Julia Stilchen

  Interview Q/A with Anika Arrington Tell us a little about yourself and your background? I moved to Arizona when I was 4, and I’ve been here ever since. I’m married to the best guy ever! I just gave birth to my sixth child, and he is just scrumptious. I’m a huge believer in self-education and life long learning, so I read all kinds of non-fiction as well as fiction. I studied at Northern Arizona University for three years: political science, communications, and creative writing. Obviously only one of those really stuck.  Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?   That’s actually kind of a tricky question. Not because Rezdin isn’t special (he’s a wizard for crying out loud), but because he isn’t riveting in the way so many main characters are these days. He’s dry and witty, he’s naturally an introvert in a world where the extroverts get the praise and the glory (nothing we writer’s can relate to, right?), a...

As a writer, I know all too well experiencing the stress and worries along the path of the writer's journey. There are times that I wish I could find a shortcut or fast forward to the bits of life where I really want to be in my writing career. Yet, there is a deep knowing that, it is during the process -  in the moment of this journey that I also enjoy and end up reminding myself to just slow down and take it day by day. It is not a race. There is no deadline that I need to beat. What I really need to beat are all the invading thoughts that are not worth my time during this journey. I step back and question my motives for writing. Why do I write? Why do I put so much of my time and effort with hardly there being much reward or much to show. I have spent nearly five years of just studying the craft of writing. Taking numerous of courses, workshops, seminars, and collected many writing references along the way, I mean, it has pretty much been my personal obsession of obtaining all...

I have taken several writing courses through the Children’s Book Academy and have absolutely loved and enjoyed the materials, meeting other writers and illustrators, and learning a great deal on improving my writing as well as my understanding of the craft and the publishing industry. Dr. Mira Reisberg , the founder of CBA and literary agent, is running a new course, “The Pleasures and Craft of Poetic Techniques. She is giving special discounts up till May 5th. If you have a love for writing and especially desire to refine, improve and learn more about Poetic Techniques, this is the course to take. In fact, probably the only online course out there regarding this specific area. I urge you to at least stop by this link and read all what is offered and if it fits your goals of a writer, sign up! And while you are there, check out any of her other courses! Children's Book Academy

Since it is Easter, I wanted to share what one of the creatures are like in Fablelands: The Mad Bunnies I have drawn a quick sketch, please see below: Ok, these are not your regular, cute bwaunies. They are adorable at first. You wouldn't want to pet them. They do bite. Their eyes glow red and they make a really strange vibrating sound when they are pissed off. I swear it almost sounds like they are laughing. They have white fur that shimmer in the moonlight. They live at the bases of trees where they like to dig holes beneath. I believe they enjoy eating poison mushrooms. That would explain why they are a bit on the mad side. Their bites are known to be leathal because of the poison lingering in their mouths. If a person is infected by one of these suckers, the reaction of such a bite result with something kind of like rabies in your dimension. So, that it's for today. Btw...Happy Easter! :) Visit back again for updates.

I submitted the first page of my novel, Crimson, for a critique through Children's Book Hub earlier in the week. Will hear back by next week. Curious about the feedback. I really enjoy writing stories and feel passionate about it. Look forward to each step of this process and growing as a writer!

Currently working on a book called, Crimson , a retold fairy tale of Red Riding Hood. Progress status:

When it comes to creating a platform and setting up my social media, I feel it's been well overdue. In my spare time, I want to write so I am a little behind on getting my websites up. What is social media without a website? There seems to be a lot of places to connect and network and I want to allow my audience a place where they can learn about all the information I can make available. So, I'm setting out to design my site finally. Initially, I am self-taught with Dreamweaver. I have basic knowledge of coding. With two months of studying Dreamweaver back in 2004, I managed to gain some skills and enough know how to begin using the software and found it useful to just create my layout in Photoshop and import to Dreamweaver and make further modifications there. So I am no expert coder. I'm right brained, too much coding makes my head spin. I just want to do the designing. First, I make a sketch of the layout I desire as a foundation of what I want to create and I do thi...

I'm very excited to share that one of my chapter book stories, Crimson, is published in an anthology called, Teapot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales. It was recently released on Amazon.com as an ebook along with a wonderful group of writers from the Chapter Book Challenge . My story is a different take on Red Ridding Hood. Retold as a chapter book.  A very special thanks to Becky Fyfe ! I'm very excited to have participated and have the opportunity to submit my story.

I am excited to announce that Karen Robertson's book, "What is a Book App and Could YOU Create One?: How 27 Writers Did!" is now available on amazon! If you are curious about developing a digital book app, this is a great start to read how 27 writers did. I am also among the writers interviewed in the book. Check it out! What is a Book App   Also, to find even more incredible information about digital app book publishing and marketing, please visit  Karen Robertson's wonderful website! The publishing industry is changing. There are more opportunities for authors and illustrators to publish their work. If you are a writer and want to see your books published digitally, or if you are an illustrator or both, this is the time to start planning and developing your story! I have and it is an exciting opportunity to see your work come alive that is beyond the page of a printed book. Come join the revolution of interactive digital app books, where possi...

Hi there! I'm Julia but I also go by Jules. I am starting this blog as a place in cyberspace to share and express my passions for writing and illustrating children's books, character design, book covers designing, creating and developing interactive digital app books and surface pattern designs.  I will be cataloging my progress and journey of obtaining each of my goals as I work on different projects. I am also interested in networking with like-minded individuals who are involved in the publishing industry for children's books. If you are interested to network with me, please do contact me. I'm always looking to share the latest news and updates of those in the industry. Thank you for visiting my blog and hope you enjoy all the upcoming posts!