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
Writing a Novel: How NOT to Begin!
The opening segment of your novel is by far the most important part, not only because you must hook your readers and keep them hooked, but because you are going to rely on your first few pages as a sample when [...]
Retreating to Costa Rica again!
Last month was our fifth annual writing retreat to Costa Rica, and while all of them have been wonderful, in some ways, this was the best yet. Eight incredible writers who shared laughter and moved one another to tears. Workshop mornings [...]
Building a Writer’s Life
I've always wanted to be a writer, and of course, to be a writer there's only one thing you really have to do: write. That's what I tell my students, and it's true. But building a life as a writer is [...]