Julie Swanson @jules9swan - Bluesky Profile

Another good girls' basketball book...
julieaswanson.wordpress.com/2025/10/06/f...

17.10.2025 14:25 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I really enjoyed this MG book set on a family-owned island where an estranged extended family reunites at their lake home under mysterious circumstances. Two 12-year-old cousins trying to figure out what happened that caused the rift start hunting around the island for clues…

#northoftomboy

07.10.2025 19:51 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

A friend sent me this. She & her kids were in our C'ville B&N and saw this display. Wow, even 1 copy on a shelf would've been fun to see!

I do have a signing at B&N Sat, Oct 25 (2-4), but still... Thanks to store manager Stacie! And to K & her cute kids for a great pic.

#northoftomboy

04.10.2025 12:38 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Keynote speaker Mychal Threets stopped by our VAL booth today! Also enjoyed meeting/re-meeting fellow SCBWI authors Erin Teagan, Meg Eden Kuyatt, Susan Metallo, Terry Jennings, Alana Tyson, Deb Shumaker, Ginjer Clark, Leslie Tayloe, Cynthia Cliff, Andrew Auseon, Gaby Aldeman, & Janelle Washington.

03.10.2025 02:07 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I Believe in Libraries. EveryLibrary's Executive Director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries.

EveryLibrary's Executive Director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries.

www.everylibrary.org/i_believe_in... via @everylibrary.bsky.social

29.09.2025 19:04 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Join me for my first author event, Saturday 9/20 at 1 pm:

Glen Lake Community Library
10115 W Front St
Empire, MI 49630

07.09.2025 12:21 — 👍 9 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0

It's been a long time coming, and I'm so happy NORTH OF TOMBOY is officially out in the world!

Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me and/or my book along the way.

02.09.2025 11:24 — 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

#northoftomboy

19.08.2025 20:23 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Today's the last day for a chance to sign up to win a free copy of NORTH OF TOMBOY in my GoodReads Giveaway...
www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

#northoftomboy

17.08.2025 12:43 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Why I Chose Writing Semi-Autobiographical Fiction over Writing Memoir
julieaswanson.wordpress.com/2025/08/12/w...

12.08.2025 17:57 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Do you know a child who's gender nonconforming, gender creative, or suffers gender dysphoria? A little misogynist?

My book, NORTH OF TOMBOY, is for them. And maybe for you.

julieaswanson.wordpress.com/2025/08/07/f...

#northoftomboy

07.08.2025 14:33 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I’ve enjoyed many Lois Lowry books: The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, Son, Number the Stars, A Summer to Die... So when I saw this and read what it's about–“Estrild is not like the other girls in her village; she wants to be a warrior.”–I bought it.
julieaswanson.wordpress.com
#NorthofTomboy

03.08.2025 13:44 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I’m giving away ten copies of my new middle grade novel, North of Tomboy, to be released September 2nd. Want a chance to win? Head over to my Goodreads Giveaway page: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho... !

#giveaway #bookgiveaway #newrelease #middlegrade #NorthofTomboy #goodreads #booklover

20.07.2025 19:13 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Much appreciated!

19.07.2025 11:01 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Thanks, Bella/Belinda!

19.07.2025 11:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews... #northoftomboy

02.07.2025 11:07 — 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 1

SNAPDRAGON, by Kat Leyh What an interesting and strange book, story. Although graphic novels aren't usually my thing, I really liked this one! At first I thought the girl on the cover was some sort of half-deer, half-kid creature (again, not my thing, but I decided to give it a try because I'd read that there was something gender-related about the story), so I was surprised to find out it was just a girl who has some puffy hair she puts up in creative ways and not antlers of some sort.

SNAPDRAGON, by Kat Leyh

What an interesting and strange book, story. Although graphic novels aren't usually my thing, I really liked this one! At first I thought the girl on the cover was some sort of half-deer, half-kid creature (again, not my thing, but I decided to give it a try because I'd…

30.06.2025 11:47 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

“. . . a moving exploration of family dynamics and personal growth.”—Midwest Book Review
julieaswanson.wordpress.com/2025/06/26/m...

26.06.2025 16:06 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Mom, the 87-Year-Old Marcher She won't like this pic, but I think it's a good one because it shows how serious she is about her exercise and how put-together she looks even when walking in the boonies with just me. She will like this one, taken on our trip to Sardinia with my daughter's family last month. I'm so proud of my mom. A week ago today she was driving me to the airport in Traverse City so I could return to Virginia for a bit, and she seemed a little out of sorts, so I asked if she was OK, if anything was wrong.

