MEET JULIE

When Julie's fifth grade teacher asked the class what each person wanted to be when they grew up, there were many future firemen and ballerinas. Julie had a different reply. She informed fellow students that she would one day pen articles and books. By ninth grade, Julie wrote for the school newspaper and had founded a school literary magazine, which is still in existence today. In college, she wrote for a variety of local magazines.

Since graduating from Santa Ana College with an AA in Liberal Arts in 1983 and California State University, Long Beach in 1985 with a BA in Journalism, Julie has gathered a vast array of writing credentials. A full-time free-lancer, she has authored four books and over 1,000 articles for a wide variety of national, regional and international publications. She is also founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.

Julie's work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Gardener, Native Plants (where she has a column), Orange County Home (where she has several columns), Romantic Homes, Garden Compass, Family Circle, Aquascape Lifestyles, Flowers &, Parents, Parenting, LA Parent, American Baby, Healthy Kids, Shape's Fit Pregnancy, Splash for Kids, Bridal Guide, The Toastmaster, Ladies' Home Journal, My Business Magazine and Entrepreneur. Her articles also appear nationally and internationally through the Chicago Tribune Syndicate. Julie is author of four books, including Indoor Gardening the Organic Way: How to Create a Natural and Sustaining Environment for Your Houseplants (2007), Reader's Digest Flower Gardening: A Practical Guide to Creating Colorful Gardens in Every Yard (2004) and Houseplants & Indoor Gardening: Decorating Your Home With Houseplants (Black & Decker Outdoor Home Series, 2002). Since publication in 1993, her book, The Strawberry Story: How to Grow Great Berries in Southern California, has sold throughout Southern California at garden shows and high profile nurseries such as Roger's Gardens in Corona Del Mar.

Julie is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and The Garden Writer's Association of America. She regularly lectures on a variety of topics, including gardening and writing.

In June 1998, Julie became a University of California Certified Master Gardener. She assists the public with gardening related problems, which includes writing a plant Q & A column that appears in the Orange County Register.

Over the course of her career, Julie has won a variety of awards. Most recently she was inducted into The Santa Ana College Hall of Fame (2006) in recognition of her professional achievements.

Julie lives in Orange, California with her husband, Greg, and three children, Sabrina, Danny and Jeremy.