About

*** Full Disclosure - The picture to the left is several years old. But it was around the time that I had my second short story traditionally published. I am older with a lot more wrinkles, lol. I will upload new pics soon.

2020, for all its chaos and resemblance to a dumpster fire, was a blessing for me.  You read that right. A Blessing. (Where is that clap emoji when I need it?) Now, let me tell you why.

I have always been a writer. Ever since I wrote my first chapter book in third grade, I knew in my heart that writing is where my soul is. However, the nagging doubts and insecurities always had me tucking away my soul’s purpose for all the other things life threw my way.  Despite the fact that I have had two short stories traditionally published, it wasn’t good enough.  Despite the fact that numerous people over the years have told me how good my writing is and that I should really focus on it, I didn’t think I had the talent. And despite the fact that I was actually making a living writing for other people at one point, I still did not have the confidence to do what I was put on this earth to do.

Instead, I did what the world said that I “should’ do. I got my Bachelor Degree in Business and Administration and then went on to get my Master Degree in Legal Studies. I have held numerous jobs in my life, from waitress and housekeeper to manager and real estate agent. Ultimately, none of them ever gave me the true fulfillment I craved. Spoiler alert – the reason was because I was not writing.

Thankfully, that changed when the world was turned upside-down in 2020. I realized that writing was something that I did not want to wait to do any longer, because we never know what tomorrow will hold. And so I wrote. From May 2020 to November 1 2020, I wrote an d self- published the first three books in my Brides of Lilac Grove Series.

Writing saved my life. Whether or not I had published, the simple act of writing has given me the peace that I have been yearning for all those years. By extension, it has made me a better mother, a better friend and a better person.

Fast forward to August 2022 – I have officially written and self-published four books for my Brides of Lilac Grove series, as well as two stand alone Clean contemporary Romances. In addition, i have written and self-published four books in A Witch in Paradise series under my other pen name – Julia McAllister.

My Passion

I believe that writers are born to write. Without the basic act of writing, we become shells of the people we were created to be. We are stressed, unfulfilled, and, at times, unpleasant. Unfortunately, as writers, we tend to forget that the key to our happiness is simply to write.

I have absolutely witnessed the transformation, both within myself and my fellow writers, when they finally sit down and begin to write.

Connecting with other writers, be it a friend, a coach or a community can be empowering. Working with writers over the years, I have found the experiences can be inspiring. It can also increase your accountability, which is a key element in actually doing the work that makes you a writer.

I am painfully aware that the  idea of a writing relationship or community can make us all a bit sick to our stomachs; want to grab our notebooks and head for the door; or close the screen, as the case may be. The very idea makes us want to hide all that much more. After all, what if no one likes our writing? What if someone steals our idea? Or, what if what I write is actually good? What if I really am a writer?

But if you can manage put away the doubts, and the fears, and the imposter syndrome, and whatever else might be holding you back, you might just see that you really are a writer.

I a passionate about witnessing that transformation in my fellow writers and cultivating those relationships and communities. I am honored when I am able to be a part of it.

My Goals

Along with writing as much as humanely possible, my goal for 2021 is to help as many reluctant writers as I can to reclaim the writer within and tell their stories. Whether you have a chaotic folder labeled “story ideas” tucked in the bottom of your sock drawer that you have been adding to for the past two decades, or you have never even considered yourself a writer, I want to help you write.

We are constantly bombarded with what is wrong with the world. I believe that it is up to us, the writer’s of the world, to show everyone what is right with the world. And what could be right with the world.

The simple act of writing – what you were put on this Earth to do – is transformative. A writer who is writing is happier and healthier. Because of that simple fact, writing can change you, it can change your family, it can change your community, it can even change the world.

My goal in 2022 is to help you Claim your Write!