Julie AND Julia

This isn’t a “List Post,” but here’s a few new things, for 2016:

I now have a personal/profile Facebook page (“Julie McDermott“), AND an author/fan page, created some time ago (“Julia McDermott, Author“)!
If you’re my FB friend on the former, please “Like” me on the latter (I’ll probably invite you to, if I haven’t already).
So, ~~should~~ do you call me Julie, or Julia? My legal name (and the one I sign, and write under) is Julia, but call me either one. (See my post, https://juliamcdermottbooks.com/2013/10/29/julie-or-julia/)
Stay tuned for future announcements on publicity about me in the news!
It’s on my personal FB page, but ALL THE ABOVE is a nominee for the 2016 Georgia Author of the Year Award in the Memoir/Autobiography category!
Three trips are on the horizon, so far, and they’re all “out west” – one in April, one in June, and one in September!

“It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.”
– W. C. Fields

January 19, 2016 0

List Post: Nouvelle Année – janvier 2016

Read my author interview by fellow Sister in Crime author Linda Sands on Wednesday, January 13 on her blog. I’ll be answering Linda’s funky questions about my book ALL THE ABOVE.
Then on Thursday and Friday, January 14 and 15, fellow Atlanta Writers Club member and author Rona Simmons will host me on the Virtual Village Book Festival on Facebook. From 10 am on 1/14 to 5 pm on 1/15, you can ask me questions on this interactive event!
Book 4 is ready! (See word count details below.) I’ll be revealing the TITLE soon. Estimated release date: late February or early March 2016.

AND —

Since this is my second “Nouvelle Année” Post, I thought I would look back to a year ago and add comments and updates. Here is what I wrote in January 2015. Comments are in blue.

Almost finished UN-decorating the house for the holiday season (This year, I got it done on the last day of 2015. Because I spent Christmas in France, there was less to take down.)
Writing back on schedule, after more than two weeks when I couldn’t remember what day of the week it was (Hmm..getting back on track TODAY!)
Several signed copies of UNDERWATER are available for purchase at Dunwoody Bakery, open Wednesdays through Saturdays (Alas, the bakery closed last year. If you would like a signed copy of UNDERWATER or ALL THE ABOVE, contact me, or order via PayPal on my Home page).
Looking forward to my “Member Minute” talk at the Atlanta Writers Club meeting on January 17, 2015 at 1:30 pm, at Georgia Perimeter College (This year, I’ll be doing two virtual events in January – see above.)
On the horizon: My appearance at the Augusta Literary Festival on March 6-7. Looking forward to attending, meeting readers and signing books (No festivals coming up as of yet in 2016, but I’ll keep you posted.)
Planning the release of my work of creative nonfiction, titled ALL THE ABOVE this spring (It came out on March 24, 2015!)
Resolving to step up my exercise routine this year (Ditto.)
Cheering for the Cowboys and the Seahawks during the NFL playoffs (Not sure about this yet – Still celebrating Falcons victory over the Panthers!)
Happy that I’m traveling to Chapel Hill, NC in April and in May (I’ll be in the area this year in May again, and may be before.)
Glad to share family news with close friends and family. (Last year began with that good news.)

Finally – a postscript for all you “Pizza and a Movie” post followers:

My Top 5 Movies of 2015:

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Bridge of Spies
The Gift
Brooklyn
Inside Out

And – here are 5 Movies I missed seeing, and want to see:

Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Creed
Steve Jobs
The Big Short *

*Actually, I saw this just after Christmas in France, but it was dubbed in French. I understood it 😀 – but still want to see the English language version soon.

December 31, 2015 0

Postcards from Europe, #1

My daughter (I’ll call her Mademoiselle, but if you’ve read ALL THE ABOVE, you know her name), is a junior in college, and is spending this semester studying in the south of France. She’s living in the same city I did (Montpellier), when I did the same (as a student at the same university*) for a year. Like me, she’s somewhat of a chronicler, and since August, she’s been sending me postcards (cartes postales) via la poste (snail mail).

Just as I’ve been doing with “Pizza and a Movie” posts, and as I’m starting to do with “Wine with Wendy on Wednesdays,” I’m going to do a series of posts sharing her postcards sent from Europe. Notice that she uses the French way for dates (day/month/year):

Voici la première carte postale:

“Bonjour à tous!

Today I visited the Château de Flaugergues, a small summer home built in 1696 by a member of the French Royal Court! Today it has sprawling gardens and the family that lives there makes wine (the rosé is the best) and it’s only 15 minutes away by train! I hope everything is good at home and I love you all!

Love,

Mademoiselle

28-8-2015″

Of course, she’s been in touch with me and her father by telephone, text, email, and even the odd photo on snapchat or instagram. But her postcards seem more special, and they kind of link her time in France with mine.

