Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written one book, The Red Flag. It is the debut novel to what I hope will be a long and successful writing career.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a historical fiction novel called The Red Flag. My goal was to create something as historically accurate as I could. I wanted to reveal the true villainous nature of pirates during the Golden Age rather than portray them as the romantic swashbucklers that Hollywood likes to make movies about.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
While I mostly write historical fiction, I love to read fantasy, especially the grimdark genre. My favorite authors are always changing, but I’m currently into books by Django Wexler and Jim Butcher.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a science fiction project that takes place in a world accessible through portals. A cold war in this other world turns hot and spills into our own world. The main characters must not only take up arms in this conflict, but also learn how to navigate the new setting in which they find themselves.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love to use Goodreads, both as an author and as a reader. I try to be active on there and interact with readers, and I also interact with other authors whose works I’m interested in. I’m also very active on Twitter and am grateful for the supportive writing community I am now apart of.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to keep reading and keep writing. There was a time when I thought I was ready to publish many years ago. I was just a kid. But I held off and continued to develop my writing. It’s now almost ten years later and looking back I can see the improvement that I’ve gone through. It’s difficult to look at your own writing objectively. But the more you practice writing and the more time you spend reading, you’ll be able to see the improvement and know when the time has come.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m not sure who said it first, but a quote I love is, “If you write a page a day, you’ll have a novel in a year.” Sometimes it’s just so hard to get the words out and sometimes you just don’t feel like writing at all. But that quote has kept me motivated and on track.
What are you reading now?
The last book I read was The Guardship by James L Nelson. There are more in the series and I haven’t gotten to reading them yet, but they are next on my list.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Just keep writing. Now that I’ve published my debut novel, it feels like a lot has opened up for me, and I’m eager to get started. This is just the beginning of my writing career. I have so many plans and now it’s time to buckle down and get to them!
Author Websites and Profiles
Julia Maiola Amazon Profile
Julia Maiola’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account