130 Women, One Desert, Endless Inspiration

Our group was 130 women strong, a gathering of already published and soon-to-be minted authors. As we arrived at the Welcome Area at the scenic Westin Rancho Mirage hotel, a palpable excitement infused the dry desert air. The retreat was a much-anticipated event, one that was a couple years in the planning. 

When I stepped into the tiled courtyard, my own enthusiasm seemed to match the staff’s bubbly eagerness. Within minutes the young, glowing faces checked me in, presenting me with my nametag lanyard, a logoed water bottle, and colorful backpack fabricated from recycled plastic. Looking around, I spotted two author friends from my 2021 cohort who I hadn’t expected to see. After hugs and effusive so-good-to-see-you’s, we poured over the weekend’s rich agenda meant to educate, inspire, inform, and unify SWP’s lineup of writers. There was so much I planned to experience, and in turn much I wanted to give back to the esteemed community of authors.

On the first morning, Brooke Warner, SWP founder and principal, kicked off the retreat with a riveting speech about “The Art of Attention.” First, she referred to the vast quantity of topics and themes to which we—her stable of memoirists and novelists—had written to in our published works. And then she delved deeper. She talked about the importance of paying attention to what we pay attention to. And she asked us to reflect upon: where we give our attention, where we squander our attention, and what we sacrifice in the pursuit of getting attention?

Over the course of the past few days, we were treated to riveting craft talks by legendary female powerhouses such as Gina Frangello (Blow Your House Down), Piper Kerman (Orange is the New Black), and Christina Baker Kline  (The Orphan Train, The Foursome). I’m still wowed to have witnessed these authors firsthand and to have received the important advice and wisdom they so freely shared to our author community.

But that wasn’t all that the retreat was meant to do for the those of us so fortunate to attend. It was about making connection, feeling supported, and unselfishly sharing resources. Each of us was called to ensure the event’s success. Someone led a nature walk. Another organized yoga by the pool. Most of us donated our work to a community book swap. Many volunteered to read their work aloud. And a handful of us served on panels to discuss compelling topics like marketing, book publicity, AI, multi-book series strategies, and the many legal aspects of publishing.  

As I board the plane for home and pen this post, Brooke Warner’s comments still linger with me. So does the overwhelming camaraderie I experienced, the support I felt as a woman and thought leader, and the joy and belonging everyone expressed by being part of the SWP community. 

In her wrap-up email to the attendees, Brooke profoundly stated the weekend’s takeaways. She said: 

“Our community is our superpower. Attention has been commodified; we get to decide where we direct it. Generosity will get you everywhere.

Out of this weekend gathering, I noticed the power of in person. How much we are social creatures and how much we need each other. How in this age of AI and too much automation we are craving human interaction. I’ve always directed my attention to story, and the human beings at the center of those stories, and this weekend reminded me of each specific and special life behind these stories I get to publish—and I am grateful. 

Book publishing is competitive. The SWP authors, by contrast, are collaborative. The knowledge in these rooms this weekend is nothing short of astounding. We have veteran authors and women from all walks of life and areas of expertise. I saw nothing but willingness and desire among these women to share what they know.” 

Such resounding words.

Friday afternoon was my time to contribute to the Retreat. I served on the “Marketing For Memoirist Panel” with Susan Twiet, Bless the Birds: Living With Love in a Time of Dying, Andrea Leeb, Such a Pretty Picture, Barbara Caver, A Little Piece of Cuba. Our hour-and-a-half long discussion was moderated by SWP staff editor Megan Milton. We had a blast and the audience kept us on our toes during Q&A.

To sum up, the 2026 SWP Author Retreat truly was a weekend like no other. I fully expect the craft tools, inspiring speeches, and sisterly camaraderie to fuel my writing for a long time to come.

Before I close, I want to share about some of the fabulous writers that attended, women who I have had the privilege of interviewing over the years for my blog: That Girl, This Life.

Interviews Over The Years

With She Writes Press Authors

One of the first interviews I did for That Girl This Life blog was with a member of my 2021 SWP cohort Carolyn Lee Arnold. You can read the full interview, here.  

Carolyn was in her late 50s, when she set a goal of dating 50 men to find the right partner. As she proceeded through her “Fifty First Dates Project,” she noticed that while she thoroughly enjoyed dating, many women her age were feeling discouraged by their dating experiences. So she wanted to offer her unique approach and experiences as models and inspirations for other women. She did find the right partner! She’s currently working on a memoir about the 18 years she spent identifying as a lesbian—from her mid-20s to early 40s. She alluded to this in “Fifty First Dates after Fifty,” and realized that those years deserved their own book.

