New Year. New You! Inspiration from the Me List; 2025's Perfect Fiction Novel -109

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Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:01

Welcome to Author Express. Thanks for checking us out. This is the podcast where you give us 15 minutes of your time, and we give you a chance to hear the voice behind the pages and get to know your new favorite author in a new light. I'm Shawna Rodriguez, one of your hosts, a fellow author, host of The Grit Show and Authenticity Amplified Podcast, and the founder of Authentic Connections Podcast Network, which makes this podcast possible. Let me tell you a little about today's guest. Julee Balko is a content creator who can make a clip about kittens go viral. It's one of the many cool things we know about her. She's also that mom who lets you have, is it an axolotl? Is that how you say it, Julee?

Julee Balko [: 00:00:51

It is an axolotl. Professor Bubbles.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:54

Exactly. As a pet. Like, how cool is that? She is also an author who can bring a tear to your eye. And for this, you need to read her first book, the things we keep, that explores the layers of grief. And she can also make you laugh out loud, which is what she did for me when I read the me list, which is a book we will talk more about today. She also asked the really good questions and is extremely relatable and a little bit sassy, which is also the things we appreciate about her as a writer. So I am so glad we get to have a conversation. Welcome to author express, Julee.

Julee Balko [: 00:01:21

I am so happy to be here, and thanks for that nice intro. I've been called worse.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:01:27

Well, that's very good to know. Very good to know. There's also many other layers to you, but those are the layers that, you know, I like to talk about. So we get to talk about things like your axolotl and the fact you're a cool mom, which I don't think people talk about that enough. Right?

Julee Balko [: 00:01:38

My kids would probably disagree with you, but I think I'm a cool mom.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:01:42

Well, I think that that one factor qualifies you, and they can argue the rest. We'll let them argue the rest. So the first question we always ask is what is the most interesting thing about where you are from?

Julee Balko [: 00:01:53

Well, for the past years, I've been living in Washington. And this month, we had a bomb cyclone, which I never heard before. But it basically means that the trees will fall and you will lose power for a whole week, which, as a writer, really sucks because my deadlines don't move. So I learned how to work in s and steal Wi Fi from Whole Foods, and I would go all around town while I was riding in my . So it's a great time. So Washington has big beautiful trees, mostly fall under power.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:02:21

Unless they fall on the power lines, and that's less fun.

Julee Balko [: 00:02:24

Less fun. But I realized rich now because all my food, you know, we had to throw it all away after a week of no power.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:02:31

That is really rough. But luckily, you were close enough to places that still have power that you could go steal their Internet.

Julee Balko [: 00:02:37

Yes. True. Thank you, Whole Foods.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:02:39

Thank you, Whole Foods. And was it really cold, or were you guys okay wet, like, heat wise and stuff?

Julee Balko [: 00:02:44

It was cold, but we have, like, like, one of those fireplaces you can press a button, and that still works. So we just snuggle it all around there. We had, like, a big sleepover, the cats, the dogs, the kids. And that was really fun for, like, the first night. And it was the last time as the week went by, and my kids were grumpy. The dog was grumpy, but we made it work.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:05

And did they still have school or was school canceled?

Julee Balko [: 00:03:07

School was canceled, which was you know, they were very excited by it, but it's, like, not a snowstorm. It's just a windstorm, so you're just home with nothing to do and no Internet and watching your mom stress about her deadline. So and I'm not as fun as the snow day.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:20

Yeah. Like, you think, oh, cool. It's snow day. We can we can play in the snow, or we could, like, go inside and, like, drink hot chocolate and watch a holiday movie, but you can't watch TV and you can't play.

Julee Balko [: 00:03:30

We played a lot of board games, which was fun. Again, first day, rocked it. But, like, by day 5, no one wanted to play with me.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:39

Not fun anymore. Not fun anymore. Yes. That is very interesting about where you're from. That's it's something we don't think gonna happen. And I guess I've been it's I don't think I've ever been without power for that long. Like, that's wild.

Julee Balko [: 00:03:50

Good times. I love my power now. Look at all these lights on.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:54

She's like, I turned them all on just because I can.

Julee Balko [: 00:03:57

When I got my power back, I had the dishwasher going out, the washer going. I'm like, I'm gonna vacuum because I can.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:04:02

It's like, because I can. That's fabulous. Well, good. I like that. I like that. And to get to know you a little bit, like, who is the person that could probably describe you the best when you were growing up?

Julee Balko [: 00:04:12

I've met my husband in, like, 9th grade, so he could probably describe me, but I would edit everything he said. He's like, no. I don't know. It was cooler than that. It was funnier than that. Yeah. If my dad was still alive, he would definitely have some choice words. He definitely appreciated my sassiness.

Julee Balko [: 00:04:29

He encouraged my sarcasm by laughing, so it's all his fault when you read my books.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:04:34

I like it. We know where it comes from. So he would definitely he would get your sarcasm. And how else would your dad describe you for when you were younger?

