My Writing Journey by Julia Boggio

I’m delighted to welcome popular romcom author Julia Boggio to my blog today. Julia is going to talk to us about her writing journey and her latest book, so grab yourself a cuppa, get cosy and let’s get talking to Julia.

Bio

Julia Boggio is a multi-award-winning photographer turned multi-award-winning romance writer. She writes romantic comedies set in the world of professional photography. Her debut book, SHOOTERS, won the Selfie Awards at London Book Fair (2024) as well as gold at the Wishing Shelf Awards. CAMERA SHY won the Shorter Romantic Novel prize at the RNA awards (2025) and her other two books, CHASING THE LIGHT and EXPOSURE!, were shortlisted for Romcom of the Year in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Julia also became an original YouTube star when her Dirty Dancing-inspired first dance sparked a worldwide trend in choreographed first dances. She’s appeared on BBC Woman’s Hour, Richard & Judy, Sky, ITV and BBC news—and The Oprah Winfrey Show where she famously danced with Patrick Swayze. In fact, Julia wrote the Dirty Dancing Mad Libs for Penguin, which is coming out in August 2025. She is originally from New Jersey, but now lives in Wimbledon, UK, with her husband, two kids, and passive-aggressive cat.

Instagram: @juliaboggio
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Welcome to my blog, Julia. You have a very impressive bio! Can you tell us about your writing journey

This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. Did my writing journey begin when I was in school, where I turned every assignment into a story? I remember a summer book report where I imagined what would happen if Wart from The Once and Future King met Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.

Or did it begin in 1996 at University, when I enrolled in my first creative writing courses? Funny story – I wrote about a girl in a wizarding school and my teacher asked me to work on something else … then Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone published the following year.

Or did it at my first job after Uni as a medical advertising copywriter? Thank goodness I’m not a hypochondriac because I learned about some pretty nasty conditions (all good research for later).

Or in 2009 when I became a regular columnist for a popular photography magazine? I wrote for them every month for three years while running a thriving photography studio in London.

Or did it start in 2019 when I decided to wind down that business because a new creative challenge was beckoning? It was at this point that I decided to write my first book.

Yet all of these touchpoints were part of my development and contributed to making me the writer that I am today.

By 2022, I finally had a finished book called Shooters—a romcom about wedding photographers. I managed to sign with a good agent relatively quickly. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to secure a deal, which was very hard for me. As a girl, I dreamed of seeing my book on bookstore shelves and it felt like that dream wasn’t meant to be.

I decided to go the indie route, which is tantamount to doing a masters in publishing. While it’s relatively easy to get a book online, there’s a lot more to it than that. As an indie author, you have to do all your own marketing while also writing more books. Even with a degree in marketing and years of experience running my own business, I found it to be a lot to juggle, especially on top of having two young kids. But I did it. Within two years, I published 4 books and have sold thousands of copies. Every single one of those books has won or been nominated for a writing award. Shooters, my first book, won the Selfies at London Book Fair which was a wonderful surprise.

But I haven’t given up on that dream I had as a little girl of seeing my book on bookstore shelves. If there is one thing I’ve learned about this business, it’s that resilience is key. I’ve always worked in the creative industries, but publishing is by far the hardest and it takes a thick skin and a lot of determination to succeed.

So, in January this year, I decided to take another punt at trad. I got a new agent; we sent out a new book; and … well, as Holden Caulfield would say, “if you really want to know” what happened, follow me on Instagram because I’m not able to tell you the end of this story yet (but it’s good news).

Thank you for dropping by to talk to us today and congratulations on all your success, Julia. I hope your books continue to fly. ☺️

Julia’s multi-award-winning debut, Shooters

Blurb

She made a terrible mistake. And now her life is in tatters…

When Stella Price is lured into an affair with her charismatic, manipulative boss, it’s her and not him who pays the price with her reputation and career.

Humiliated, she swears off men and the emotional danger they bring, picks up her old camera, and reinvents her life with a new career behind the lens.

But taking pictures for a living is harder than it looks. Enter Connor Knight: world-famous wedding photographer. He’s arrogant, infuriating, dangerously attractive and—if the gossip is true—the last person Stella should pursue as a teacher. Unfortunately, he’s also the best and she needs to learn the business fast—or risk bankruptcy and a shameful return to her parents’ house.

Stella tries to ignore their attraction. She knows falling for the infamous heartbreaker would be reckless. Doomed even—but resisting him? Impossible.

If she’s not careful, he’s going to teach her a lesson she’s already learned…

Shooters is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, closed door romance for readers who enjoy witty banter, flawed but fun characters, and a juicy plot.

Buy Shooters here.

Other books by Julia Boggio