Yes, My Name Really Is Julie Duck!

If only I'd had my stories to read when I was a young adult...

I am a freelance copywriter and former magazine editor. That means I spent more than 17 years slaving over ad copy, concepting marketing campaigns, panicking about deadlines, and hoping that one day I’d write something longer than a three-page article.

It took more than a swift kick to make that happen. After a health scare that coincided with the folding of the magazine I edited, I sat down to write A Place In This Life, an edgy YA tale about the relationship between an introverted girl and a tough boy who happens to have leukemia. Based on real events, A Place In This Life looks at the consequences of doing what seems easy… and doing what feels right.

Seems edgy is my thing, because I went on to write SWELL, a dark story about an art prodigy who falls in love with an alcoholic, and becomes one herself. It’s more than your average teen drinking story — SWELL is an exploration of what happens when we put others before ourselves.

You could say that my writing has the undertones of Laurie Halse Anderson, but with a touch of twisted wit and a voice that’s been dying to tell the stories in my head since I was in the third grade.

Smiling because I love to write!

Enjoy!

Update: A Place In This Life is now available at Amazon.com!

NEWSFLASH! I am a guest blogger at YA Stands every other Tuesday. Catch me there and read my articles about up-and-coming writers and industry professionals!