Guest Author: Julie Flanders

I can't believe we're halfway through the Blogger Book Fair. I hope everyone has been hopping around visiting various Blogs. Click on the BBF Logo to see more authors.

I'd like to introduce a remarkable person and gifted author:

Julie Flanders

      

         Julie, tell our bloggers a little about yourself:
          What are your future goals?

I would like to continue writing and eventually be able to support 

myself through my writing. I am not in a place where I can quit my day job yet, but I would like to get there eventually and be in a position to write full-time.

      Where do you get your inspiration?

I’ve received a lot of inspiration from dreams. Polar Night initially came from a dream I had where I was on an ocean liner in the 1920s and met a man who told me about a woman he loved and lost in Russia in World War I. It was a strange dream that led me to more than I ever could have imagined at the time. I also tend to get ideas when I am out walking my dog in the morning. There is a park near my house that is very quiet during the morning hours and I often get ideas while we are there.

      Where is your favorite writing spot?

I love to stretch out on my couch with my laptop to write. My dog and cat usually join me and we are all comfortable on the couch together.

      How much time do you set aside for writing?

I don’t really have any set time that I set aside, it seems when I try to do that I end up starting at a blank page. Since I work full-time I have to find writing time when I can, but I don’t really schedule it.

      What genre of books do you typically read?

I love to read suspense novels and thrillers and I love anything connected to the paranormal. I also enjoy some mysteries. Really I will read just about anything as long as its fiction. I don’t usually care for non-fiction reads.

     What advice can you give to aspiring writers?

I got started writing much later in life than many writers do, as I didn’t start taking my writing seriously until I was on the wrong side of forty. So I think the best advice I can give to anyone is that it’s never too late for you to pursue your dreams and passions. For a long time I told myself I was too old, it was too late, etc., but I now know for sure that that simply wasn’t true. It’s never too late to start something new and change your life.

     What did you find was the most difficult in the writing process?

I thought the process of writing a synopsis and a query letter was significantly harder than writing the novel itself. I still think that!

When did you first decide to become a writer?

I realized I wanted to pursue writing when I volunteered as a writer for Best Friends Animal Society back in 2010. I wrote feature articles for their website and loved every aspect of the experience. I love animals and felt like the articles gave me a chance to help a cause I believe in while also genuinely enjoying myself. That’s when I realized that writing may be something I could do as more than just a hobby.

      What one thing that is on your bucket list?

I would love to drive around the Western United States. I’ve been to Arizona and California and loved both places, and I think the scenery in the west is simply spectacular. I would love to take a trip that wasn’t limited by time and just drive to all of the national parks and other sights out west.

   How do you spend your spare time?

I love to read and I am also a tv addict. I also love walking and taking my dog on various adventures with me. Plus I am always trying to learn more about using social media more effectively as a writer. I love my blog but the rest of social media is still a bit of a mystery to me.

Julie's social media sites:

http://julieflanders.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/JulesFlanders

https://www.facebook.com/JulieAFlanders 

Julie's debut novel, Polar Night is a great success:

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of 
Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case. The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems. Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

Look for Polar Night at these sites:
Amazon 
Barnes & Noble 
Amazon UK 
Smashwords 

I can't thank Julie enough for spending the day on my blog. And I look forward to her next book!!

And you can find me on Julie Flanders blog today!