Julee Balko [: 00:04:43

Definitely creative. He was a creative guy too, so he saw that. I mean, I was always writing or reading or doing something. I always loved animals, so my animals were always, like, a part of the thing. Like, I have maybe I shouldn't admit this on here, but I like recordings of doing interviews with, like, my chickens and my rabbit and, like, you know, really, I was cool.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:05:04

Very cool. You're still a cool mom. And I bet you your kids would love it if you share that with them.

Julee Balko [: 00:05:09

Which is probably why I'm okay with having animals. I always loved animals, and I can always find room for one more.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:05:16

I like it. I love it very much. And I love the I love your creative animals too. Like, that's not everyone has an axolotl. Like, that's you know, I like it. So describe for us your latest book is the me list, and it's been out for a little while. But because we're starting the New Year, I think this is an excellent book and conversation for starting the New Year. So can you describe the me list in just a sentence or 2 for us?

Julee Balko [: 00:05:36

In just a sentence, it would be, can a list change a life? And spoiler, the answer is yes, and it can change more than one life. It can change a bunch of lives. And the reason I love that we're talking about this during new years is that so many readers read this and wrote their own me list. And there's actually a spot in the back where you can write your own me list. And the idea of a me list is 10 things that can inspire you, help you find joy, and just connect to yourself again. And it's, like, better than a New Year's resolution because it's not like, oh, let me lose weight. It's like, let me do something that's fun and just for me. Let's put me at the top of my list, and what would I do? And I've heard from so many readers just all the amazing things they've decided to do because they read the book.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:06:16

Well, that's what you need to think about it because, obviously, it's fiction, but it's also like this way of connecting to yourself, an example of how you can connect to yourself that's, like, lived out through characters in a book, which is just a beautiful way of being able to really connect, which is one of the guests of your writing is it's very relatable and easy to connect to.

Julee Balko [: 00:06:35

Yes. I've heard that a lot. I'm very relatable in my writing, maybe less so in person. I don't know. But I love that. I love that people read things, and they always assume it's me. Like, in this book, they assume I'm Olivia. I'm not, but love that they always assume, like, I'm the main character because that means it's relatable.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:06:51

Yes. That's definitely the piece. I mean, the part that I loved when I read it was that when she talked about the husband left. The husband's always leaving and go do things and get things done. I was like, wait. That's how my husband is. Like, he's like the first, like, I'll go pick that up. I'll go do that.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:07:06

I'll get out of the house. I'll get away from the people and get away from things and go do something and be gone. And it was so or, like, the little things that are relatable in your books as well as the big things that are relatable in your books.

Julee Balko [: 00:07:17

That yep. I'm always, like, spying on people and trying to figure out, like, what are those tiny things that make us human? And, those are the things I love to put in my book. So, yeah, when the husband leaves and the daughter's, like, having this meltdown, he's like, well, I'll go put a poster board or whatever. It's like, oh, thanks, buddy. It really happens to all of us.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:07:34

That does. And we don't start to realize that we aren't the only ones that this is a human condition thing. This isn't just this happening to me in this moment. This is something that is very collective and relatable to all of us. So I definitely appreciate that about your writing. So which of the characters did you enjoy writing the most?

Julee Balko [: 00:07:52

I had fun. I mean, so Olivia for the people listening, Olivia is kind of this perfect disaster, and Patricia is very perfect. So they're wonderfully different, and I had a lot of fun playing with that. Like, you know, if Patricia did something, she has, like, these nice beautiful shoes, and she's all dressed up. And there's poor Olivia who's just, like, falling in the mud or they're just very different. And that that was a lot of fun. But truth be told, my favorite character is Marvin, the rescue dog, who was just it was my first time writing an animal, and it was just based off 2 dogs I know that are going blind. And I just loved it.

Julee Balko [: 00:08:27

He was just fun to write.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:08:29

That is so awesome. And that's funny because when I wrote my my sweet romance, that was actually, I think, the reason why my husband liked that book more than any of my other books is because it had dog in it, and he loved the dog the most. So sometimes writing the animals is the best part.

Julee Balko [: 00:08:42

And the dog doesn't die. Someone asked me that. They're like, I'm not reading this book if the dog dies. I'm like, I'm not writing a book where the dog dies a lot now. My animals will never die in my books. I'm saying that right now. I don't know what else I'm gonna write, but they're always gonna live.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:08:55

Are you gonna put an axolotl in a future book?

Julee Balko [: 00:08:57

I could. My next book has cats. Don't tell my dog.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:09:01

Do they go viral, though? That's my real question. Do the cats go viral?

Julee Balko [: 00:09:05

They do not. These cats are pretty sweet, but they do have a nice moment. Because I like how characters kind of interact with pets differently. I think that's why I like putting them in books besides that I love animals. But it was just a nice moment in my next book with this daughter who's interacting with a cat and just shows just some love in a different way.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:09:23

I think it brings out different sides of characters and people. And so to be able to bring that to life in a book and help people remember and see that part of how characters and how we are, if that makes sense.

Julee Balko [: 00:09:34

Yeah. And plus, I felt guilty because I had my dog in one book and my cats felt left out. So I was like, don't worry. There's another one coming.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:09:41

Did they just say your computer and glare at you because they knew they weren't in it?

