Episode 109
New Year. New You! Inspiration from the Me List; 2025's Perfect Fiction Novel -109
Join Shawna Rodrigues on Author Express as she welcomes Julee Balko, a talented writer who can turn everyday moments into literary gold. This episode reveals fascinating snippets about Julee's life, from navigating power outages to creating viral kitten clips. Learn about the profound impact of her latest book, The Me List, and why it's an ideal choice for your New Year's resolutions. Julee also candidly shares her journey with her neurodivergent daughters, which inspired her upcoming book, Square Hearts. This is an episode filled with laughter, heartfelt moments, and a sneak peek into Julee's creative process.
Julee Balko is a freelance writer, mother, and an author who loves writing novels with complicated women characters. Her debut novel, The Things We Keep, takes on grief, secrets, and family dysfunction. The Me List is her second novel and is full of snark and heart as it brings to life an unlikely friendship between neighbors. Check out her website: www.juleebalko.com and follow her on Instagram, Threads and TikTok @juleebalko.
Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of The Me List at Bookshop.org
A little about today's host-
Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies.
She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27.
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