| Interview with Julie Gorges |
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
Unfortunately I didn't know that I wanted to be a writer when I was young. I enjoyed writing short stories,
poetry and kept a journal faithfully, but never really thought about writing as a career. When I was in my
20's I decided to take some writing classes just for the fun of it. Later I got up the nerve to start submitting
my work. When my first short story was accepted for publication, I was hooked.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I didn't know anyone in the business and didn't have a college degree in English. I learned the craft of
writing through classes, reading every book on writing I could find at the library and attending seminars
and writer's conferences. I got the information I needed from Writer's Market and started submitting my
stuff to magazines. I started off with smaller magazines and worked my way up. I also worked as a
newspaper reporter, later published a non-fiction book published by McGraw Hill and most recently
published a teen novel. I got published through good old-fashioned patience and persistence. I never
gave up!
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
In my YA novel "Just Call Me Goody-Two-Shoes" 15-year-old, Jade, is a perfectionist, people-pleaser and
constant list maker. As her family deals with the trauma of her older brother's addictions and she falls for
the guy her best friend is dating, Jade discovers life isn't always neat and orderly; in fact, it gets downright
messy! Readers and reviewers have told me they can easily relate to Jade and her friends. The book
describes how it feels to have family problems, a competitive girlfriend, a painful crush on the boy down
the street, and obsessively worry about your first kiss. A lot of the novel comes straight from diaries I kept
as a teen.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Like a ton of teen-agers, I grew up reading Judy Blume. She was my favorite YA author and definitely
inspired me to try and reach out to teens and hopefully touch their lives in a similar way.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My family has been my biggest support through all the ups and downs of my writing career. Every time an
article or story was published, or when I received my journalism awards or got the first great review for my
book - my husband, Scott, bursted with pride for me. My two sons, Jonathan and his wife, Nicole, and
Christopher have also cheered me on and are helping me promote the book in various ways. My Mom
and Dad and my siblings have all supported and helped me and yes, everyone is absolutely thrilled to
see my dreams come true.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate and pasta.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Drink coffee, read the newspaper, and read a verse from the Bible.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
In my closet I still have this silly looking stuffed monkey that my husband won for me at a fair about 30
years ago.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know:
If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Yellow, because it's so cheerful.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I think the dog, Brian, on Family Guy is hysterical. I hope I'm not like any cartoon character!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
This is probably a common answer, but I would like to be beamed back to Jesus' day. What a privilege to
personally meet him and soak up some of that wisdom.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I still listen to rock on the radio and love anything by Bon Jovi or Five Four Fighting. My son, Christopher,
made a CD of piano music that he wrote that I listen to when I want to relax and feel like a proud Mom.
However, I don't usually listen to music when I'm writing because it breaks my concentration.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
For the first time, I got hooked into American Idol and I love Lost, Smallville and Amazing Race. I grew up
in the 70's and whenever I see some of those cheesy movies on TV like Urban Cowboy or Poseidon
Adventure or the classic Jaws, I can't help watching them again. Also Captain Ron and Overboard, which
make me laugh every time. The last movie I saw at the theater was Mission Impossible III.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Always give everything your best shot and you'll be rewarded for your efforts. This is true with writing -
you have to keep working on your story until you get it right - but this principle applies with everything in
life. Even if something doesn't work out, you won't have regrets because you didn't try hard enough.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I'm currently at work on my second novel. The theme is ending destructive relationships, because I think
this can be tricky when you're young. The main character has a friendship that isn't healthy anymore, but
she has a hard time letting go.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
wanted to be a writer?
Unfortunately I didn't know that I wanted to be a writer when I was young. I enjoyed writing short stories,
poetry and kept a journal faithfully, but never really thought about writing as a career. When I was in my
20's I decided to take some writing classes just for the fun of it. Later I got up the nerve to start submitting
my work. When my first short story was accepted for publication, I was hooked.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I didn't know anyone in the business and didn't have a college degree in English. I learned the craft of
writing through classes, reading every book on writing I could find at the library and attending seminars
and writer's conferences. I got the information I needed from Writer's Market and started submitting my
stuff to magazines. I started off with smaller magazines and worked my way up. I also worked as a
newspaper reporter, later published a non-fiction book published by McGraw Hill and most recently
published a teen novel. I got published through good old-fashioned patience and persistence. I never
gave up!
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
In my YA novel "Just Call Me Goody-Two-Shoes" 15-year-old, Jade, is a perfectionist, people-pleaser and
constant list maker. As her family deals with the trauma of her older brother's addictions and she falls for
the guy her best friend is dating, Jade discovers life isn't always neat and orderly; in fact, it gets downright
messy! Readers and reviewers have told me they can easily relate to Jade and her friends. The book
describes how it feels to have family problems, a competitive girlfriend, a painful crush on the boy down
the street, and obsessively worry about your first kiss. A lot of the novel comes straight from diaries I kept
as a teen.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Like a ton of teen-agers, I grew up reading Judy Blume. She was my favorite YA author and definitely
inspired me to try and reach out to teens and hopefully touch their lives in a similar way.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My family has been my biggest support through all the ups and downs of my writing career. Every time an
article or story was published, or when I received my journalism awards or got the first great review for my
book - my husband, Scott, bursted with pride for me. My two sons, Jonathan and his wife, Nicole, and
Christopher have also cheered me on and are helping me promote the book in various ways. My Mom
and Dad and my siblings have all supported and helped me and yes, everyone is absolutely thrilled to
see my dreams come true.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate and pasta.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Drink coffee, read the newspaper, and read a verse from the Bible.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
In my closet I still have this silly looking stuffed monkey that my husband won for me at a fair about 30
years ago.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know:
If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Yellow, because it's so cheerful.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I think the dog, Brian, on Family Guy is hysterical. I hope I'm not like any cartoon character!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
This is probably a common answer, but I would like to be beamed back to Jesus' day. What a privilege to
personally meet him and soak up some of that wisdom.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I still listen to rock on the radio and love anything by Bon Jovi or Five Four Fighting. My son, Christopher,
made a CD of piano music that he wrote that I listen to when I want to relax and feel like a proud Mom.
However, I don't usually listen to music when I'm writing because it breaks my concentration.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
For the first time, I got hooked into American Idol and I love Lost, Smallville and Amazing Race. I grew up
in the 70's and whenever I see some of those cheesy movies on TV like Urban Cowboy or Poseidon
Adventure or the classic Jaws, I can't help watching them again. Also Captain Ron and Overboard, which
make me laugh every time. The last movie I saw at the theater was Mission Impossible III.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Always give everything your best shot and you'll be rewarded for your efforts. This is true with writing -
you have to keep working on your story until you get it right - but this principle applies with everything in
life. Even if something doesn't work out, you won't have regrets because you didn't try hard enough.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I'm currently at work on my second novel. The theme is ending destructive relationships, because I think
this can be tricky when you're young. The main character has a friendship that isn't healthy anymore, but
she has a hard time letting go.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!