Artist We Love: Julie Kramer
| By Tamara Shevlin |
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Hails from: I grew up in Minnesota, along the Minnesota-Iowa state line, on a farm that’s been in our family for 130 years.
How she got to the Twin Cities: I went to college at the University of St. Thomas¬—I was in the first class of girls to graduate from there—and I ended up staying here. I started out working at the Minneapolis Tribune as a reporter, then I ended up going to WCCO and I worked there as a producer for nearly 20 years. [Ed.: These days she’s a freelance producer for NBC’s Today show, Dateline and Nightly News].
What prompted her to start writing novels: All reporters, we all think we have books inside of us, and eventually you have to find out if you do or you don’t. You know, a lot of people say you have to write a million words before you can write a publishable book—I wrote my words in television news. So, when I sat down to write a book, it wasn’t like I didn’t know how to tell a story.
Where she got the inspiration for Stalking Susan, her 2008 debut that introduced readers to protagonist Riley Spartz: First I created Riley Spartz, an investigative TV journalist—then I needed an adventure for her. I’ve worked on numerous stories through my career and you always have some that didn’t have good conclusions, and, just like families that never get resolution when a violent crime happens to them, those stories stay with us. Stalking Susan—it’s not based on those stories, but it was inspired by them.
When we can expect the next book: July. It’s a series, so it’s with the same characters…this next one is going to be a missing person case and it’s going to be called Missing Mark. In it, Riley answers a want ad reading, “Wedding Dress for Sale, Never Worn” and is drawn into a dangerous missing person case during sweeps month.
What she’s learned in becoming an author: If there’s something you’ve ever wanted to try, don’t hold back because it is possible to reinvent yourself.
REGISTER TO WIN A FREE, SIGNED COPY OF STALKING SUSAN.
Kramer reads from Stalking Susan, 2/23 at the Excelsior Public Library, 343 Third St., Excelsior; 952.847.5450; and 2/28 at the Hardwood Creek Branch Library, 19955 Forest Rd. N., Forest Lake; 651.275.7300
How she got to the Twin Cities: I went to college at the University of St. Thomas¬—I was in the first class of girls to graduate from there—and I ended up staying here. I started out working at the Minneapolis Tribune as a reporter, then I ended up going to WCCO and I worked there as a producer for nearly 20 years. [Ed.: These days she’s a freelance producer for NBC’s Today show, Dateline and Nightly News].
What prompted her to start writing novels: All reporters, we all think we have books inside of us, and eventually you have to find out if you do or you don’t. You know, a lot of people say you have to write a million words before you can write a publishable book—I wrote my words in television news. So, when I sat down to write a book, it wasn’t like I didn’t know how to tell a story.
Where she got the inspiration for Stalking Susan, her 2008 debut that introduced readers to protagonist Riley Spartz: First I created Riley Spartz, an investigative TV journalist—then I needed an adventure for her. I’ve worked on numerous stories through my career and you always have some that didn’t have good conclusions, and, just like families that never get resolution when a violent crime happens to them, those stories stay with us. Stalking Susan—it’s not based on those stories, but it was inspired by them.
When we can expect the next book: July. It’s a series, so it’s with the same characters…this next one is going to be a missing person case and it’s going to be called Missing Mark. In it, Riley answers a want ad reading, “Wedding Dress for Sale, Never Worn” and is drawn into a dangerous missing person case during sweeps month.
What she’s learned in becoming an author: If there’s something you’ve ever wanted to try, don’t hold back because it is possible to reinvent yourself.
REGISTER TO WIN A FREE, SIGNED COPY OF STALKING SUSAN.
Kramer reads from Stalking Susan, 2/23 at the Excelsior Public Library, 343 Third St., Excelsior; 952.847.5450; and 2/28 at the Hardwood Creek Branch Library, 19955 Forest Rd. N., Forest Lake; 651.275.7300
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