Julee Balko [: 00:09:45

They actually usually do sit right behind my computer, and I was worried for this podcast that they would do that because they pop my screen forward when I'm usually on calls just to keep you looking really crazy. So, yeah, they know everything.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:09:58

They do. They're onto you. They're onto you. They're definitely onto you. So tell us about what you're working on. What are you writing?

Julee Balko [: 00:10:04

Well, it's actually finished, which is kind of exciting, but also, like, a little vomiting because I'm working with publishers and agents to see where it could find a home. But it's called Square Hearts, and I know. I love that name. My name. No. And my favorite thing about it is it has neurodivergent character, which is really important to me because I have 3 amazing daughters with very unique brains. So I wanted to have a character that represented that. But it's a lot of fun.

Julee Balko [: 00:10:33

It's a very interesting story, and it's about kind of how the heart has many sides, but people have even more.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:10:40

Oh, you are so good at, like, summing things up like that. It's like it's part of your work or something.

Julee Balko [: 00:10:48

Maybe. Maybe it's my talent.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:10:50

Maybe it's one of your mini skills, one of your mini skills. That is so fabulous. I love that. What is the best place for people to find you, follow you, keep up with you?

Julee Balko [: 00:10:58

Well, I'm everywhere on social, unfortunately, so you can look me up under juleebalko, j u l e e. My parents spelled it differently, so nobody can find me. And I also have a website, Juleebalko.com, if you wanna learn more about the me list or my first book, the things we keep.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:11:13

Very nice. So people can know where to keep track of you and find out about when this new book is gonna be coming out as well because we wanna know these things.

Julee Balko [: 00:11:20

I wanna know.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:11:21

And you wanna know. Exactly. You're very interested in that, aren't you? Yes. It's a good question.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:11:26

It's a very good question. And so, obviously, The Mila's is a great book to start off the new year with and for folks to be able to read it, connect with it, and then consider how this might actually affect them going forward in 2025, how they can consider putting themselves first and how that may influence their year. But what is a book that's really influenced you and inspired you?

Julee Balko [: 00:11:49

Well, you know, it's funny. I read about a book a week. There's always a book next to my bed, and that's my favorite thing about books. This is not just one. It's like, I will read this year. I decided I'm gonna read any book that's trending. So I'm reading Sally Rooney's right now. I just read All the Colors in the Dark.

Julee Balko [: 00:12:04

I read Happy Place. I've read outside my genre because of that. Like, we got really into fantasy, and now I get it. I'm like, okay, kids. I know why we like fantasy, and it's the romance in it. There's, like, romancy is, like, really big. And that was interesting for me because my next book actually has a little romance in it. So I would say it's not one book.

Julee Balko [: 00:12:23

It's literally, like, keep writing authors because I get inspired every week when I read something new and see what people are doing. So I can never pick 1, but I will keep reading.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:32

That is amazing, and that is incredible that you put that much into reading and connect and get so much out of it too. That's incredible.

Julee Balko [: 00:12:40

Well, I'll tell you, it's actually my self e moment. Like, every night for about 20 minutes, I get my pj's, and I open a book and read. So that's when I read. And it's just wonderful. It's a way to connect with myself, connect with reading, and I prioritize it. My kids will tell you. They'll be like, mom. I'm like, oh, I've got my 20 minutes of reading.

Julee Balko [: 00:12:58

No.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:13:00

And that's top of your me list. Is that what you're telling us?

Julee Balko [: 00:13:03

It actually is. It's the top of my Me List.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:13:05

That's awesome. What's second on your Me List?

Julee Balko [: 00:13:07

Well, this year, it was finding time to actually write a book because I tend to write my books actually in the , which is why I was so good at that power problem. I'm like, I can work in my all the time. I tend to write my books when my kids have, like, a sporting event or whatever. It's like a side thing. And I was like, this time, I'm gonna make time, and I made it on Sundays, that I'm gonna have a few hours to write my books. Because during the week, I'm a writer for other things. I can't write books. So Yeah.

Julee Balko [: 00:13:34

Amazingly how much quicker it goes when you have dedicated time to write a book. And it was just lovely. It was so nice to have the time that I could focus on what I love to do, which is writing books. So that was definitely high on my Me List.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:13:48

That's awesome. I love that glimpse into your Me List. And I'm excited too. I hope that if people take the time and read the Me List and do the Me List that you get to hear back about what people have actually decided to prioritize. That's kinda one of the fun things about writing a book like that. Right?

Julee Balko [: 00:14:01

Yeah. Definitely, if you're a reader and you start to get inspired and if you wanna share your Me List with me, I love hearing it because it also inspires me.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:14:08

I like it. I like it. Thank you so much, Julee. This has been a wonderful conversation and a great way to kick off 2025. Yay. Happy New Year. Happy reading. Happy reading.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:14:21

Thank you for joining us. I hope you take a second to give a stars or a review on your favorite podcasting platform. It really makes a difference in folks being able to find us. We'll be here again next Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram at author express podcast to see who's coming up next. And don't forget, keep it express, but keep it interesting.