Julia Williams

Julia Williams grew up in North London, one of eight children, including a twin sister. She studied English at Liverpool University where she met her husband, David, a dentist.They have four children and live in Surrey.

Julia worked in children's publishing for ten years, before going freelance in 1998, when she started to write romantic novels. She has been a member of the Romantic Novelist's Association ever since and credits it with helping her on the path to publication.

www.juliawilliamsauthor.com

            Pastures New, Strictly Love, Last Christmas (Harper Collins - Avon)

Last Christmas

It's the most wonderful time of year. Isn't it? Discover the true spirit of Christmas with this seasonal treat for fans of Love, Actually and The Holiday. Discover the true spirit of Christmas...Catherine Tinsall is dreading Christmas. As the 'Happy Homemaker' she is an online sensation, but the reality couldn't be more different. With Catherine's marriage in tatters, her children running wild and her mother increasingly forgetful, seasonal cheer is running low. Husband Noel also hides a secret: he's facing the axe at work. Until he chances upon the village of Hope Christmas, deep in the Shropshire countryside, which could be the second chance he's searching for. If he can save it from the developers! In Hope Christmas itself, schoolteacher Marianne Moore is trying to heal her battered heart. But Christmas is a time for families, and memories of what she's lost haunt her at every turn. Meanwhile, Gabriel North faces a lonely Christmas but hides his sadness for the sake of his son. Will his wife ever come home? Or does love lie elsewhere? All four need a Christmas miracle. And it might just happen - courtesy of a mysterious guardian angel ! Forced to reassess their lives, will Catherine, Noel, Marianne and Gabriel discover what the meaning of Christmas really is? An irresistible gift of a tale that will warm the hearts of Christmas-lovers and Scrooges alike

Without Hilary Johnson's help I would never have made it past first base. Seven years ago after I had completed my first book, I sent it to Hilary for advice. She quickly pinpointed weaknesses in the script, and kindly read my revised version. She was thoroughly realistic about its chances of publication in a crowded marketplace, so, when as expected I had lots of rejections from agents, I was on the verge of giving up. Had it not been for Hilary encouraging me to continue, I might well have done so. The next agent I sent it to took me on, and though that early manuscript languishes quite rightly in my bottom drawer, two novels later I have finally achieved my aim. Without Hilary's encouragement I never would have stayed the distance.

                                                                                                         Julia Williams