WRITER
STORYTELLER
TEACHER
Julie Hartley
Welcome to my website! I’m a novelist, poet, creative writing teacher, editor, retreat leader and parrot owner. Here, you’ll find details of my books, including my two historical novels, set in England during World War 2 and released by Bookouture. You’ll also find information on this website about my annual creative writing retreats in Mexico and Costa Rica, and my creative writing classes for adults and teens. Check out my blog, too, for writing prompts and techniques, tales of travel and musings on a creative life. Oh – and there are a few stories about the parrot, too.
The Promise She Made is Out Now!
It’s September 1940, and with the Blitz underway 18-year-old Ruby is determined to protect her little sister from the bombs – after all, she promised as much to their mother, just before she died. So, Ruby books passage for them both on the SS City of Benares, to safety in Canada. However, her plan backfires when the Nazis torpedo the ship as it crosses the Atlantic Ocean. Ruby is injured, and eight-year-old Eliza is reported ‘lost at sea’.
Back in England, Ruby sets about rebuilding her life, determined to plough all her energy into the defeat of Nazi Germany. She trains as a spy and prepares to parachute into Occupied France. But then, she stumbles on a letter that changes everything. It seems her sister may not be dead, after all.
The Promise She Made is available on Kindle and in paperback through most online stores or by following this link: https://geni.us/ThePromiseSheMade
Why I Love to Write for Children
When my daughter was about six or so, we were walking in a forest. It was mid morning. She paused, looked up through the trees and saw the faint outline of a moon in the sky. She turned to me, wary and suspicious. “That should not be there,” she said. I was reminded of a similar feeling I had had at about the same age. I was walking home from school on my own, because that was still something six year olds could do, back then. Cutting across a park, I saw what was probably a carpet of mist and dew caused by English fog. I was certain, however, that it was an endless network of spider-like webs, suffocating the world. I ran home as [...]
Writing Beyond the First Draft
When I was a teenager, I didn’t know anyone else who wanted to write. I felt lonely and different, sitting in my bedroom, tapping out novels on my manual typewriter, while other teenage girls I knew spent their weekends hanging out in each other’s houses, talking about music and boys. I grew up in the North of England in a working class steel town where most kids saw me as fairly bizarre. The experience was profound, because without it, I wouldn’t have worked so hard to create communities for artistic kids. I wouldn’t have known how important it was that such places existed. But there is danger in thinking you are the only one. I didn’t know anyone else who wanted to be writers, so [...]
The Finding Place: Book Launch!
This past Sunday we held a Book Launch for The Finding Place and the room was packed to the seams! We went for a Chinese theme, to match the book: there were Chinese candies and moon cakes, lanterns hanging from the ceiling, traditional Chinese music and a slide show that played images of the places Kelly visits in the novel. I gave a talk about the inspiration for the book, and a short reading, followed by a book signing. The event concluded with the cutting of a huge cake. It was a wonderful celebration for everyone. Thanks to everyone who joined us!