Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Beasley.
Julie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in the Midwest, Indiana mainly where people are really friendly like Houston, but they don’t say y’all too much. I’m an advertising copywriter and a children’s book author. My first career job was at a Chicago advertising agency where I wrote ads for toys and chewing gum. From there, I moved to New York and worked at the NYC ad agencies I’d always dreamed of, thinking of ideas and writing for all sorts of brands, like those you carry in your pocket, tie on your feet and clean your face with.
I got married and become a mom to a couple of kids along the way before moving to Houston in 2016, continuing my copywriting as a freelancer for some great Houston ad agencies. When Hurricane Harvey punched our great city in the gut in 2017, I wrote my first children’s book “H is for Harvey.” The book is about the storm and how people came together to help one another with Texas-sized hearts.
The royalties for the book go to The Astros Foundation for ongoing Harvey relief efforts. During author visits, kids were pretty fascinated that hurricanes have “real people” names, which inspired me to write my new book called “My Name Is A Hurricane?” It’s about a boy on a quest to find out why he shares a name with a hurricane. It’s got some fun rhymes and info on how hurricanes are named.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For me, writing the first book was the easy part. But, to actually get it published was something else. I have a whole new appreciation for authors, publishers, and the whole book business. After a lot of research and reaching out, I landed a great publisher, TCU Press. As with any project, there can be a lot of moving parts and this was no different. And once a book comes out, “the real work begins” as they say. (Who is “they” anyway?”) My years of work marketing and advertising have been invaluable to help push the books.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Before Houston, I always had a full-time job. If I didn’t move here, I probably wouldn’t have started freelance writing or started writing children’s books! I feel fortunate that I’m in a profession that I love and never really feels like “work” to me. Thinking of ideas and writing is my sanity, especially during the pandemic. It provides a sense of calm and normalcy for me and makes me a better person, a better mom – I hope.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I might have started freelance writing a bit earlier. We all know, it can be hard to leave the safety and comfort of what you know and take a leap of faith.
Contact Info:
- Website: juliebeasley.com
- Email: julieadgirl@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliegraybeasley/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.graybeasley
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