Surf’s up - and what the heck are F.R.E.D. facts?

Helloooooo from the ridonkulously awesome planet Waalio!

This week the GHD crew is soaking up the sun and learning to surf. A five-legged alien named Zooktar is teaching us some way-cool surfing moves. Well, she’s trying to teach us. We’re pretty awful. But it’s super fun falling off our boards into the clear green water! Humphree looks especially goofy trying to surf. The big Bronkle is having a tough time staying upright, but I give the dude credit — he keeps on trying!

So this week on the blog I’ve got some coolio stuff for you. I convinced the GHD book people to give me some more art that didn’t make the print version of Book One (Cosmoe’s Wiener Getaway) that comes out in bookstores May 5.

The print book features lots of awesome artwork that isn’t in the online version of the book, including something called F.R.E.D. facts. They’re basically fun little information nuggets, brought to you by the best robot ever.

Well, guess what? I’ve got some extra F.R.E.D. facts for you! Check these out:

Obviously these would have appeared in the mutant worm wrestling chapters. I guess Dags and Humphree were lucky not to turn into mutant worm food, huh? And who would ever eat a mutant worm tail on purpose?! GROSS!

See ya later,

Cosmoe

Jeff Kinney gets psyched about Galactic Hot Dogs!

Hey you guys! Do you know who Jeff Kinney is? You probably do. He’s the author of the best-selling Wimpy Kid books and the creator of Poptropica. Did you know that the original Wimpy Kid book was actually first published on Funbrain.com, the online home of Galactic Hot Dogs Book One (and on 4/6, Book Two)? If you go to the Funbrain homepage, you’ll see both books there under “Books and Comics!”

Jeff is also about to be a bookseller, too — he’s opening a way-cool bookstore in May called An Unlikely Story. It’ll be in Plainville, Massachusetts. If you live anywhere near there, you should go check it out!

Anyway, the Galactic Hot Dogs book crew are obviously big fans of Jeff, so they made sure to send him a special GHD care package. He sent us a fun picture when he got it. I think he’s kinda psyched about the book!

I hope you like my book as much as I like Galactic Hot Dogs Island on Poptropica, Jeff! Oh, and those Wimpy Kid books aren’t so bad, either. ;-)

And you guys, if you haven’t yet, definitely check out Jeff’s Wimpy Kid website for lots of cool stuff. It’s awesomesauce!

Have a great weekend,

Cosmoe

Part two of my interview with GHD illustrator, Nichole!

The Galactic Hot Dogs creative team!

Hey everyone! Today I’ve got the second part of my interview with one of my way-cool book illustrators, Nichole Kelley! Last time we discovered that Nichole used to design video games, digs tomato-related stuff on her hot dogs, and wanted to be an astronaut when she was little. What else does Nichole have to tell us, hmmmm?

ME: So, Nichole, tell us a little more about what you did before being an awesome GHD illustrator.

NICHOLE: Before Galactic Hot Dogs, I worked in video games — mostly web games (including Facebook), but I have also worked on a console game and iOS games. But you know, working on Galactic Hot Dogs is exciting because I'll be able to have something to put on my shelf forever. With web games, they fade away into the depths of the internet, never to been seen again.

ME: Well, I’m glad you’re working on Galactic Hot Dogs. You and Rachel’s illustrations rock!

NICHOLE: Hey, thanks, Cosmoe!

ME: Okay, next question is from Princess Dagger. She wants to know if you have any pets.

NICHOLE: Oh, I have too many pets! We have Pepper the Boston Terrier, who’s a snoring fart machine. And we also have two cats. If I could handle another pet, I would want a French Bulldog. They're so fat and cute. I think Pepper would really enjoy a friend. The cats don't appreciate her play style very much.

Nichole's dog, Pepper, an expert snorer!

ME: Yeah, I could see that! Next, let’s hear all about your favorites. Movies, TV, food…?

