Allow me to present Julie C. Gilbert as a stop along the Indie E-Con Scavenger Hunt 2018! Start the hunt here. Learn about the E-Con here. See the picture immediately below for a clue on how to sort your letters. For your letter … see further below.
Have fun! I know I will! And now, on to a few words from author Kimia Wood.
Introduction to Me (Julie C. Gilbert):
Sorry, I have a hard time writing about myself in the third person. If you’ve read any little bio blurb about me, you know that I’m a high school chemistry teacher and a multi-genre writer with scifi, fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, and poetry titles. If you’ve chosen to dig deeper and visit my website, you’re also aware that I’m a Christian. Today, I’m going to expand your knowledge a bit by chatting about some of the themes and motivations behind various series.
What I Write and Why (Intro to the Series):
These will be roughly in publication order.
Fun Fact: Most of my works are free for 2018. Visit my Amazon page to see the bulk of them. Sign up for my newsletter if you like getting stuff ahead of publication and hearing the latest goings on.
Heartfelt Cases: (Christian Mystery)
A pair of FBI agents tackle 4 very personal cases. In The Collin Case, Ann searches desperately for an old high school friend. The Kiverson Case pits Ann and Patrick against a madman out for revenge. The Davidson Case has Ann scrambling to save her sister. The Keres Case sets the pair and their friends against a serial killer. These are Christian in the sense that the main characters are Christians, so prayer and faith are simply a part of their daily lives.
Why?: Because I wanted to write about a kidnapping and I was just starting out and this is what happened.
Devya’s Children: (YA Scifi)
This series isn’t done yet. I feel like there’s much more to explore. So far, there are 4 books featuring a cast of 9-ish genetically altered children who bond together as a family. They’re just trying to survive and live their lives. It’s the rest of the world going crazy and trying to control them through any means possible. There’s also a prequel story called The Dark Side of Science, which tells a bit about their origins.
Why?: Because I wanted to write about a kidnapping and I had a little of experience and I have a weird mind and this is what happened.
Lei Crime Kindle World Series: (Mystery, Thriller)
- Defining Moments: Never Again – kind of a misnomer because I never actually expanded upon the “series” part as book 2 became book 1 of the Shadow Council series.
Why?: Because I wanted to explore the backstories of the Lei Crime Series characters. This features Michael Stevens, one of the cops, but way before he became a cop and tries to explain why he chose that path.
- Shadow Council Series: An FBI agent (Yes, I have a thing about writing FBI agents. You can take that as you will.) in the wrong place at the right time gets caught up in a bank robbery and accidentally crosses a powerful shadow organization playing high stakes political games, including assassinations.
Why?: Because I wanted to write about Marcella Scott, the FBI agent from that series. I did mention I sort of have an obsession, right?
- Eagle Eyes: The same FBI agent from the Shadow Council Series goes on vacation and runs across yet another conspiracy. Poor lady can’t even relax properly.
Why?: I felt Shadow Council had closed or mostly closed, but I still wanted to write about Marcella.
Update: As of this writing, Kindle Worlds is going away. The stories will likely be republished under a different platform with permission from the original world owner.
Redeemer Chronicles: (MG Fantasy)
A young girl named Victoria struggles with the idea of being Chosen to save the world. The trilogy actually turned out to have far deeper meanings than I’d set forth to accomplish. What started as a spoof on fantasy turned into something I’d consider a hair shy of a straight up Christian allegory.
Guardian Angel Files 1: Spirit’s Bane (YA Fantasy)
This was a fun one for me. It just became an audiobook, narrated by a highly talented relative newcomer named Reuben Corbett. A pair of young guardian angel candidates with a special bond end up unwittingly ticking off Satan.
Themes (Things on my Heart):
In a valiant effort to avoid spoilers, I will speak in general without naming titles. A friend of mine, the same responsible for creating lovely soundtrack playlists (example here) for me, pointed out that a lot of my characters face danger head-on. There’s a self-sacrificial quality about them. Their hearts long for justice and peace, and they are willing to fight hard to protect others. Many times, the traits/qualities/gifts given to the side characters are vital to a successful outcome.
As previously mentioned, kidnapping comes up a lot. Not sure I can really pin down a reason for that. I think part of me likes the control I have over something that’s completely terrifying and baffling in the real world.
Even if I don’t specifically set out to include a certain deeper theme, they often happen. These have included multiple instances of human trafficking, fighting cancer, fighting for family, and fighting for strangers. I think that stems from a deep desire for justice.
Conclusion:
Thanks for taking the time to know me a little better. Feel free to email any time. I’d be happy to discuss any of the books with you. I can let you know about my private FB group if you wish.
Giveaway:
I’ll enter anybody who emails me sometime during Indie e-Con with the subject “Indie E-Con Giveaway” into a paperback drawing. Winner’s choice (please be aware that not all titles are available in paperback).
Links:
Email: devyaschildren@gmail.com
Amazon page – has all the published works.
Instagram: juliecgilbert_writer
Guy Worthey 
The Devya’s Children series sounds pretty cool . . . I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for sharing about your writing!
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There’s going to be more Devya’s Children books? Yay!
I just listen to them all again, and at the end of Varick’s Quest I wanted more.
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