This book should be a movie!

Have you ever read a novel and thought, “This HAS to be turned into a movie!”

Yep, me too.  Author Julie Spencer is a prolific romance writer with a great flair for creating memorable characters and a fun plot.  Why haven’t her books been turned into the next Twilight movie franchise?

She just launched book #5 in her Sayid Royal Family Saga

         

All of the books in the series are super entertaining billionaire stories.  Did you know “billionaire” is actually a subset within the romance genre?  Who knew?  In this saga, there are several crown prince billionaires, brothers, romances, inheritances, and adventures.

You would think the author is from the Middle East to write such a series, but she’s a regular American girl from Michigan!  I reached out to her publicist to learn more about her and thought you might get a kick out of some of the questions and answers they sent me:

Why did you decide to write your books?

My imaginary friends won’t shut up until I write down their stories!

What other authors have influenced your writing style?

Stephenie Meyer

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I constantly edit as I write a book. I’ve heard other authors say you shouldn’t do that but in the process between my own editing and proofreading plus my professional editor, I rarely let a typo pass. I also write more than one book at a time and I’ve heard you shouldn’t do that either. It works for me. I’ve published over twenty-five books.

How long did it take for you to write your book?

Most books I write in just a few weeks. The Sayid Family Saga took me over a year but it’s five books and I also wrote and published three other books during that time period. I’m a very fast writer.

How do you get your creative writing juices flowing?

I have an instrumentals playlist that I’ve been listening to for so long that just putting on my headphones triggers my brain to start writing.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block and what do you do to overcome it?

Kind of. I go through phases in my life where I’m either writing or not-writing. When I’m writing, I’m writing all day every day, even when I’m away from my computer I’m still writing in my head. If I know I need to get another chapter written, I’ll reread what I’ve written recently and try to get the words to flow from the end of the last section. If that doesn’t work I go watch a funny half-hour sitcom, laugh hard and with abandon and then come back to the computer.

Do you base your fictional characters on real people you know?

Sometimes, probably a lot more than I realize. The people in our lives affect us and change us whether we know it or not. They will inevitably pop up in our stories.

What is your favorite book of all time and why?

I have read the Twilight series well over twenty times. I don’t know why. Twilight changed my life. I hadn’t written fiction in almost twenty years and when I ran out of Twilight books I started writing fiction again. I write the stories I wish I could pick up off the bookshelf and read.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing your books?

The characters have a mind of their own. They take me on twists and turns I never knew were coming. Just when I think I know where the plot is going, I find another plot twist.

How do you select names for your fictional characters?

Sometimes I look through social media friends. Often when I’m watching television, football games in particular, names will pop up and I’ll write them down in my character bible for later when I need a name. Many times I’ll research names based on where the character originates. The characters in my Sayid Family Saga in particular originate from the Middle East, Mexico, Guatemala, and Maya.

What do you think makes a great story?

If the story keeps readers turning pages. If a story makes someone cry, laugh, and/or stay up half the night, you know you’ve created a great story.

So, there you have it!  If you’d like to learn more about Julie’s books or win prizes in her Blog Tour, check out www.authorjuliespencer.com

And, if you know someone in the movie biz who’s looking for the next big romance movie, hit up Julie’s books!