The write what you know writing advice is so well known and repeated it’s a cliche. It’s often dismissed as worn out and antiquated thanks to research being so much easier with our current level of technology (I grew up in the 80s and used a rotary phone. Wheee! Fun times). The thing is, write what you know doesn’t mean technical know-how to me. Anyone can research police procedure, medical facts, and rocket science, that stuff is easy. It’s the people stuff that’s hard to write if you’ve never lived it yourself. People stuff? Definition: People stuff – A mixture of psychology and life experience, including but not limited to: personality, traumas, successes, failures, deaths, injuries, odd relatives, first car, first love, betrayals, jobs, major life events (good and bad), etc… All of that and a lot more shapes our attitudes, understanding, and actions. It allows us to create a variety of characters who feel three-dimensional and alive. Every writer writes what they know, what they’ve lived through and have come to understand. Every writer has a personal theme that appears in every story they write. Mine is a combination of Protector and Healing. My stories are about characters who…

1. Autumn colors!–and not just the spectacular varieties of leaf color, but also walking through the leaves. The brush and crunch underfoot add music to wherever you walk and the colors a feast for your eyes. Get outside, be active, and enjoy the season. 2. Cozy sweaters–I love snuggling into a soft warm sweater on cool mornings and evenings. Add a cup of hot chocolate or apple cider, and a good friend to talk or binge-watch TV with and I’m having a great time. 3. Crafting with friends–I start working on Christmas craft projects in October. I’m a paper crafter, so handmade Christmas cards are a must, but also paper ornaments, exploding box cards, and folded books. Here some pics of projects I’ve already completed. 4. Pumpkin. . . everything–Latte, pie, or muffin, I love it all. Did you know Kraft Dinner has a new Pumpkin Spice flavor this year? I’m trying to find it so I can try it, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on any yet. If you’ve tried it, please let me know in the comments what you think of it. 5. Catching up on a good book. . . or three–I’m reading…

Reading has always been my favorite pastime, but since Covid-19, I’ve increased the number of books I read every week. As a result, I’ve discovered several new (to me) authors with stories I can’t get enough of, and I’m on the hunt for more. Share what you look for in a good book and your favorite recent reads! What do I look for in a great story? Excellent world-building with characters who are funny during the good times and even funnier when crap is hitting the fan are two of the top qualities I want. Genre isn’t as important as a unique world and characters who are off-kilter. Give me those and I’ll become a life-long fan. Here are some of my latest finds! The Amaranthine Saga by Forthright. If you love Anime and Japanese mythology this author and series is for you! The first book in the Amaranthine Saga, Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox, hooked me for life! Every story in the series builds on the rich world Forthright has created with returning characters I can’t wait to see again. 🙂 The Case Files of Henri Davenforth by Honor Raconteur. This is a mystery series set on another world…

Search & Destroy is on sale for 99¢ for a limited time­ ─ Jan 27th to Feb 3rd. Get your copy today! “Julie Rowe creates a chilling story in Search and Destroy.  The threat to mankind is real and harsh. The entire book is a high-octane race against the clock with lives in the balance.” -Jeanne S., NetGalley “Julie Rowe provides a high paced action novel with steamy romantic scenes thrown in. Her characters are well-crafted and her subject knowledge is spot on. The multifaceted plot included everything from relationship quandaries to bioterrorism threats and kept the reader engaged the entire time.” -Tara M., NetGalley Search & Destroy excerpt: Their fight, in all its stupid, irrational glory flared up in full color, 3-D splendor in her head. She had told him in no uncertain terms she didn’t want him to take care of her, yet here he was doing it anyway. Instead of feeling angry, she felt…guilty. She’d been wrong. About Halverson, the reach of the FAFO, and what she really wanted—a man she could depend on. She’d thrown it all away. She sure as hell didn’t deserve to have him looking after her now. Carmen turned away the next time he offered her more…

I reread my books. There I said it. Yes, I have a TBR pile a mile high, but sometimes, I don’t want a new book to read. I want a book that will give me the emotional journey I need today. Sometimes, when I’m having a bad day and I need a pick-me-up, I know exactly which book will give me that. Sometimes I’m just tired and I need a story that won’t break my brain. Sometimes I just want to hang out with a story that’s more of an old friend than fiction. Here, in no particular order, are my top 5 favorite comfort reads: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh – I love the internal struggles of the characters. They rise above expectation (especially their own expectations of themselves) and their love is so frickin pure. Makes me cry every time and I’ve probably read it 50+ times. Written in Red by Anne Bishop – This story, and the whole series, has amazing worldbuilding. The main characters start out wanting more out of life but don’t know how to go about getting it. They have to make leaps of faith and trust to move forward. Trust is at…

The last couple of years have been a challenge. 2016 saw a massive wildfire force the total evacuation of my home city (Fort McMurray, AB) for a month. Since then, I’ve had several family members become sick and/or pass away. It seemed like just when I thought things were going back to normal, some new horrible thing would happen. The stress was unrelenting and my creative output suffered as a result. Thankfully, I have an amazing editor who stuck with me, offered advice, and encouraged me to keep writing despite the often overwhelming grief I was mired in. Writing Sleight of Hand, the latest release in my Outbreak Task Force series, probably saved my life for several reasons: – It gave me an outlet for my grief and stress – It was something positive to focus on – I worked through some of my own trauma while my characters worked through theirs – Daily writing meant keeping a schedule, setting goals, and feeling a sense of accomplishment – Achieving a goal (creative or otherwise) releases dopamine in the brain (the happy chemical) All of this reduced my stress level, which had a direct, positive, impact on my health by: –…

The first time I met River, the hero of VIABLE THREAT (out May 22nd) was in early 2015 when he made an appearance in LETHAL GAME (book two in the Biological Response Team series). He was part of a protection detail, a secondary character, meant to interact with and support the main characters. I thought he was a cool dude, and he took complete advantage of my writerly affection, staying with me long after the book was finished. Secondary characters can be sneaky. Most of them come and go with no trouble, do the job of best friend, acquaintance, or irritant, then disappear quietly off stage. Occasionally, one will come along that has no interest in quietly going anywhere. Instead, they sneak into the hearts and imaginations of their author and readers, demanding their own story. River didn’t demand, per say, he just occupied the front of my mind and refused to leave until he got what he wanted: life, love, and a happily ever after. During the course of LETHAL GAME he sustains a head wound and other injuries. VIABLE THREAT picks up a year later with him now state-side in a teaching role and struggling with PTSD. He’s…