*The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

November 4, 2015 1

Got Antiques – and Books?

After I published my recent August “List Post,” I was asked to appear with fellow authors Valerie Connors and Mike Buchanan at Queen of Hearts Antiques Book Fair at their Marietta location, 2745 Sandy Plains Rd in Marietta, GA 30066.

Queen of Hearts is hosting

“QUEEN’S BOOK FAIR, FEATURING LOCAL PUBLISHED AUTHORS at all of its locations (Marietta, Alpharetta and Buford)

Each store will feature various local, published authors so come out and meet our local authors!”

See below for more information, and come by to browse for antiques and to pick up signed copies of my nonfiction book ALL THE ABOVE: MY SON’S BATTLE WITH BRAIN CANCER, and my novel UNDERWATER!

September 11, 2015 0

Fear + Courage = Hope

When my child was fighting cancer, this is what I lived in, every day:

But my son is a brave young man, and he understood that courage doesn’t mean the absence of fear.

During his journey with brain cancer, I was his caregiver, and as we pushed fear aside, we focused on one thing:

My child faced something most people never do at any age. At 19 years old, he was forced to look death in the face, but somehow he managed to smile:

He didn’t take No for an answer. Click here to read his story.

September 1, 2015

Kindle Countdown Deal TODAY ONLY!

In honor of the last day of August, and a week before Labor Day —

ALL THE ABOVE is ON SALE on KINDLE, TODAY ONLY!

From 8:00 AM EST (5:00 AM PST) until 12:00 Midnight EST (9:00 PM PST), you can download ALL THE ABOVE: My son’s battle with brain cancer at a SALE PRICE of only $2.99!

That’s $2 off its regular Kindle price of $4.99 (still a deal), less than a latte at your local coffeeshop, and a lot less than a movie ticket!

I studied Economics (and French) at UNC Chapel Hill and then worked in banking and IT (before raising a family and writing books), and I remember learning about price elasticity of demand * …And now, I’m putting it into practice on my latest book. No matter how many books you have on your to-read list, this one is unlike any other.

Here’s what readers have said:

“This book shows what Amazon should be all about – really well-written, personal story with depth and insight. This family is so likable. Very engaging prose..”
“Captivating…made all the more riveting because it is true…Julia McDermott’s smooth, warm, yet detailed style of writing immediately drew me into this amazing story…The courage shown by this young man is beyond inspiring, and the love and support of his family gave me chills.“
“One of the best books I have read. The strength in faith and in each other was overwhelming.”
“Wonderful book! I could not put it down. Tears flowed from beginning to end! True stories are the best and give us all a look at the reality and what a family does when faced with crisis.”

Click HERE to download ALL THE ABOVE for less than 3 bucks, TODAY ONLY!

*Something my daughter discovered when she sold her hand-made barrettes and hairbands in high school “for less than the price of a cookie at the school cafeteria.”

August 31, 2015

List Post, août 2015 (August)

Zut! August is almost over, and I haven’t done a list post for it yet!

Things have been cooking this month, so…

Voilà:

Signing copies of UNDERWATER and ALL THE ABOVE at this year’s Decatur Book Festival on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 4:00 to 5:00 at the Atlanta Writers Club booth!
Looking forward to serving on the Atlanta Writers Club Thriller Panel the next day, Sunday, Sept. 6 from 12:00 to 12:45 at the CITY HALL STAGE, then signing books again.
Enfin, moderating the AWC Urban Fantasy Panel the same day from 2:30 to 3:15 at the MARRIOTT CONFERENCE CENTER AUDITORIUM.

Speaking about my books on a panel at the Atlanta Sisters in Crime meeting on Saturday Sept. 12 from 10:30 to 12:30 with sister authors Sharon Marchisello, Lane Stone, Mary Anne Edwards, and Fran Stewart.
Going to Bouchercon 2015 world mystery convention in Raleigh, North Carolina from Oct. 8 – 11 (more on this later)!

Looking forward to meeting readers and signing books at the Book & Art Fair in Griffin, Georgia from Oct. 16 – 18.
Appearing at FoxTale Book Shoppe on Oct. 21 in Woodstock, Georgia with bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan and some other Sisters in Crime authors!

