Today's Special - - Julia London

We are so excited to welcome Julia London to the Romance Dish today!  Gannon and PJ had the pleasure of spending some time with Julia at a RWA conference and know that this popular author is as warm, friendly and genuine in person as she comes across online.  Born on a ranch in West Texas, Julia's former career in government took her far from home, including a stint working in the White House.  But Texas eventually lured her back and, luckily for us, this born storyteller turned her efforts to writing.  The author of more than twenty books, Julia has been on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists, has been a four-time RITA finalist and the winner of the RT (Romantic Times) Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance.  Her new book, A Light at Winter's End will be released tomorrow. (Read Gannon's review here.)  For more information about Julia, visit her website (be sure to check out her unofficial bio!), like her on facebook and follow her on twitter.  You can also find her blogging with fellow authors at Whine Sisters and the Goddess Blogs. 


Five Things You Didn’t Know About Julia

I am frequently asked where I get my ideas, how I like writing both historical and contemporary settings, and how I got started in this business. I thought it might be fun for a change to tell you five things about me that might have crept their way into A Light at Winter’s End. This is a book about two sisters who face an extraordinary conflict with each other, and the lonesome cowboy who appears at a fence line one day and unwittingly steps into their conflict. If you read Summer of Two Wishes, you might want to know that the cowboy is Wyatt Clark, who comes to this novel with some baggage of his own.

1. I am hopelessly un-domestic. I don’t cook, I don’t decorate a house very well, and I have tried my hand at various crafts and either lose interest or really suck at it. In this book, Holly Fisher is a woman who has never had to make a home or cook a meal for anyone but herself. She doesn’t even have a fully equipped kitchen. So when her sister dumps her baby on her and disappears, she has no clue what to do. She doesn’t even know what she can feed the baby.

2. I grew up on a ranch in West Texas. A Light at Winter’s End is set on the edge of the western part of the state, but Wyatt’s ranch and cattle and horses are all things I grew up with.

3. I was forced—forced, I tell you—to take piano for ten years and violin for two when I was a kid. I don’t play either instrument worth a darn anymore, but I do have an appreciation for music and the construction of songs. Holly Fisher is a songwriter, and I think it would be so cool to be that. If I had another life, I would try harder at the music thing. I would want to be a songwriter and play all the different instruments.

4. I was once a public administrator and I know how mind-numbing that can be. For some people, it is truly a calling, and I knew some really fine public servants. But I was not a fine public servant. For me, it was stressful. I am a much better person when I am in a creative occupation. Hannah Drake, Holly’s sister, is in a stressful job that, on top of the dissolution of her marriage, helps to bring her down. My job didn’t bring me down in spectacular fashion like Hannah, but it did imbue me with the desire to move on. And here I am!

5. I love writing this sort of book as much as I love writing historical romance. I love creating these worlds and watching the characters take shape. I think all the characters I write are bits and pieces of people I have known. These three characters—Holly, Hannah, and Wyatt, are definitely bits and pieces of many people I have known and loved. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Thank you so much for having me here today! I am giving a signed copy of Summer of Two Wishes and a Starbucks gift card to one lucky commenter today!