💬 10 Questions with Julie DeFisher
What’s the first story you ever wrote?
The Doll was the first short story but Vampires of Darkness was the first longer than three pages.What book made you fall in love with reading?
The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but the one that really got me into thinking was Goosebumps.What’s your favorite way to write—pen and paper, laptop, dictation...?
See this is a harder one. I stand by my paper and pen with a vengeance but as of the last year… I am laptop. I believe that has more to do with the state of my house and life than convinced though.Where do your story ideas come from?
Hehehehe…. Real life. I tell everyone my life is stranger than fiction and 9/10 my characters are based on real people and a variation of events that have happened to me in the 39 almost 40 years on this side of the dirt. Some of this shit you can’t make up. Other stories or ideas come from my dreams or writing what I actually want to read. That’s how Destined for More got here.What does a ‘successful writing day’ look like for you?
Success is measured differently for each and every person. For me, it's simply I made it off the paragraph I’ve been working on for the last two months. It's 500 words on the page that didn’t exist yesterday. Or sometimes it's the 12 new stories that will now haunt my dreams.If you could swap lives with any of your characters for a day, who would it be and why?
Shit that’s a hard one. I would have to say Rose toward the end of Destined. Why, cause I miss working on cars in a shop. And the guys bringing me lunch.What’s your guilty pleasure when you’re supposed to be writing?
Oh lord. I like the little reels short stories. I laugh so hard at the bad acting or get second hand embarrassment for the characters. For me its still research… or at least that's my story and I’m sticking to it. My other thing is YouTube. I’ll get lost for hours watching clips of shows I’ve never watched and now want to.If your life had a theme song right now, what would it be?
LMAO… Well… I pick a song every year and that is my fight song for that year. This however has been the first year I haven’t chosen one. But if I had to choose right this second… it would have to be a toss up between Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma Luke Cobs and Diamond Eyes Shinedown.What’s one thing you wish more readers knew about indie authors?
We are human. That actually goes for every creative not just Indies. There will be mistakes. Even trad pub has them. So, yes I see points of pointing out the problem with the grammar and spelling errors, but damn it some of us don’t have the thousands of dollars to throw at editing and are doing our very best in the matter.If someone only read one of your books or stories, which would you recommend and why?
I would say Crossroads. Mainly because Destined for More already has the hype and following. Crossroads is a unique take on Mafia with both touch her and touch him and die vibes.
⚡ Rapid Fire
No overthinking. No filters. Just facts, fun, and a little chaos.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Preferably strong enough to resurrect the dead or show up on a drug test.
Early bird or night owl?
Night owl. Midnight is when the muses whisper... and the house is finally quiet.
Sweet or savory?
Savory. Unless it’s chocolate. Then all bets are off.
Laptop or notebook?
Notebook when I'm emotionally spiraling. Laptop when I mean business.
Werewolf or vampire?
Werewolf. Give me grit, growls, and loyalty issues. Vampires when I need the dark and dangerous romantic.
Heels or boots?
Boots. Preferably steel-toed and made for kicking down doors (or walking through hell).
Clean house or clean laundry?
At this point? Whichever happens first without me having a meltdown, or my kid claiming everything.
Music while writing or silence?
That depends on how loud the voices in my head are. Music loud, moody, emotionally damaging for when I know they won't talk to me that day. Silence when they are.
Introvert or extrovert?
LMAO… I have been told I'm an extrovert with trauma and trust issues. I like to think I'm more of a socially fluent introvert. I can turn it on, but I’m charging for days afterward.
Most used phrase while writing?
That would depend on the book.
Favorite curse word?
Fuck… it’s unniversal.
Zombie apocalypse weapon of choice?
Baseball bat, bicycle, and fire.
Guilty pleasure?
Romcoms. Love stories.
Biggest fear?
Failing my son. Losing myself completely. And not making my mother proud.
Something people never guess about you?
I love working on engines. Grease under my nails feels like therapy sometimes. I am not a city girl, even though I was born in Chicago and lived up north until 4th-5th grade. I like dolling up but there really isn’t much of a call for it being a SAHM.
Best writing fuel?
Coffee, nicotine, and whatever playlist makes me feel like the main villain. Because let's face it, I'm good with being the Villain in peoples stories.
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10 Things I Wish More People Knew About Writing (and Publishing)
Writing a book is the easy part. Editing, Formatting, Cover Art, and Publishing it? That’s where the real hustle begins.
Not all platforms pay you fairly. Know your worth and don’t sign blind. If the deal sounds too good to be true, honey it is.
“Overnight success” is a landmine that usually takes 5 –10 years and a whole lot of breakdowns. The ones you're seeing out here that look instant, they laid the groundwork long before they wrote a book. That is not typical practice.
Your first draft is supposed to suck. It’s called a rough draft for a reason.
The writing communities can be amazing… and sometimes a hot mess. But sometimes the realist people are the ones that will tell you the truth along with how to fix it.
Not every reader is your reader—and that’s okay. I tell everyone that I’m as abrasive as steel wool. And my writing, characters, and hell even the art that goes with it isn’t for everyone. But you will find your people if you stop looking so hard.
Marketing is a full-time job on top of writing. Get comfy with Canva, capcut, and all the other editing things.
You need a tribe, not an audience. People who’ll call you out and hype you up. I have an Izzy, Patric, and Kesh. I get away with zero shit. And that’s the point.
You don’t need fancy tools or a degree to be a good writer. You need consistency and guts. Someone that knows and drills grammar rules into you like a drill sergeant probably helps too.
Protect your voice. Don’t let anyone rewrite your soul out of the story. Protect your work and peace the same way you would your family, friends and fur babies. You didn’t spend all that time breathing life into something to have it hijacked.
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