Saturday night’s Nerdy Thirty celebration at the Omaha Press Club was certainly an enjoyable evening, made all the better by family, friends, and new faces who attended. Joining me in reading passages from their books were Jeff Koterba, author of Inklings, and Michael Campbell, author of Are You Going To Eat That? Both are local authors whom I’m delighted to also call dear friends. We chatted the night away, talked about our books, and even sold a few signed copies.

The comedy (and real-life brother) duo of Matt and Ben kicked off the evening with their signature brand of very unique humor. Providing commentary and brief “biographies” on us three writers, Matt and Ben had the crowd in stitches. I so enjoyed their remarks that I’ve posted them below.

Visit the Nerdy Thirty Flickr page for more photos from Saturday night.

Of special note: Matt and Ben will celebrate the release of their first, full-length comedy album, Songs for Giants, this weekend in Omaha. Join them at the Dundee Dell Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. for a listening party, free food, and drink specials. On Saturday the boys will perform at 10 p.m. at The Syndey (formerly Mick’s) in Benson, as part of the 2010 Benson Summer Festival.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in between. Tonight we are here to celebrate words. Who doesn’t love a good word? People who can’t read, that’s who. Sometimes I like to make up my own words, like parfunky. Tonight we celebrate three authors who have taken words and made people laugh, cry and sometimes feel mild constipation. All three of the authors tonight are pioneers on the mysterious and unforgiving plains of literature. How do I know this?  Well, I read it in a book. Sure it was a book I wrote, a one-page book that I’m holding right now but it was a book none the less.

Now there are two types of people in this world, men and women, and from what we know Wendy Townley is a woman. Wendy Townley is a woman so smart Stephen Hawking once stood up to bow down to her. She won the world Scrabble competition in 1997 and from that moment on the word slent has been added to all dictionaries as an acceptable synonym for smell. She is so respected around the world that in fact, Mya Angelou has a tattoo of Wendy’s name on her inner left thigh. Her mild mannered alter ego is Wonder Woman. She is so respected Rosa Parks once refused to give up her seat on a bus because she was saving it for Wendy Townley.

And then there’s Jeff Koterba, writer, musician, artist, part-time adventureristian. His wit is so good it can turn an M&M into a Skittle. He often rides a wild boar to work and wrestles wild bears for candy bars. His pictures aren’t worth a thousand words; they’re worth at least two thousand, maybe more. Two thousand words that Jeff himself wrote. Words like ballsy and magnesium. His political humor brings so much social change that, in fact, Jay Z once rapped about his 99 problems, all of which were Jeff Koterba. When Jeff Koterba once visited Washington, D.C., Abe Lincoln offered him his seat – which Jeff politely declined, saying, quote, “I don’t believe in sitting down, I believe in sitting up.”  Many have probably heard the story of how Jeff was struck by lightening but this is simply not true; lightening was struck by Jeff Koterba. To say he is simply a man of mystery, adventure and innovation is to say Picasso was merely good at finger painting. Yes, I think it’s fair to say Jeff Koterba is the balls.

Which brings us to Michael Campbell – author, musician, lion tamer, part-time foot model. Michael Campbell was once quite the ladies man, in fact, he once went on a writing retreat to the Virgin Islands and they have been known since then as just The Islands. Michael Campbell has such an influence on vocabulary, that in a single sentence he invented the words magnanimous and bootylicious. Simply put, Michael Campbell is a majestic mallard patrolling the skies of literature like a pterodactyl. He is a bald eagle in a world of parakeets…except for Wendy and Jeff, who are also bald eagles. Now, you might be asking yourself, “What’s with all the bird analogies?” And to be honest…I have no idea. That’s the power Michael Campbell has over you. In fact, Michael Campbell is so powerful he keeps a horde of trained honeybees in his hair to let loose at a moment’s notice. He once wrestled a bear, an alligator, and a mountain lion at the same time, and won by tying them together with an anaconda. What I’m trying to say is, for Michael Campbell, pimping is easy.

In a collective of snapshots by omahanightlife.com, Chris Machian, and Mike Machian, this is how my first book signing went: colorful, effervescent, alluring, fun, and magical, with plenty of giggles throughout the night. I blame excitement and adrenaline mixed with my favorite Myth cocktail, the Tickled Pink – which found its way into more than one photograph that night.

Take your pick: Visit Facebook or Flickr to view these photos in greater detail. And to those of you who purchased books or just stopped by to say hello, I thank you! Running out of books thirty minutes before the event ended was a wonderful way to close out the night.

My feet ache this morning. I have no voice mixed with the slightest touch of a hangover – yet I couldn’t be happier. Last night’s launch party for Nerdy Thirty was a smashing success. Folks showed up at Myth around 6 p.m. to buy their signed copies, with a steady stream of friends, family, and new faces throughout the evening.

Unfortunately, for those who stopped by after 8:30 p.m., I had no more books left to sell! A good problem to have, I suppose, but still appreciated the hugs and well wishes from everyone. A special “thank you” goes to omahanightlife.com for sending a photographer to last night’s event. Watch for those and other photos later this week.

Mark your calendar for the next Nerdy Thirty book signing: Saturday, June 5 at the Omaha Press Club. More details available at the Nerdy Thirty website.

See you soon!

It was a little conference called Big Omaha. (More on my experience later.)

We came, we saw, we laughed a lot, we learned a lot, we met the new dork, and can’t wait for Big Omaha 2011.

Many thanks to Danny Schreiber and the entire Silicon Prairie News staff for the opportunity to post a guest blog earlier this week about Nerdy Thirty. What fun!

