Earlier this week I was delighted to read my first out-of-state Nerdy Thirty review, courtesy of GamingAngels.com. As writer and editor-in-chief Cherith writes in her review, we met at Big Omaha this past May. A brief chat during day two of the conference lead to a few exchanged emails, followed by this week’s review. Many thanks to Cherith, who lives in Kansas, for her absolutely glowing review of Nerdy Thirty!

I’ve recently been able to flex my radio muscle on Q98-Five’s Pat and JT Show every other Friday morning during the 9 a.m. hour. My newly named segment, All Around Townley, is fun!

Now, in addition to hearing me on the radio, you can read me on the Web! Say hello to All Around Townley – the blog. Every week I’ll share my thoughts and experiences in and around Omaha.

Take a peek at this week’s inaugural post at the Pat and JT webpage, or link directly to my new blog at the Q98-Five website. And remember to listen to Pat and JT weekday mornings on 98.5 FM in Omaha, or listen online at USTREAM.

My byline graced the pages of Omaha Magazine years ago when I did more freelance writing, but this month marks my debut as the focus of a story. Many thanks to writer Jared Spence and photographer Bill Sitzmann for the copy and photo, respectively, in the July/August 2010 issue of Omaha Magazine.

Part of my Saturday morning this weekend was spent in Omaha’s historic Old Market district at the KANEKO-UNO Library. As part of their new Summer Saturdays series, the library is bringing in a variety of speakers to host informal discussions and, ideally, build awareness about the library and its many offerings.

I spoke with a handful of folks who strolled through the library – some familiar to the space and those for who the experience was brand new. We talked about writing and storytelling, about blogging and social media.

After a quick pass through the Omaha Farmers Market earlier in the day to feed my addiction to kettle corn, my time spent at the library was worthwhile and wholly engaging. For me the opportunity wasn’t about selling more books, but continuing a dialogue I began months ago about the storytelling process, the discipline it takes to write a book, and the tremendous personal rewards that follow upon publication. The exposure Nerdy Thirty has yielded is certainly welcome, but the conversations and new faces I’ve met as a result of the book have been just as rewarding.

Earlier today I had the pleasure of speaking to the Small Business Association of the Midlands about social media marketing. Specifically, I discussed how I used social media to build buzz for Nerdy Thirty in the months leading up to the book’s publication this past May.

Download a PDF of this morning’s presentation.

I’m excited to share the Nerdy Thirty social media story with other organizations in the area. Interested in learning more? Send me an email (wendy@shaggy-money.flywheelsites.com) or visit nerdythirty.com/speaking-gigs.

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.