Subject: Exciting Updates on Bookstore Events and Writing Progress

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For Readers

Hi Friend,

Meet Julia in Person in May and June

May 11, 2024

California State University, San Bernardino

9am--3pm

The event will consist of author presentations, workshops, and other entertainment. More info here.

June 13 - 15, 2024

Historic Deadwood, South Dakota

If you want to attend or get more information about this event, follow this link.

The summer months are almost here! It's a great time to travel and meet readers. If you live in Southern California or in western South Dakota, I invite you to attend the Latino Book & Family Festival or the Wild Deadwood Reads conference.

I will be attending both as a speaker and meeting readers at the autograph tables.

Writing Update!

I'm excited to share that I've finished writing my upcoming Christmas romance novel! I'm currently editing and working with my cover designer to prepare it for release in late October or early November.

I like the fall and have set many of my novels in the cooler seasons, but this is my first time writing a Christmas book. Something I love about the Christmas holidays is getting a few days off to read (and even watch holiday movies) because the stories get me in the mood to shop for people I love, bake and eat yummy food, and go out in the cold weather to enjoy the decorations.

So, at some point in my career, I just had to write a Christmas story. I hope you all will love it as much as I have loved writing it. I will probably have a cover preview for you to see in a few weeks -- I'm estimating by June.

For Writers

New Indie Bookstores

I read an interesting article in PW magazine about the new indie bookstores that have opened their doors recently. Since 2021, we have 693 new bookstores to serve readers.

The article is interesting because it discusses that many of these bookstores see their roles in the community not just as booksellers.

Some are bookstores are specializing in BIPOC or LGBTQ authors and books to serve what they see as underrepresented authors (and probably readers).

Others have decided to become more than a bookstore and be community hubs that partner with organizations hat offer customers help in other areas of their lives.

Lastly, groups of progressive bookstore owners have decided to open their stores in areas they feel might be less receptive to diversity to expose people to different types of books.

These bookstores seem to have a mission not only to sell books, but to combine with business with social justice issues.

Interesting. Different. Will they succeed? What do you think?

Here is the link to the article.

Gaining Confidence as a Writer

What is “imposter syndrome” and how can you gain confidence as a writer? In the video below, I share why I believe feeling like an imposter instead of a "real" writer is natural, and how to deal with the symptoms of imposter syndrome:

· Anxiety

· Doubt

· (a feeling of) Worthlessness

· Lack of Confidence

· Feeling like a liar or fraud

The problem with having a syndrome is that it feels permanent. It appears that one can never move forward. This is why it’s valuable to reframe the feelings and consider how to replace them with positive and more accurate feelings.

If you are just starting out as a writer or you've ever said, "I'd love to write a book" then visit my How to Write a Book group on Facebook to read more of my blogs about writing for free, and to chat about your project and ideas with others.

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