NICHOLE: Oh, man, there are too many good movies to choose from! Of course I love all the Pixar movies. I identify with Lilo and Stitch, and Up most — aliens, Hawaii, and adventure! But ask me this question tomorrow, and it'll probably be an entirely different answer. My favorite TV show is the X-files. And my favorite food is ice cream!

ME: You mean your favorite dessert?

NICHOLE: Nope. Ice cream is always my favorite food, dessert or otherwise!

ME: I like the way you think! Okay, Humphree wants to know what you do when you’re not working, like hobbies and stuff.

NICHOLE: I have more hobbies than I have time not working, and too many to list! I like playing board games, card games, video games, watching movies, skiing, crafting, marble making, paper crafts, sledding, boating, boogie boarding, and adventuring, to name a few.

ME: Way cool! Now I have one last question: Tell us some funny or unique that not a lot of people know about you.

NICHOLE: Oh, I am sure there are lots of things that I just don't think about, but I like going to Florida to collect shark teeth. Maybe one day I'll find one of those huge ones. And no, I can't just buy one, it's not the same!

Thanks, Nichole! It’s been fun getting to know you more, and I can’t wait to see all your new illustrations in Galactic Hot Dogs Book Two!

See you guys tomorrow,

Cosmoe

YES! Evil defeated! (plus top-secret book 2 art!)

Hot smudge, you guys! I can’t believe we’re on the very last chapter of Galactic Hot Dogs Book One. Our reading marathon is over as of today, and I would be a little sad… except I have some awesome junk in store for you that I’m completely psyched about!

First, let’s read our last chapter, The End. We blew up The Ultimate Evil, but we weren’t out of danger yet. That fuzzhead Krax still had it in for us. Find out in Chapter 26: The End who unexpectedly saves our butts, and then crashes our beach party later!

Now I have one last super cool sketch for you today for our…

On Monday, April 6 — that’s 12 days from today — chapter one of Galactic Hot Dogs Book Two debuts online! I’m SO EXCITED! And this art from book two will give you a ginormous hint about the plot…

Say hello to the Clown Bots! Yup, book two involves the space circus! You guys aren’t going to believe the adventures me, Humphree, and Princess Dagger get ourselves into.

And until book two debuts, I’ve got some cool stuff coming your way on this here blog, so stay tuned!

Later gators,

Cosmoe

Meet Nichole, illustrator of Galactic Hot Dogs!

Cool illustration of Nichole by Rachel,
the other GHD illustrator!

Hey you guys! Today I’m interviewing Nichole Kelley. She’s one of the illustrators of my books, and she’s super awesome. She’s even designed video games! How cool is that?! Let’s see what Nicole’s all about…

ME: So, Nichole. Why did you want to be an illustrator, and is that what you always wanted to be when you grew up?

NICHOLE: When I was a kid I wanted to be a Disney animator. I loved cartoons and I wanted to be part of that magic. But luckily, as I grew up, I learned that I didn’t have to work for Disney to be part of animation and cartoon magic. I am now happy making all kinds of whimsical art suited for kids. So, I guess I wanted to grow up to be a big kid, instead of a little kid! Oh, and I wanted to be an astronaut, too. Doesn't every kid want to be an astronaut? I was very jealous of space camp.

ME: Space really is the coolest. You should visit sometime!

NICHOLE: I will definitely look into that.

ME: So you never became an animator?

NICHOLE: Well, I realized that I didn’t want to do only animation. Have you ever tried it? It has an amazing payoff, but it takes a LOT of time and effort to get there. But I did use my animation expertise when I worked in the gaming industry.

ME: You designed video games?! Awesome!

NICHOLE: Yeah, it is awesome! I really liked it because there was just enough animation to have fun, but not so much to get bored. It's like an amazing blend of illustration and animation, And you get to play with your art in the end!

ME: So cool. Okay, back to space stuff. If you had your own spaceship, what would you name it and what cool features would it have?

