Julia J Simpson's Blog, page 2

Indie Book Review: The Ruin of Delicate Things by Beverly Lee

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I have a love/hate relationship with scary stories. I love the “right ones,” but I’m terribly picky about what fits the bill for me. I prefer a good ghost story with a bit of psychological thrill as opposed to slash and gore. I like the creatures of dark fantasy, but evil faeries or elves alone aren’t enough to chill my bones. When Beverly Lee first revealed the cover for this book last spring, I knew I was going to save it to read during October. I started it a few days into the mon...

living the backstory of my novels

I write post-collapse fiction.

Never in a million years would I have expected to get such an up-close, horrifying, and fascinating look into the backstory of one of my novels.

I remember the exact moment when I knew nothing would ever be the same.

That was one of many possible opening lines for my first post-collapse story, written in 2009 as part of a NaNoWriMo-inspired challenge. At the time, the world felt very unsettled to me (OH, my sweet summer child) and writing about what comes next...

My 10th NaNoWriMo: Tips from Along the Way

In just a few days, I’ll be joining writers across the world as we embark on the yearly 30-day novel-writing challenge known as NaNoWriMo.

This year is pretty special for me… it’s my 10th consecutive year. And while every year has brought its own unique challenges, this year is shaping up to be my toughest yet. I need to remind myself of the tricks that got me through past years, so I thought I’d share a few of them with you!

#1 It doesn’t matter if you “win.”

I’ve been lucky in that I’ve crossed the finish...

Interview with Author Samantha Goodwin

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Indie Author Samantha Goodwin, author of the newly released Murder at Macbeth, chats with me about her writing process, writing tips, and publishing.

1. How long have you been interested in writing crime fiction and was 
there a particular book, movie, or news story that got you hooked?

I’ve always been drawn to the crime genre, from books and TV shows to murder mystery games! There is such a sense of satisfaction in trying to identify the culprit in an intriguing whodunnit, especially when...

Indie Book Review: Murder at Macbeth by Samantha Goodwin

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Murder at Macbeth is just the kind of book you’d want to read relaxing by the pool in the summer or curled up under a blanket on a cold winter’s night. It’s the kind of book you can’t seem to put down, even when you know you should be doing other things!

The story is told through a series of police interviews and flashbacks after a small theater production of Macbeth goes horribly wrong. As the story unfolds, so does the tangled web of personal dramas that entwines the cast of...

I’m Not Writing, and it’s Okay.

If there’s one thing we writers hear constantly, it’s “you should be writing.” We say it to ourselves, we say it to each other, we post it in memes and on sticky notes affixed to our laptops: Why aren’t you writing?

Ninety-Nine percent of the time, this is good. It’s our way of keeping ourselves and each other moving forward. Most of us need that swift kick in the backside, or we’ll never close Netflix and write instead.

But there’s an unintended side effect to this beloved cheer–one that can...

Indie Book Review: The Forest by Julia Blake

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The Forest is the kind of story you’d expect to find in a dusty old tome if you wandered into a magical bookshop in an old English village. It’s a timeless epic tale full of mystery, love, magic, folklore, and the complex interweaving of human hearts across the eras.

The story centers on a rural village called Wykenwode, perched at the edge of an ancient and mysterious forest, which is guarded by an unseen barrier that only a predestined few can pass beyond. Those who can enter the h...

Five Questions: Indie Author Melissa L. Colon

Indie author Melissa L. Colon, one of my critique partners and longtime best friends, talks with me about writing, self-publishing, and being an indie author.

Julia: You’ve been a writer for more than 25 years and recently published your first novel, Colder Weather. How has becoming an indie author changed your view of yourself as a writer, and has it changed your approach to writing at all?

Melissa: I think in the beginning, imagining anything I’d written ending up in book form, was kind of...

2018: Byeeeeee! Not Sorry to See You Go

To put it nicely, 2018 was not my favorite year.

It wasn’t a horrible year, but it wasn’t great. It could have been much, much better. 2018 was a year with a lot of wheel spinning, a lot of goals that went unconquered, and way too much worry expended on unnecessary things. It was a year of limited adventure, too many days at home feeling like I couldn’t make a dent in my list of things to do. Lots of days where I felt unhappy, overwhelmed, and really just wanted to cry (and did.)

But it wasn’...

One Year Later…

My debut novel, Ashes Swept, was released one year ago today. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since then, but I definitely think I’ve learned a a few things in my first year as a published author. Here’s what I’m taking with me into year two:

It’s an amazing experience.

Okay, well, duh, probably–but honestly, I wasn’t prepared for just how amazing it would be. So many more people have read and enjoyed my book than I ever expected, and it’s pretty freakin’ cool to know so many peo...