An Interview with Julie Rogers

Julie is a multi-genre author. Her articles and stories are featured in self-help, inspirational, trade, and fiction publications including Writer’s Digest, Coping With Cancer, Complete Woman, Daily Meditation, and the anthology Writes of Passage: Every Woman Has a Story! She is the 1999 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Grand Prize Winner for her horror short story, “House Call.”

Julie’s seventh novel, FALLING STARS, is an eleven-time award winner, including the 2023 International Firebird Awards First Place in Urban Fantasy, the 2023 Pinnacle Book Awards Best Book in Fantasy, and the 2023 Outstanding Creator Awards First Place in Medical Fiction.

Other awards include Fade In magazine’s 2005 Screenplay Semi-Finalist for the thriller, Grave Jumper, and the 1998 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition First for her stage play comedy, “Garage Sale.”

Buffalo 8 Productions signed on in Sept 2024 as executive producer for Julie’s screenplay adaptation of FALLING STARS.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

Growing up with several disabilities from Rubella (including a hearing impairment) was hard. Reading and studying music helped me understand speech patterns, idioms, and vernacular I might’ve otherwise missed. I started taking writing seriously after I won a themed essay competition in high school, which prompted me to consider an education in writing at Southern Methodist University—where I somehow managed to survive David and Betty Lynn McHam’s School of Journalism. Upon graduation, however, my day job was as an athletic trainer, and writing remained a side hustle until my first book was hybrid published when I was forty. I’d decided to indie publish because most of my books color outside the lines—cross-genre and one-off projects that don’t fall within standard marketing comps.

In 2014, I began freelancing as a ghostwriter and editor with Upwork and James Innes Group. I later signed on with Edioak in New York City, an in-house editing partner for fourteen houses across the globe, publishers like Gamahouse Publishing and Simon & Schuster. Currently, I freelance as a developmental editor for authorsassistant.com and my own company, julierogersbooks.com. This type of work opens up literary avenues way beyond my own titles—projects from novellas to novel series, self-help, how-to, inspirational, spiritual, blog, technical, academic, resumes, and LinkedIn profile enhancements. Genres I write include YA, children’s, adult fantasy, stories based upon or inspired by true events, as well as contemporary, paranormal, and sci-fi romance, thriller, horror, and action adventure. I’ve also done some screenplays and screenplay doctoring along the way.

I enjoy helping indie authors from idea to launch, those who want to get quality books on board while avoiding some of the costly missteps I made.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

My first job was as an employment counselor! I’ve also worked as a nurse and a model.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Titles come intuitively to me. Are they the best ones? That’s always up for question. FALLING STARS with its stardust and mortality themes, however, become major features in this book.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I felt I made a good choice with a ton of sweat equity behind it. I designed seven covers of my own and conducted polls before I decided to hire an illustrator to design this one.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

It does have two musical themes written in: Brahms’s Opus 39, No. 15 and Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue.”

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

A deeper exploration of our own biological mortality and the dilemma of outliving someone you love. I decided to take the risk of stepping outside boilerplate language, even if this created a circuitous narrative of sorts.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Twenty years ago I had a story rolling around in my head, one with the depth and breadth of a classic. That was the goal I had in mind, you know—the situations, characters, and worlds converging into—well, this big book. Not commercial fiction (once again!) Also, I wanted a dilemma that avoided anything gratuitous, just the bare bones of two unbeatable issues: terminal illness and individual mortality. What do we do when we outlive someone, for example? That sort of stuff. These nemeses were challenging for me because they’re not your two-dimensional bad guys. Illness can be a nemesis, and cancer, a monster—but how do we show those in a compelling way?

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I’m currently shopping a screenplay I co-wrote with Bart Bryars about his seven years in prison for trafficking cocaine, which ultimately led to his musicianship and Nashville. I’m editing an amazing biography of German Artist Adalbert Volck and working on a Christmas comedy in the spare. Dancing/twitching with Melonlight Ballroom’s Zombie Theater production in Eureka Springs’ Zombie Crawl parade.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.