Pastime With Books: Author Interview – Julie Farley @JulieFarley1

How much of the book is realistic? Tripped Up Love is very realistic. It takes place in a suburban middle class neighborhood. Moms all over will be able to identify with the plight of Heather even if they are not a single mom.

Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot? After my friends have read my book they have said it feels like they spent a lot of time with me. They feel me in this book. I have taken what I know and what I have experienced and mixed it all up. If you know me well, you might recognize a few things in the book. But, it is fiction and just because something happened to the main character’s best friend doesn’t mean it happened to mine. That’s something people seem to forget!

What are your current writing projects now? I am working on the sequel to Tripped Up Love. It’s titled The New Ever After. I am also finishing up a book about a magician and a mapmaker that I started two and a half years ago.

Are there any new authors that have sparked your interest and why? Last summer I read a book by Jessica Park. I was fascinated by it because it seemed so different than anything I have ever read. Her book opened me up to a world of books I didn’t know existed. I found so many self published books that I devoured. I stayed up till one and two in the morning each night reading another book. I really didn’t know books existed outside of Barnes and Noble until last summer. Figuring that out changed my life.

What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out? I love Scrivener. It helps me organize my thoughts and move them around when necessary. I cannot imagine writing a book without using Scrivener. It’s a powerful writing tool. But I also love the little yellow notepad on my phone and iPad. I jot down ideas on it all the time.