Julie Dillard lives in Reno with her husband and four great kids who persist in calling her “Mom.” She also happily plays the role of “Mrs. Dillard,” teacher of literature, composition, and creative writing at a school for profoundly gifted young people. Offspring and students alike have been warned that all overheard snippets of dialogue are fair game to lurking novelists. Late at night, when lessons are prepped and the family sleeps, two small black dachshunds offer quiet and steadfast writing support.
Julie especially enjoys writing middle grade voices—exploring the interplay of light and dark moments and the depth of feeling of those remarkable years. Her hobbies include working scenes aloud and alone in the car, whitewater rafting, therapeutic baking, dreaming about future travels, and voracious reading (also late at night with voracious dachshund assistants).