Interview with Author Julie Moffett

 Julie Moffett

Northern Virginia, US

Dear Gentle Readers,

This morning I have a real treat for you, an interview with the lovely Julie Moffett, who is a bestselling author and writes in the genres of mystery, young adult, historical romance and paranormal romance. She has won numerous awards, including the 2014 Mystery & Mayhem Award for Best YA/New Adult Mystery, the prestigious 2014 HOLT Award for Best Novel with Romantic Elements, a HOLT Merit Award for Best Novel by a Virginia Author (twice!), and several other awards. She is currently writing Book #11, NO STONE UNTURNED, in her popular, geeky Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series and just released her first young adult mystery titled, WHITE KNIGHTS, the first in an adventurous spy/mystery series. Read more about Julie and her books at www.juliemoffett.com.

Good morning, Julie, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. What have you written? 

I have written and published 21 novels in the mystery, historical romance, time-travel romance, young adult mystery, and paranormal romance genres.

What is your favorite genre to write? 

I like them all, but am currently focusing on mystery/spy adventures.

Tea or coffee? 

Coffee!

Pizza or ice cream? 

Both?!?

My kind of person! Wine or beer? 

Wine, please. Or champagne, especially pink champagne.

Favorite food. 

Tacos with lots of HOT sauce.

Where would you like to visit? 

Egypt. I’ve always wanted to ride a camel and see the pyramids. As a result, I set Book #10 in my geeky Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series, NO LIVING SOUL, in Egypt!

You must watch the movie The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec! It's a French film with English subtitles. She goes to Egypt to dig up a mummy to heal her very sick sister.

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write?  

I love tons of musicians and have numerous playlists. I almost always listen to music when I write.

What makes you laugh? 

A witty, snarky comeback.

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

The David by Michelangelo. No further explanation needed. Lol!

I agree. I saw him in Florence. Mesmerizing. How old were you when you started writing? 

7 years old. I wrote a story about Prince Val and Princess Tina who met on Valentine’s Day and got married and lived happily ever after in a castle. 

I sold it for a penny a read on the playground and it was an instant best-seller among all the girls in the 2nd grade. It all started with that book.

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write? 

I’m a total plotter. Think Dragnet: “Just the facts ma'am.” I need to know the plot up front and all the way to the end, including the series arc since I’m writing a long-running mystery series. That doesn’t mean things don’t sometimes take an unexpected turn. They do. But I’ve always got a goal in mind.

Lexi Carmichael sounds like a girl we'd like to get to know a little better. Will you come back and tell us a little more about Lexi and the series? Maybe give us a little excerpt?

Okay

Describe your perfect evening. 

Staying at home and snuggling under a warm blanket in front of the fireplace while reading a good book and sipping a glass of wine.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get it from everywhere and everyone one I know.  Real events are important, as are things that happen to my friends. No one is safe.  Everyone who knows me, even remotely, is in danger of appearing in my novel.

What do you do when you get a writer's block? 

I take a step back immediately. I consider writer’s block to be my Muse and she is telling me something is wrong. I’ll go back and examine my story and see if I can figure out where it went wrong.

Who is your favorite author? 

I like Mary Stewart, Michael Crichton, JK Rowling, Robert Crais, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Tess Gerritsen and Nora Roberts/JD Robb, among a thousand others.

Best book you ever read. 

Watership Down by Richard Adams. 

The rabbit fantasy thing just does it for me every time.

I absolutely loved that book! Fiver! Fiver!

Last book you read. 

Nora Roberts, Homeport

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer? 

I wouldn’t want to do anything else!

Spoken like a true writer, Julie. Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 

My parents. They instilled in me a love of reading at a very young age and that triggered my love of all things involving books, reading and writing.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 

Harry Potter. I’d ask him what he was thinking when he passed up a gem like Hermione Granger.

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Website: http://www.juliemoffett.com/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JulieMoffettAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JMoffettAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie_moffett/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julie-moffett