Welcome to another Author Spotlight (cue the dramatic music). This month I had the extreme pleasure of sitting with my friend and fellow writer Julia Ward. I’m not supposed to tell you about her super secret Choose Your Own Romance project, Shirt of Destiny destiny… destiny… (what can I say? It comes with an echo). So you didn’t hear it from me. What I can tell you about are her audio books that she hopes to release with the e-book versions.
Let’s get this show started. So, what have you written?
Julia: I got an article on fitness published (in my real life). What have I written? Loads of things. None of it’s made me fame or fortune yet. Back in high school (a lifetime or so ago) MADD put out a call for students to write a script for a commercial about teen drinking and driving. Mine went to the state level. That was pretty cool. My tiny claim to fame.
Oh wow, so you’ve been writing for quite some time then. What are you currently working on and what is it about?
Julia: In Roadster Romance, my MMC is a guy who’s a little down on himself. He panicked and cheated in his last serious relationship. And now the FMC is in his life and she’s been cheated on. The story itself has a lot to say about past versus future. Learning from mistakes, forgiving yourself, and moving forward. These are pretty common themes so if you like them, keep an eye out for other stories.
That actually sounds like a lot of fun. Yeah, we all need to learn from our mistakes. How much research do you do?
Julia: Depending on the context of the story I dig. I’m a freak about names; they have to be just right. I get an idea for a character and a name comes to me then I look up what it means and whether it’s a good fit for the character. Sometimes it’s perfect but sometimes changes have to be made.
For historical fiction, I dig for what I need. I don’t want to be that idiot that people put down because I didn’t bother to check info. Too humiliating.
Sounds like a reasonable way to go about it. I wouldn’t want to get dinged for getting a basic fact wrong either. Now for something a little more fun. Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Julia: This is funny. I remember answering this in junior high school and I think my answer is still the same. Joan of Arc. She followed her convictions even though it meant her execution as a heretic. Damn impressive. Though I’ll admit, I’m a little terrified of her.
She’s not one I would have thought of, but the way you describe her, she does sound interesting. We have time for one last question. I’ll go with a hard one: where is your favorite place to write?
Julia: Oh, no, you had to ask this. Okay, (deep breath). In my house there’s a heater vent in the wall in the kitchen by the door to the living room. That is my favorite place to write. I sit there in front of the heater and when it’s cold the heater kicks on and I enjoy that. In the summer, it’s just a funny but comfy place for me to sit and write. No idea why I love it but it’s my favorite. Currently, my second favorite is the new back patio. Right now I’m at my desk in my “office”. It’s not my favorite because I need a new chair.
Julia Ward is a Pacific Northwest native. During childhood she delighted in running with the family’s pack of dogs through the neighboring forest, pretending so many adventures. More stories filled her head over the years with only a few making it to paper. Now, with kids grown with kids of their own, she looks forward to sharing her stories with others and hopes they’ll bring a little fun or love into someone’s life.
A variety of disparate jobs during her years has given her some interesting experiences and knowledge leading to the formation of some quirky characters.
Currently, her primary genre leans toward the romantic side but she also has works in progress that wander into the sci-fi as well as the paranormal realms.
Julia looks forward to getting to know her readers and hopes they enjoy her work.
You can find a little more about her here
And some of her rambles (and perhaps a snippet or two) at her blog
Hello and welcome to a new feature here. Author to Author. I’ll be introducing you to some of the fabulous author’s I’ve met in my writing adventures.
Sparrow” and fell in love with her characters and is writing many more books in the Romantic Western series, “A Kiowa in Love”. Each one of Grandfather’s grandchildren will have their story told, as will Grandfather himself.