Mom, the 87-Year-Old Marcher

She won't like this pic, but I think it's a good one because it shows how serious she is about her exercise and how put-together she looks even when walking in the boonies with just me. She will like this one, taken on our trip to Sardinia with my daughter's family…

21.06.2025 13:53 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

17.06.2025 16:33 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

“Reading with Pride” In an author interview a couple months ago, I was asked, What does "Reading with Pride" mean to you?" Which really made me think--not what do I think it means to others, not what do I think it's supposed to mean, but what does it mean to me? I came up with something like this (only shorter, since there were a number of questions I was to answer), and, June being Pride month, I thought I'd share it:

“Reading with Pride”

In an author interview a couple months ago, I was asked, What does "Reading with Pride" mean to you?" Which really made me think--not what do I think it means to others, not what do I think it's supposed to mean, but what does it mean to me? I came up with something like this…

17.06.2025 14:34 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Back in My Happy Place I'm back up north. As you can see from the pink flags and wooden stakes all over--and the empty cement pad where the old house we had removed used to sit--we've seriously begun preparing to build another house in its place (or very nearly in its place). The stakes and flags are from our architect, and the wetland delineation we had to have done.

Back in My Happy Place

I'm back up north. As you can see from the pink flags and wooden stakes all over--and the empty cement pad where the old house we had removed used to sit--we've seriously begun preparing to build another house in its place (or very nearly in its place). The stakes and flags…

07.06.2025 17:18 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

My ARCs finally came! After a little shipping snafu, my ARCs finally arrived--not the greatest timing, though, just as we were leaving on a trip to go visit our daughter in Italy. It was exciting to see them, and I was pleasantly surprised not to be at all disappointed about anything about them (I was expecting that I might have to adjust the front endpaper map where the pages meet in the spine)!

My ARCs finally came!

After a little shipping snafu, my ARCs finally arrived--not the greatest timing, though, just as we were leaving on a trip to go visit our daughter in Italy. It was exciting to see them, and I was pleasantly surprised not to be at all disappointed about anything about them (I…

29.05.2025 14:31 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Ollie in Between, My Favorite Read of 2025 So Far Ollie in Between is such a good book it deserved to have its picture taken where Ollie would feel at home (I loved how Ollie identified with mushrooms, and the whole mushroom metaphor, but couldn't find a mushroom growing). I have a lot to say about this upper middle grade book. It's hard to know where to begin. But let's begin where I did, with its cover.

Ollie in Between, My Favorite Read of 2025 So Far

Ollie in Between is such a good book it deserved to have its picture taken where Ollie would feel at home (I loved how Ollie identified with mushrooms, and the whole mushroom metaphor, but couldn't find a mushroom growing). I have a lot to say…

13.05.2025 16:05 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

My first review of NORTH OF TOMBOY came in today...
readersfavorite.com/book-review/...
#northoftomboy

02.05.2025 15:27 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

23.04.2025 15:04 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

A WORLD WORTH SAVING; a Book Worth Reading I enjoyed this middle grade novel by Kyle Lukoff. Although it felt more like YA to me, more like it's for jr. high school readers and above and not for elementary school kids--the age range given for it is 10-14 years old--it was an interesting mix of realistic/fantastical, secular/Jewish, historical/contemporary (historical in that it's set right after the covid lockdown ended; contemporary in that that's barely historical and also in that it explores LGBTQIA+ themes such as transphobia that are unfortunately still as relevant today, five years later, ...and probably will be for at least a few more by the looks of it).

A WORLD WORTH SAVING; a Book Worth Reading

I enjoyed this middle grade novel by Kyle Lukoff. Although it felt more like YA to me, more like it's for jr. high school readers and above and not for elementary school kids--the age range given for it is 10-14 years old--it was an interesting mix of…

23.04.2025 14:50 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

My Interview with Canvas Rebel I'm a month late in sharing, but here's my interview on Canvas Rebel (an online magazine, "Conversations with Entrepreneurs, Artists & Creatives")--

My Interview with Canvas Rebel

I'm a month late in sharing, but here's my interview on Canvas Rebel (an online magazine, "Conversations with Entrepreneurs, Artists & Creatives")--

15.04.2025 15:30 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

12.04.2025 19:23 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Country Bunny I just read this book to my four-year-old granddaughter. She seemed to love it as much as I always have. This has long been my favorite Easter time story. Even as a little kid, I remember loving its empowering feminist message--that maybe like the Country Bunny, I could be a mama and have babies but I could also have other dreams and there would be time to pursue them as well, that those kinds of dreams weren't just for boy jack rabbits and Grandfather Bunnies.

The Country Bunny

I just read this book to my four-year-old granddaughter. She seemed to love it as much as I always have. This has long been my favorite Easter time story. Even as a little kid, I remember loving its empowering feminist message--that maybe like the Country Bunny, I could be a mama…

12.04.2025 14:22 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Julie Swanson

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