Planning to attend this year’s Killer Nashville International Writers Conference in Nashville from Oct. 29 – Nov. 1! 🎃

August 24, 2015

What’s left out of ALL THE ABOVE

My notes, outlines, and original drafts of ALL THE ABOVE included the following:

All the lyrics to the songs Jack and I listened to on the way to and from Emory (I was even going to use some of the lines at the beginning of chapters).
The time when, at an eye checkup at Omni Eye Services, another doctor (not Dr. Day or Dr. Sturdy) examined Jack’s eyes, put him in front of an apparatus, and he asked, “Is something going to touch my eyeball?” To which the doctor replied, “Oh, just a little touch.” I don’t know if it was the “air blow” thing they do, but afterward, Jack and I laughed at how the doctor responded (as if a little touch is nothing…)
The time when, at Egleston Children’s Hospital, while he was waiting to check in for yet another MRI, Jack made friends with a little boy with cancer who was bald. When they called Jack up to the counter, the worker said she didn’t realize he was a patient, and thought he was that little boy’s father.
The fact that Jack’s brother Brian was driving our van, and Jack was driving our Honda CRV that summer. We only had one other car, so I took Dennis to MARTA every morning to go to work, and picked him up each evening.
The time when two of my friends (from my Bible study group) met me at La Madeleine for a glass of wine a few days before we left for North Carolina, and I told them what was going on.
The fact that many of our close relatives didn’t ask how Jack was doing, even after he went public; I think other family members told them.
The fact that Jack was his sister Annette’s Confimation sponsor that November. (Jack is pictured below, a few weeks later in Texas.)

The fact that Dennis and I spent a weekend in Las Vegas that fall.
And, that in mid November, a friend from my Bible study, who had invited me to go to spend a long weekend at her beach house with her and another friend (in Seaside, Florida), graciously allowed me to bring my mom along, too.
Many other quotes from books and songs that I wanted to include, but couldn’t, such as:

Some of the above got edited out, and some of it wasn’t part of the story. But it was all there in my mind (or on my desk) when I set out to write the book back in April 2013 while I spent a week at the beach.

July 22, 2015

Pizza and a Movie: Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Fresh Garlic
Portobellos
Spinach

Movie:

Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

This one was another vegetarian pizza, and all topping selections were my husband’s.

Initially, I balked at the choice of garlic, and even offered to switch it for jalapeños (on only half the pizza, though). But I like garlic, it’s healthy, and with all the other ingredients on the pizza, I knew it wouldn’t be overpowering. Besides, he didn’t agree to switch.

The pizza was very good, and someday, I’ll agree to jalapeños – just not yet.

Now for the movie. Poignant, witty, cleverly done, well cast, and well acted…and, in the words of one reviewer, “rips your heart out.” Shades of the films The Fault in our Stars and 50/50. The awkwardness of high school faces cancer (the “dying girl” has leukemia) – and the result is both relatable and difficult to imagine.

However – as a mom (and a caregiver), not as the patient – I could relate to the film more than I couldn’t. My son was in college, so a little older than the dying girl, when he was diagnosed with cancer. In my latest book, ALL THE ABOVE, I tell his story from my perspective.

The movie brought one particular passage in that book to my mind:

“My thoughts traveled back to when I was nineteen and in college, a time when my biggest concerns were writing papers, studying for exams, and meeting boys. If I had been told one day that I had a brain tumor, my whole world would have crashed and collapsed.

I would have cried for days, if not weeks. Like Jack, I would have mourned the loss of my summer, the plans I had looked forward to. [But unlike Jack,] I would have felt very sorry for myself. I would have wanted to stay in my room and hide.

I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the crushing blows that just seemed to keep on coming for Jack.”

Unlike pizza topping choices, you can’t even try to bargain about cancer, notwithstanding that bargaining is one of the stages of your grief.

But you can hold onto hope.

Me and Jack in Fall 2010. His hair was just starting to grow back after radiation treatment.

July 5, 2015 0

List Post, juin 2015 (June)

Halfway through June…but here’s this month’s list:

NEWS FLASH! I’m going to be on a panel at this year’s DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL over Labor Day Weekend in September! Read about it here and stay tuned for more details.
I’ll be signing copies of UNDERWATER at The Book Worm Bookstore in Powder Springs, GA this Saturday, June 20, from 1:00 to 3:00.
It’s a “Sisters” thing! From 1:00 to 4:00 on Saturday, July 25, I’ll join several fellow Sisters in Crime authors at the Fayette County Public Library for a panel and Book Signing.
Here’s my latest 5 STAR REVIEW of ALL THE ABOVE: My son’s battle with brain cancer: “It was a very good book. It read like a novel even though it is a true story! Having a son around the same age as Jack, I really related to his story especially from his mother’s perspective. It was quite a roller coaster from before the diagnosis on. I just kept asking myself “what would I do?” in that same situation. I am not sure I could have handled it with the same strength and grace as the McDermott family. Thanks to the author for sharing this very personal story – that in itself – takes courage!”
ALL THE ABOVE has been in the TOP 20 Best Sellers on Kindle for WEEKS! Download your copy now, order it in print, or contact me for a signed copy!
Waiting to hear: The Georgia Writers Association will announce the winners of the Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) later this month. UNDERWATER is a nominee in the Detective/Mystery Category.
Making Final Revisions to WIP, but not telling any more about it – yet!

June 16, 2015