Terry Sue Harms also published in 2021 with me. I share my original interview with her, here. 

After a childhood of illiteracy, Terry taught herself to read and write as a young adult, one of her proudest and most rewarding accomplishments. She began writing her memoir, The Strongbox: Searching For My Absent Father, with a different subtitle in mind. She thought the title was going to be The Strongbox: Coming to Terms with My Absent Father. She felt she had a victory story to tell. The success was in recognizing that she had a right to have feelings about her natural father, a man who refused to recognize her in any way. 

Elayne Klasson and I have more than publishing books with SWP in common. She and I share adoption stories. I was given an early copy of her book, The Earthquake Child. I share our interview about that, here.

The Earthquake Child is the story of an adoption told through the voices of an adoptee, his desperate young birth mother, and his grieving adoptive mom who never gives up hope.

She is also the author of the acclaimed novel Love is a Rebellious Bird, also by She Writes Press; it was a finalist for The National Jewish Book Award in Debut Fiction, and the Sarton Women’s Book Award for Contemporary Fiction. Elayne and her husband have 5 children between them—both adopted and biological. 

Deb Miller and I met for the first time this past weekend, but we have been communicating and crossing paths for years. Last spring, I interviewed her about her book, Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness. You can find it, here.

Deb Miller was raised to believe in Prince Charming, permanence, and the promise that love guaranteed a happy ending. Faced with the collapse of the story she’d built her identity around, she had to decide whether to rewrite the narrative or remain stuck inside it. In her debut memoir, Deb traces her journey from small-town stay-at-home mom to global marketing executive—navigating heartbreak, single motherhood, an unexpected second marriage that brought both passion and chaos, and the hard-won clarity that followed.

One of my favorite and (most colorful) SWP writer friends is Lisa Cheek. When her debut memoir released, I interviewed her, here.

After twenty-five years editing and producing other people’s work, Lisa Cheek decided to take her friends’ and coworkers’ advice and tell her own stories. Her first memoir, “Sit, Cinderella, Sit” was an Amazon Bestseller, a Zibby’s Most Anticipated Books for 2025, and a People Magazine pick. Her second memoir, The Big Day – Saying I Do Only to Find Out I Didn’t, released on September 22, 2026. Her musings, “One-Minute Thoughts from A Pink Head” are on Substack.

Follow Me Here

October 15, Papa Rick Harris has invited me to guest on his award-winning podcast, “Adventures in the Heart of Children’s Book Authors.” We will discuss my foray into the children’s picture book market with my Let’s Go with Lulu series.

October 21-22, I look forward to connecting with fellow Atmosphere Press authors during our Fall Writer’s Summit.

 October 27: I’m co-teaching a webinar for the Author Learning Center at 1:30-2:30 ET with author Jennifer Briggs, titled: Memoir or Fiction: Choosing the Path That’s Right For You.

 October 23-25: I’ll be joining fellow Florida writers at Florida WritersCon in Orlando, Florida. The FWA Collection, Volume18: Fragments anthology will be released during the conference. I’m proud to have one of my essays included in the collection. 

November 2-30, I will be participating in Deb Landwehr Engle’s month-long course at Story Summit called The Writer’s Miracle Method which is based on Deb’s hot new release by the same title. 

November 19, thrilled to be a panelist for the She Writes Press C.A.M.P community when we gather with an expert from NetGalley to discuss book reviews. 

March 8 – 12, 2027: I will attend the Her Spirit women’s writing retreat put on by Story Summit in Tucson, Arizona at El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort. 

Follow Julie by visiting her website, subscribe to her bimonthly newsletters, and listen to previous podcast recordings where she discusses topics like adoption, identity, family relationships, sisterhood and belonging.

PUBLISHING NEWS

Spring of 2027: I’m pleased to announce that Book 2 in my Let’s Go with Lulu children’s book series, Lulu and DJ Go to the Car Wash, will release next spring with Atmosphere Press. It’s based on the real-life story about adventures with my oldest grandson during the COVID era.​ Book 1: Jack and Lulu Go to the Tree Farm will also be moving over to Atmosphere Press very soon. I’m excited that the entire series will be under one publishing umbrella.

 November 2027: My re-envisioned essay collection, Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship, will be re-published by She Writes Press. I’m thrilled to move this work under the same publishing umbrella that offers my award-winning memoirs: Twice a Daughter, and Twice the Family.

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