One of Nichole's favorite illustrations
that she did - poor F.R.E.D.!

NICHOLE: Oh, Cosmoe, I am terrible at naming things. I would quickly turn to my trusty space sidekicks for help! As for cool features… I like that feature of the U.S.S. Enterprise where the ship cleans itself — and replicators! Imagine having any food you want with no preparation? Seems too good to be true. 

ME: Aw, man, I need that self-cleaning ship feature. And replicators rock! Speaking of food, what are your favorite hot dog toppings?

NICHOLE: Oh, I love tomatoes, cheese, and ketchup on my hot dogs!

ME: Yeah, I stick with human-food toppings, too. Some of the stuff Humphree and the Princess eat on their dogs make me want to hurl! Okay, last question for today: What’s your best advice for a Galactic Hots Dogs fan — you know, an Earth kid like me?

NICHOLE: Don't grow up, and be true to yourself — don’t let other kids tell you what you can and can't do. (But don't hurt yourself or do anything dangerous, of course!)

Good stuff, Nichole! Thanks!

Be sure to come back on Thursday for part two of the interview. You’ll find out what Nichole’s favorite movies are, all about her pet who passes way too much gas, and more!

Stay awesome,

Cosmoe

An explosive ending!

Hellooooo from intergalactic space! Humphree, Princess Dagger, and I are having some down time on the ship as we make our way to Waalio. Yep, going surfing beat out rock climbing in the end. Which is good, because rock climbing would remind me a little too much of my Cosmoe cliffhanger on The Ultimate Evil’s planet-egg thing. I’m not ready to relive that!

Speaking of Evil, today we’re reading the second-last chapter in our reading marathon, where we were literally inside The Ultimate Evil. 

When we left off, Humphree had hurled his hot hot sauce into The Ultimate Evil’s big, slimy heart — but nothing happened! I had to figure out how to detonate the barrel of sauce and keep that creep Krax off my back. Read Chapter 25: The Heart to see how it all turns out!

And now for our…

Today I’ve got my last Galactic Hot Dogs poster for you: It’s the Neon Wiener!

I love this ship. Seriously, it’s the absolute bomb. And guess what? When my print book comes out on May 5, you’ll get to see the inside of the ship and all the awesome junk it has! I wish I could show you now, but the book people say it’s totally top secret.

I’ll see you guys tomorrow. This week I’m interviewing Nichole Kelley, the other illustrator of Galactic Hot Dogs. She’s awesome!

Later dudes,

Cosmoe

My crazy plan to defeat The Ultimate Evil!

Hey all! Today’s our last day camping on Xtar 9. We’ve made a boatload of spaceos (that’s intergalactic space money) from selling hot dogs, and now we’re going to blast off and cruise around the galaxy for a while.

We’ve been saving up to go on an adventure and now we have to pick: Learn to surf on Waalio, which has amazing waves, or go rock climbing on Ooglan 2, which is a lot like Earth’s Grand Canyon. Decisions, decisions…

Now for our latest reading marathon chapter: Entering the Ultimate Evil… and I’m not kidding. My crazy plan is to destroy the monster from the inside! Can we keep that goober Krax from blasting us to bits, and if so, will my plan work? What are you waiting for — go find out!

And now it’s time to check out…

Since we’re all into The Ultimate Evil right now (like, actually INTO the creature), I thought these sketches would be cool to show you:

Two versions of the monster's face...

The final product. Yikes!

I think the GHD illustrators really nailed the scariness of the monster. I mean, it’s not like I had time to take any pictures of the thing while we were fighting for our lives, so the artists were just working off of me and the crew’s descriptions. Pretty awesome, huh?

Oh, one more thing: I can’t believe it, but our book one reading marathon is almost over — and soon we’ll be starting BOOK TWO! Chapter 1 of my next book debuts online on Monday 4/6. Stay tuned for some sneak peeks into what’s coming. Book two is beyond way cool!

Later gators,

Cosmoe