I love the fact that Julie is so diverse in her genres. Makes it more exciting to follow her career! I share some favorite authors with Julie and I love the way Julie has been inspired to write. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!

Kate: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

JR: The short answer: 2002.

The long answer: for most of my life, I was pretty convinced I wasn’t creative, and had no desire to write fiction. I’d written in other formats throughout my life—newspapers and academic papers and marketing copy—but never fiction.

But in 2002, my husband and I visited France on vacation, and I was so impressed by our visit to Vézelay, I was compelled to write about it. I haven’t looked back since, and frankly I can’t imagine my life without writing. It felt like coming home, writing those first few paragraphs, and I haven’t looked back.

Kate: Where did you get your inspiration for The Pilgrim Glass?

JR: There were a few things that inspired me. First was the town of Vézelay and its basilica—I loved the charming little town and the enormous, hulking church that crowns the hill there.

The second was a visit to the Wine Museum in Beaune, near Vézelay. As I was walking down a spiral staircase between floors, I passed a leaded glass window that had what looked to be very old glass in it—the kind that has the waves and the seeds. It stopped me in my tracks, and made me wonder—what would it take to repair a stained glass? What kind of personality would one need?

I’ve always been interested in the Middle Ages, and how modern people interact with history, so that was the last bit of inspiration, and the three combined were a great way to explore the concepts of art, faith, guilt, and redemption.

Kate: You prefer fiction or non-fiction?

JR: I like both! It depends on my mood, and whether or not I’m in the midst of research for a story.

Kate: What is your favorite part of history?

JR: Well, if we’re talking eras, I am definitely drawn to the Middle Ages; it is endlessly fascinating to me. But there’s so much I’m interested in and want to learn more about, for example California in the 19th century, California before the Spanish, Edwardian England, Roman Britain, and Scandinavia in the Middle Ages, to name just a few.

If we’re talking elements of history, I’d say my favorite is social history and the lives of everyday people, as well as the ways geology and weather shaped cultures. Political history is interesting and useful, but I’d much rather learn about how the “regular” folk lived; it’s that thread of connection between people across centuries, you know?

For an interesting and highly entertaining popular history of every day life, I’d recommend Lucy Worsley’s book and BBC series, If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home.

Kate: Who is your favorite author?

JR: Again, it’s really hard to choose a favorite. I love Tolkien for the worlds he created, his love for language and myth, and his lush description of landscape. I adore Patrick O’Brian, not only for his brilliant rendering of the time (I’m pretty sure he had a time machine), but his absolutely crystalline characterizations of Aubrey and Maturin. It’s such a joy to see them develop and grow over the course of the books. There are so many others, but these are the two I come back to over and over.

Kate: What is your favorite hobby?

JR: I love reading, of course. I also enjoy travel, genealogy, playing and listening to music, and watching (historical) documentaries. And watching Doctor Who. I am a devoted Doctor Who fangirl.

Kate: Where are your favorite places to relax?

JR: We are very fortunate to have a lovely back yard, with a gigantic coast live oak and a redwood tree. When the weather is nice (which, this being California, is a good part of the year) I like to sit on one of our lawn chairs in the grass, under the branches. It’s incredibly soothing.

Kate: Which one of your stories is your favorite?

JR: Oh man. That’s an impossible question! All of my stories have been important to me for one reason or another—whether it was working out an idea or emotion I had at the time, or learning something new about the craft, or trying out a different approach. They also remind me about my life at the time of the writing—this part of the story was written while on my way to Chicago, that story was written on a boiling summer’s afternoon. So. That was the long-winded answer. The short answer is I don’t have a favorite, though I am very fond, for a lot of very personal reasons, of an as-yet unpublished novel (an historical) that will hopefully see the light of day soon.

Kate: What is next for you?

JR: Writing, writing, writing. I’m finalizing a novel set in 1905 Norway, working on a story set mid-century in Tunisia, and working on the next draft of a screenplay.

Kate: Who inspires you?

JR: My husband. He is a middle school teacher and a volunteer photographer for our local fire departments, and his dedication, courage, and artistry are a constant source of inspiration.

~*~

Be sure to check out Julie at the following locations…

Official Site
@juliekrose

Please click HERE to check out the books available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com by Julie K. Rose