Queen Midas Books
"Where Drama Reigns Supreme"
Julia Press Simmons
I've spun tales for as long as I can remember—big ol' fat tales from my imagination. I was twelve years old when I
began to write them down. Four years later, a couple of months after the birth of my son, I recognized my gift for what is was. Deep in the bowels of postpartum depression I
penned my first poem entitled “Suicide.” I poured all of my hurt into verse, and when I was done the pain was gone. Since then I’ve received awards for my poetry, and I’ve had
plays staged in Tennessee and New York, but nothing can compare to the overwhelming joy of “Strawberry Mansion,” my very first novel. Words can not express how grateful I am
to everyone who has read it thus far, and for those who will read it in the future. Thank you all for helping to make my dream come true!
God Bless!
Julia Press Simmons
Julia Press Simmons
Interviews
1. Why did you decide to become an author? I am a writer simply because I write almost everyday and have done so since I was a child. My desire to become an author was a natural progression.
2. Where do you get the inspiration for your stories? Oh, my God. The voices in my head… lol. I have an overactive imagination, and a wealth of dramatic life experience that keeps the words flowing.
3. We know that Strawberry Mansion is loosely based on your life, can the same be said about Begonia Brown? No Begonia Brown is a purely fictional character. I met her while writing Strawberry Mansion, and I fell in love with her story. I struggled to make Begonia real. I wanted to create a novel based on what I knew went down on the streets. I’ve never been privy to the glamorous side of the hood that many of my peers write about. I’m not knocking it, mind you, I’m just not familiar with it, and I like to write what I know,
4. Do you stick to a writing schedule? How much writing do you do per day? Yes, yes, and yes, I have too. I am an easily distracted and unorganized person. If I don’t stick to a schedule then nothing will ever get done. I usually start with an outline and once that is finished I’ll write anywhere from two thousand to 5 thousand words a day.
5. Do you experience writers block? All the friggen time. I usually get blocked when I try to make it perfect. I get stuck in an editing loop that can take a few days to get out of. When this happens, I usually take a couple of days off, watch a few movies, and then come back to it with a fresh perspective. If I’m facing a deadline, I’ll just write through it until the inspiration bug bites me again.
6. Will you aver write in a different genre? Hell yes! I am a writing a fantasy novel about African Dragons now. I love sci-fi fantasy and am a self-proclaimed nerd!
7. What’s next? I have three novels in the works: “Hell Couldn’t Be Any Better” coming out in February 2010, the final installment of the Philadelphia Story series, entitled “Violet,” coming September 2010, and my first sci-fi fantasy effort “Adjua’s Fire” will debut in January 2011.
