Deseret Book author, Julie Wright, is an intriguing individual. With a fulfilled lifelong dream of owning a grocery store, she and her husband live in a small Utah town. From her website: “To give a little background on me, I was raised in Salt Lake City and attended Brighton High School where I met the love of my life. After a few detours at BYU and “dear-Johning” him while he was on his mission to Sweden, he came home and we got married. We moved to a little town in west central Utah, and opened up the only grocery store. Don’t ask why we did that; we still have no idea. If this is something you’re considering, please write me and I’ll talk you out of it. Not out of moving to the country, but out of opening a business in rural America. There are times when I ponder the sanity in such a move, but walking out on my porch at night and seeing the Milky Way satisfies my claim to mental stability.
“We have three little people running around the house. They came in the following order: McKenna, Merrik, and Chandler. Whenever we consider adding to the brood we remind ourselves that we are already outnumbered and rethink the wisdom of increasing their favor. They are the highlight of our lives and keep us laughing every day. Well . . . scolding and laughing.
“Some of my favorite things to do are: read, write, eat, dance, hike, and play on the beach. I love to go four wheeling with my kids and snuggle with my husband to watch videos. I harbor the dream of going on tour through the far east when my kids grow up enough to handle such an extreme vacation. (Or should I say when they are old enough for me to handle taking them on such an extreme vacation?) In truth I would love to travel anywhere and am of the mind set that if I don’t leave my time zone at least once every six months, I’ll go crazy and take everyone I know with me. For the sake of marriage preservation, my husband indulges me in this need. Another place I would love to visit is Sweden. I speak somewhat fluent Swedish (which I learned in college to get out of taking math) I am an avid fan of Mickey Mouse and go to Disneyland at least once a year. I’ve been told you can always trust someone who is willing to wear a Mickey Mouse watch. I don’t know the validity of such a claim, but take comfort in it regardless.”
Enjoy the interview!
1. What prompted you to become writer?
“I started writing in the seventh grade at Butler Middle School under the encouragement of Mrs. Brown, a teacher who told me I had talent. It was the first time in my life anyone told me I was good at anything. I really wanted to believe I was good at something. So, I kept writing and got serious about it in tenth grade when another teacher told me I didn’t have what it takes to be a writer. I knew he was wrong and wanted to prove it. That was when I started my first book.”
2. What is your routine, on a daily basis, as far as being a parent and a writer?
“I am probably what some would call chaos personified. There is no method to the madness aside from one goal: to write one thousand words a day. This would only take an hour to write if I could actually sit down and do it all at once, but I do it in snatches of five minutes there, ten minutes here. I find time when the kids are out playing, or (and I love this) when they are doing their chores! One thing I think is great is they see all the aspects of my writing. They see me work towards my goals every day and they see me get rejection letters from publishing houses. They see all this and know because I keep working and keep trying, I ultimately achieve my dreams. You can tell kids all day long to get up and try again when they are faced with rejection, but it really slams the lesson home when they see you do it.”
3. What is your genre and why did you choose it?
“I write for the young adult age group and I write in various genres, but if I had to be put in a box, I guess I would say I was a romance/chick-lit writer. I also write fantasy for the young adult age group. The age group and genres really picked me more than me picking them. Even when I tried to write a book about older characters, the book was marketed as Young Adult. I’m not sure if this means I’m immature, or if it means I just see from that perspective. But I love it when forty year old plus guys stop at my signing table in bookstores and tell me they loved my book and that it made them laugh and cry.
The genres I’m in are due to the fact that is what I love to read. Those genres are what hold my attention long enough to write about them. Female protagonists are easier to write than men because it’s like that old email floating through the Internet states, “The world’s thinnest book is: Everything Women Know About Men.” I write romance because I believe love works and in truth nearly every story is a love story in some way, whether it is the love between a man and woman, or the love between a mother and her daughter, or even the love between two guys willing to sacrifice their lives for the friendship they developed in a foxhole during a war. Love is thematic and exists everywhere you go.”
4. Tell me a little about the books you have written?
“My first book, To Catch A Falling Star, was started when I was only fifteen. It started out as a seven page short story that ended with the main character dying. I won an award for the story and was so excited I showed my grandma. She wasn’t excited. She told me to give her a happy ending, so I went looking for one. The character in that book grew up with me. She started out as a sixteen year old and the story ends when she is 21. It’s a coming of age story . . . a finding out who you are and how you fit in the world story . . . and it’s a romance. It won the best fiction award with my publishing house in the year 2001.
My second novel, Loved Like That, was written much faster. It’s an entirely fun, fluffy sort of romance. Its fast paced, humorous, and adventurous. And the romance is delicious without being cheesy (I detest cheesy romances that make me roll my eyes). Loved Like That also has a little bit of supernatural mystery to keep things fresh and interesting.
