James S. Murray, known as “Murr” as one of the stars of Impractical Jokers, has written a new science fiction middle grade novel, Alien Summer, with co-author Carsen Smith, published March 15, part of the new Area 51 Interns series from Penguin Workshop. The novel is about a group of kids interning at Area 51 who have to fight aliens who’ve escaped.
Of the series’ inspiration, Murray said via email, “So many Impractical Jokers fans are kids that watch the show with their parents. It felt like a perfect fit to write a really funny middle-grade book series about one of my favorite topics: Area 51. Carsen and I are obsessed with all things science fiction, and love shows like Stranger Things.”
Murray has also co-authored adult fiction including adult novels The Stowaway, Don’t Move, and Obliteration, with Darren Wearmouth, but said Alien Summer “came much more naturally, since so much of my life is comedy. The first draft of the book was so action-packed and exciting like our adult thrillers that I had to remind myself that it's ok to be funny again.”
Smith, a New York-based comedy writer and producer, said of the plot, “We wanted our aliens to feel unique from any other aliens we’d seen in books and movies before. Starting with Area 51 as the basis, there’s already that great built-in history of the Roswell, New Mexico crash landing and the image of those ‘little grey men.’ But we thought it would be fun if those aliens felt rooted in the 1940s in their human form.” As part of her research, Smith compiled a list “of all the memorable aliens I’d seen depicted recently,” and the pair tried to make theirs “naturally fit into that grand scheme while also having their own flavor.”
Smith says the pair also wanted the series to be inclusive and appeal “to every kid, no matter who they are.” Elaborating on the ways children’s books are often geared toward a specific gender, Smith said, “I’ve never believed in the idea that there are ‘boys’ books and ‘girls’ books. When I was growing up, I’d read anything that was interesting to me, regardless of who the material was originally targeted towards. When we were writing this book, we made sure that there was a little bit of everything in there so there’d be something fun for everyone.”
Murray hopes kids take away a lesson in collaboration, saying the book is really “really a book about friendship, and how these four best friends can overcome any obstacle by working together and believing in themselves.” The co-authors are doing both in-person and virtual classroom appearances, which Murray is looking forward to. “It's so exciting to see kids' reactions to the book and talk about all things Impractical Jokers and how the show has affected their lives.”
Asked why aliens continue to be of interest to adults and kids, Murray said, “We all wonder whether humans are alone in the universe, and sincerely hope we’re not! I mean, the universe is 13.8 billion years old. It sure would be a waste to not have any neighbors! That's why aliens continue to be a huge fascination for us. We're hoping there is someone out there in space to borrow milk from one day.”
The next book in the Area 51 Interns series, Zoned Out, is due out October 25, which Murray says will include “mythical creatures, like the Chupacabra, the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster and more.” The third book, to be published in March 2023, will deal with time travel and will find the interns “bouncing around time trying to right lots of wrongs.”
