Authors Interviewing Characters: Julie Edelman
Jules Malone has sworn off love after two failed relationships: one with an abusive fiancé whom she calls her white knight-mare, and the other with a nice-but-boring ex with whom she co-parents their son, Max. But then one fateful Christmas Eve, Jules meets Sean, a twinkly-eyed charmer with a captivating smile and an unexpected invitation. Despite Jules’s efforts to stay guarded, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him.
As their relationship deepens, so does Sean’s unpredictable behavior. He misses Jules’s calls, changes plans abruptly, and hangs up quickly when she enters the room. One night after returning home from a charity meeting, she finds Sean missing and blood everywhere. Panicked, she’s about to call 911 when she hears a phone ringing on her patio. It is Sean’s. By the time she gets to it, the caller has hung up. Multiple texts follow-as does Jules’s journey of shocking discoveries. The first? That she is one of four women sharing full lives with Sean.
But it is the devastating secret these women uncover together that leads to a resolution none of them could ever have imagined…and to the power of sisterhood.
Julie Edelman interviews her character Jules!
JULES & JULIE
A conversation between Jules and Julie, enjoyed while sipping glasses of Prosecco at their favorite wine bar.
JULES: “Good to see you again, Jules, I mean Julie. It’s been too long!”
JULIE: “Even though people close to me call me Jules all the time, hearing you call me that makes me laugh! I’ve missed writing about you!”
JULES: “It is weird, isn’t it: sitting here together sipping Prosecco! It begs a question I’ve been wondering about. How much of me is really you?”
JULIE: “Fair question, though I might have to write you out of the next book if I tell youtoo much! Simple answer is that you are the embodiment of my hopes, experiences, dreams, and fantasies. Creating you gave me a free pass to be and do whatever I want without guilt or boundaries. Same with Jude, Jess, Jaz, Sean…and the plot! I call it a work of ‘faction’—fact and fiction. It feels a little scary at times since the lines get blurred for me. In ‘fact,’ I had gotten so caught up in the blending of the two of us that when I was shooting some social media posts; I kept introducing myself as Jules Malone instead of Julie Edelman!”
JULES: “That’s sorta funny. I am curious: what were the most challenging parts to write?”
JULIE: “The parts where you experienced physical abuse from your fiancé, Chester, and the emotional and psychological abuse from Edie—my, I mean your mother. Oh, and the sex passages! I am no Fifty Shades of Grey author, nor was it my intent to have graphic sex content. That is not me or my style. But I wanted to accurately convey the intensity of your chemistry with Sean without it being erotic, since that chemistry is the key to his power over Jude, Jess, Jaz, and you. Make sense?”
JULES: “Perfect sense. Some of them are pretty hot, though. I found myself wishing there were more of them!
JULIE: “Duly noted for future books!”
JULES: “Have to know! What about Sean—how much of him is fact versus fiction?”
JULIE: “I am going to plead the fifth on that one…but suffice it to say that he was my fairytale romance without the happily ever after ending I had hoped.”
JULES: “Well, it ended happily enough for Jude, Jess, Jaz and me! On a more serious note, we know that you were going through radiation treatment for stage 1 breast cancer when you began writing The Accidental Sisterhood. That had to be scary as hell! How did that journey affect the book?”
JULIE: “Actually, Jules, it was the worst and best thing that has ever happened to me. The worst, obviously, because when you receive a life-threatening diagnosis, your entire world is turned upside down in a heartbeat, as is your psyche. Remember how you had just made love with Sean for the first time and then the morning after you discovered the lump? That is how it happened to me. I was doing a self-exam after just telling my best friend Tess, I mean Gaylie—see how easily I slip between fact and fiction—that I needed to go for a mammogram, and wham three days later I discovered a lump. The good news was that I caught it early and it empowered me to follow a dream and pursue a passion. That dream was writing this book, and the passion I’m pursuing is helping others who are going through a life-challenge— be it health, job, or relationship— navigate those challenges with hope, positivity, and the power of sisterhood. That, and to get annual mammograms and do monthly self-exams!”
JULES: “Wow! I didn’t know that was how you discovered it—though, of course, how could I have? Is that why you named the book The Accidental Sisterhood? And by the way, Jude, Jess, and Jaz all say hi — they want to join us next time!”
JULIE: “That would be great…wait a minute. You are not real—nor are they! I think the Prosecco may be hitting me. I didn’t eat anything today. Let’s order some —”
JULES: “— ‘shrooms!”
JULIE: “God this is fluckin’ weird! Anyway, back to your question: Yes, in part. The other reason I named it The Accidental Sisterhood was that I had written a bestselling how-to book years ago called The Accidental Housewife. I wrote it when I was going through three simultaneous life-changing events: I was getting divorced, my dad had passed away, and my dog Woody had died. I was a mess trying to deal with that and balance my house, home, family, and sense of self.
My book and Accidental Housewife persona touched a nerve with like-minded women who felt alone, invisible, and guilty. And we built a sisterhood, an accidental one due to the unexpected detours and decisions we had made. So, when I was writing this, I wanted to build on how all women can find strength, support, and incredible power when we come together by choice or accident. That said, how Jude, Jess, Jaz and you use your sisterhood to resolve your situation is not one I’d suggest in real life!”
JULES: “For the record, none of us regret what we did! Okay, let’s have some fun now: In the movie or streaming series who do you see playing Jess, Jude, Jaz, and I—and of course, Sean?”
JULIE: “I LOVE that question! You—I mean Jules—will be Rachel McAdams or Dakota Johnson. Jude will be Jamie Lee Curtis. Jess will be Robin Wright, and Jaz will be Zendaya. Sean is a toss-up between Patrick Dempsey and Ryan Gosling. He and Rachel McAdams had such incredible chemistry in one of my favorite films, The Notebook!”
JULES: Oh, fluck, Jules—I mean Julie, apologies I have to go. I have to walk Bagels before seeing Detective Lestat again for—”
JULIE: “Whoa, wait a minute… you’re seeing Detective Lestat again?! The book ended with you two meeting for lunch!”
JULES: “You did say: ‘I’m Jules Malone and this is my next story.’ Guess you will have to decide what’s fact and what’s fiction! You are having drinks with me! ‘Til next time, sister J!”
JULIE: “I need another glass of Prosecco!”
JULES: “In Us We Trust!”
JULIE: “In Us We Trust!”
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Julie Edelman is the bestselling author of the how-to book, The Accidental Housewife: How to Overcome Housekeeping Hysteria One Task at a Time. She is a well-known lifestyle expert and has appeared on The Today Show, The View, Rachael Ray, Fox & Friends, The Doctors, ABC Audio Networks and iHeart Radio. She lives in Florida, close to her son, who is her heart and testament to a blessed life lived fully. Julie speaks publicly with heart, humor, and in high heels about the value of sisterhood and not letting life’s detours define nor stop us from achieving our dreams. The Accidental Sisterhood is her debut novel, and a testimony to embracing a life detour with hope and determination following her triumph over breast cancer.
Category: Interviews, On Writing
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