My third novel, My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life, is the one that has received the best reviews and the highest praise. It is also the one book I am most proud of. It is a spin off of my first book based on the life of the character we dislike the most. My aunt called me one day and told me how much she loved my first book. She told me she truly hated that character and wanted me to make the character into someone she could love. I accepted the challenge. Through the process of trying to understand what motivated Suzie, I truly did learn to love her. I loved her completely, flaws and all. I think that is why the book has been so well received. I think people were able to love her and see in her all that I saw. This story is a story of redemption. It is classified as chick lit and fits well into that mold, though I never intended that to happen. Suzie is smart, sassy, and filled with enough flaws to keep her interesting. But she is also redeemable and likeable. Through Suzie’s life, I think people are able to see bits of them selves. Even though this book was labeled as young adult, it has crossed the lines of age classification. I have received letters from 80 year old men to 14 year old girls and all ages and genders in between, telling me on how well they relate to the character. I think it’s because we, as humans, want to be loved and redeemable, flaws and all and through her, we see a way that maybe we can be.
My fourth book is a fantasy, and hasn’t found a publisher yet, but be on the look out for it. The title is The Thirteenth Month. It’s a comedic, action-adventure about a boy named Gale.”
5. What do you have on your website and why did you choose those particular topics?
“My website has my home page where I keep news of important changes and welcome people to my site. My bibliography page showcases my novels, and provides summaries of what the books are about as well as sample chapters for up and coming books. My about me page is where I answer all the weird questions people ask me through emails, letters, and when I am at book signings. It is probably way more information than anyone wants to know. I also have an “aspire to write” page where I give advice and helpful hints to people who want to write. There is also a page where I keep fans updated on where I will be doing signings or speaking engagements. I love doing firesides and enrichment nights and just getting out to talk to the public. This is the place where I can let people know how to contact me to set that up or to see where I will be so they can visit me.”
6. What advice do you give to those struggling to become published writers?
“The only time you will fail is when you stop trying. That and get out and be where writers are. It is easier to get published when you are around people who are published. Attend writers conferences, join a writers group. DO something that forces you to work towards your goal. So many would be writers say they will write a book someday and I always wonder when that someday starts for them. If they make the decision to make that someday today and now, they will have a greater chance of success over all the millions who only talk about it.”
7. Who are your favorite authors and why?
“Argh! This is a tough one! I love sooooo many authors. In the national market, I really love Jane Austen and Robert Jordan and JK Rowling. In the LDS market there are again, so many, but my top three would have to be Josi Kilpack, Chris Heimerdinger, and Jeff Savage. The reasons why is they are very character driven. I love the depth of their characters and the way I walk away having felt something. I have been able to laugh and cry with the characters, as well as fear for their safety and agonize over whether or not they will reach their goals in the end. I have read Pride and Prejudice more times than I can count and I still feel anxiety when Lydia runs away with Wickham. I fear every moment it has dashed Lizzie’s hopes of ever having anything happening with Mr. Darcy. It’s pathetic really since I know it all works out okay, but that is the quality of her writing. Even though I know, I still worry.”
8. Is it difficult to maintain your LDS standards as a writer in today’s market? Why or why not?
“Not really. I write how I am. I don’t think people want all the graphic stuff that is out there. If they did, they’d stop making Jane Austen movies. In fact in my romance novel, Loved Like That, the characters never even kiss because, quite honestly I was so wrapped up in the genuine romance of it, I forgot to put in the kiss at the end. Everyone knows they are in love, that they are committed. A kiss is a by product of that, but it isn’t the love. But (and here’s the funny part) only the guy half of my readership has ever even commented on it. Not one woman has complained. And the guys that commented weren’t really complaining but they wrote in to see if I was trying to make a statement with it. Sorry to say, no brilliant statement was being made. I just got distracted.”
9. What is the LDS Market? Why did it form? What do you see for the LDS Market in the future?
“The LDS market is the market of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is where those members can go and read books on people like them. Sometimes we feel so singular in our lives and sometimes we don’t think there is anyone out there that can comprehend what our daily trials are. A book from their own culture about characters going through the same events they go through on a daily basis helps members of the church not to feel so isolated. It also allows them to take part in the varying genres available in the national market, without having to take part in the cheap parlor tricks of graphic writing. For the future I see the market getting “savvier.” I see readers being choosier about the types of books they’ll read and I see authors improving on their craft to give the readers what they want. I also see the lines of our niche market getting blurred. Mormons are as interesting to read about as anyone else and I think we will draw outside readers in.”
Learn more about Julie at www.juliewright.com