Each story says a whole lot more that what is written in words and keeps me yelling, "SO WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?!" at the conclusion of each one.
The feelings that seem to be behind these stories seemed to raw and I assumed that it was all pulled from personal experience. After getting to the pleasure of speaking with the author, she explained that the majority of it is not from her experience at all. "My imagination came up [with] stories and I placed my favorite pieces of people into them," she said. It is that kind of imagination and genuine writing that makes this such a good read, and Julie a great writer.
Aside from THE FEELS this book gives the reader, it holds a huge sense of inspiration within the pages. Being a writer wasn't Julie Zantopoulos' plan. She found a passion and ran with it regardless of the risk and struggles it would take to make it happen. She expresses that the internal things that we deal with are the real struggle and not everyone is watching and judging your next move. She explained, "You have to stop caring about others and own your passion, because once you do, you are unstoppable. "
This book was an amazing stepping stone for her career and I cannot wait to see what is next for her. She shines a light and inspires those around her and through this book, you cannot help but absorb a little of it. She deserves every bit of success that "Shoot Down the Wendy Bird" gives her.
I also want to say a quick thank you to Julie Zantopoulos for spending a little bit of time letting me interview her and get a peak inside the great mind that created this book. It was an absolute pleasure to read and I appreciate her sharing this with me.
Julie, you are a true inspiration.