Read it here: “From blog to book: The story behind Nerdy Thirty”

What started with a quick Facebook message months ago from Shout! Weekly editor Chris Larkin evolved into a glass of wine at M’s Pub with writer Lisa Martin, a photo shoot with photographer Beth Rigatuso, and, today, the cover. Whoa, Nellie!

I’ve always wanted to be a cover girl … a nerdy cover girl, that is. The experience was exciting and fun and intriguing and honest and more than I could have hoped for. To Shout! Weekly and its metro-area readers, I thank you! My Macintosh never looked so good.

Congratulations to Big Omaha volunteer Nia Nielsen! Within five minutes of posting a tweet Friday at Big Omaha that announced a Nerdy Thirty give-away, Nia, right, claimed the prize: a signed copy of the book.

The driving rains and brisk winds made it feel more like a day in October than in early May. Sitting in the passenger seat of Cindy Grady’s apple red Volkswagen Rabbit, rain pouring outside all around us, I removed the bright pink rubber bands and peeled back the brown cardboard packaging that sat in my lap to reveal the very first copy of Nerdy Thirty.

I now held in my hands not just a year’s worth of work, but a lifetime of experiences neatly packaged into a slim, ninety-eight-page collection of essays that brought tears to my eyes. My reaction to seeing the book, and its absolutely gorgeous cover by Eric Downs, wasn’t as ladylike and professional as I would have hoped.

“Oh my God!” I yelled to no one in particular countless times as I smoothed my hand across the glossy cover and flipped through the book’s rich, cream-colored pages. “Oh my God! I can’t believe this is happening!” I said again and again, a bit in shock and then, a bit embarrassed at my volume inside Cindy’s cozy car.

Cindy and I have a wonderful working relationship that developed during the past year; but we also have become good friends. I could see the joy in Cindy’s big grin that she was authentically excited for me and for the new experiences about to happen with the publication of this book.

After extending the book-gazing experience for as long as I could, I re-wrapped my copy of Nerdy Thirty and dashed out of Cindy’s car, adrenaline and excitement coursing through my veins. Cradling the brown package, I ran back inside to avoid the raindrops.

Later that evening I reclined on my couch and examined the book again and again. Although alone in my house, I again uttered countless more “Oh my God!” sentiments and marveled that the book, had indeed, arrived. I read the words as if reading them for the very first time. It was an odd experience. I was almost surprised that the words I wrote – some as long ago as five years – were now in print.

When Matt arrived home from work he took my spot on the couch and read the book in one sitting. It was nearly impossible not to monitor his expressions as I prepared dinner from the kitchen. I smiled when he smiled, laughed when he laughed, albeit a bit nervously. I could see what was happening on his face, but had no idea what was going on inside his head.

Matt finished the book. We ate dinner. We talked about the essays – the stories he knew so well, others that weren’t as familiar, the honesty that is unmistakable throughout the pages. I was still bubbling, effervescent at the day’s events. But it was, after all, just another Monday night. Three days later I’m still excited, but still find tremendous comfort in the grounded life I live every single day.

P.S. I’m delighted to announce that Nerdy Thirty is now available for purchase at the WriteLife website!

“Lovely and hilarious?” Oh, stop! Michael Shearer, Jeff Peterson, and Bryan Mohr, the hosting trinity behind The Weekly Grind radio show Saturday mornings in Omaha, were the funny ones. I was just excited to come along for the ride, as their blog post below reflects in greater detail.

It was thrilling and an absolute riot to appear on their May 8 show to discuss Nerdy Thirty and how the book came to be. I opened with a jovial insult of the boys, followed by lots and lots of authentic laughs. The fifteen-or-so minutes we spent joking and chatting just flew by.

If you missed the broadcast, don’t fret. Download the podcast at their website. My interview appears about thirty minutes into the show. And be sure to following The Weekly Grind on Twitter: @weeklygrind

“Cracking the mic” is an old radio axiom about turning on one’s microphone and, literally, going on the air. For me, Saturday morning marks my first mic-cracking experience for Nerdy Thirty. I’ll be a guest on The Weekly Grind at 10 a.m. CST. (In Omaha, tune your radio dial to 1180 AM. From the nether-regions of the World Wide Web, consider streaming the broadcast online via The Weekly Grind’s website.)

Saturday won’t be my first time “on the radio,” but it will be the first time I promote (let’s be honest here: pimp) something that’s uniquely and unquestionably my own. The experience has taken some getting used to. I work in public relations for a living, so you would think such experiences are easy, breezy, and effortless. For me: not always. I find great satisfaction discussing and celebrating the projects and ideas of others. But when talking about my work, my life, and my book, I fear coming across too boastful, too egotistical, too full-of-myself.

Marketing and promotions is a double-edged sword: too much and you tune people out; too little and they never hear a word you say. Social media and Web 2.0 have given me the sublime opportunity to publicly promote Nerdy Thirty from the comfort and quiet of my own home. Facebook and Twitter have allowed me to shout about the book but with small, incremental details that, together, gently whisper the whole story.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m a natural born Social Butterfly and absolutely love floating about a cocktail reception, a little mixing here, a little mingling there. These days I give great thought to my new role as a “minor celebrity,” especially when I hear the phrase, “So, tell me about your new book.”

When I turned thirty a few years back, I closely examined my life and marveled at the sheer number of unusual experiences I had. The common thread I found woven through all of these events is how awkward I felt. Being blessed with a wry sense of humor gave me the courage I needed to write about my experiences in Nerdy Thirty, with the hopes that fellow nerds will laugh at my stories as well as their own.

Perhaps my experience during the next few months will yield more than few chuckles. Here’s hoping.