computer games I know will help me get through a bout with depression. That’s the most important thing
to remember: as bad as you feel today, it will end, even if it doesn’t seem possible.
I was so depressed my parents put me in a mental hospital, but I survived, went to college, traveled the
world, got married, have an amazing career, and have a relatively happy life. And if I never had to deal
with depression, maybe I never would have written a novel.