I didn’t plan on becoming a writer. I just couldn’t ignore the stories that kept showing up.
I was born in Minsk, Belarus, and life there was all I knew until, at eleven, my family packed up everything familiar and moved to the United States in search of a brighter future. I stepped into sixth grade with five English words to my name, a fashion sense that didn’t exactly scream “cool kid,” and the crushing feeling of invisibility in a world I couldn’t yet understand.
Books quickly became my escape, but my love for writing sparked from an unexpected moment. Six months into middle school—drowning in ESL classes, questionable wardrobe choices, and the overwhelming challenge of navigating an American school—I wrote an essay about leaving everything behind. The sentences were broken, the grammar a mess, but a substitute teacher saw something beneath the scribbles. “Keep writing,” she said. So, I did. And that’s how storytelling became my passion.
But like many immigrant kids, I grew up hearing that dreams were nice, but stability paid the bills. So, I took the “responsible” path: earned degrees in Accounting, Finance, and Entrepreneurship, stepped into a corporate career, and checked all the right boxes. But stories kept showing up—scrawled in notebook margins, typed into late-night Word docs, and sneaking into quiet moments when life finally slowed down. That’s when I realized writing wasn’t just a hobby; it was the pull I couldn’t ignore.
That realization led me to the Chicago Writers Association, writing workshops at Northwestern University, and mentors who challenged me to grow as a storyteller. Eventually, all those scribbled ideas turned into my debut novel, Lucky Number Six, a psychological thriller, releasing in August 2025. I’m beyond excited to share it with readers—stay tuned for updates!
These days, I live in a Chicago suburb with my husband, our two amazing kids, and Pepper, our adorable toy poodle. When I’m not writing or working, I’m sipping coffee with a good book, shuttling kids to non-stop activities, or unwinding with a glass of wine and calling it self-care.
Want to follow along on my writing journey? Let’s connect on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Sincerely (and with way more than five English words now),
Julia
CONTACT JULIA!
I didn’t plan on becoming a writer. I just couldn’t ignore the stories that kept showing up.
I was born in Minsk, Belarus, and life there was all I knew until, at eleven, my family packed up everything familiar and moved to the United States in search of a brighter future. I stepped into sixth grade with five English words to my name, a fashion sense that didn’t exactly scream “cool kid,” and the crushing feeling of invisibility in a world I couldn’t yet understand.
Books quickly became my escape, but my love for writing sparked from an unexpected moment. Six months into middle school—drowning in ESL classes, questionable wardrobe choices, and the overwhelming challenge of navigating an American school—I wrote an essay about leaving everything behind. The sentences were broken, the grammar a mess, but a substitute teacher saw something beneath the scribbles. “Keep writing,” she said. So, I did. And that’s how storytelling became my passion.
But like many immigrant kids, I grew up hearing that dreams were nice, but stability paid the bills. So, I took the “responsible” path: earned degrees in Accounting, Finance, and Entrepreneurship, stepped into a corporate career, and checked all the right boxes. But stories kept showing up—scrawled in notebook margins, typed into late-night Word docs, and sneaking into quiet moments when life finally slowed down. That’s when I realized writing wasn’t just a hobby; it was the pull I couldn’t ignore.
That realization led me to the Chicago Writers Association, writing workshops at Northwestern University, and mentors who challenged me to grow as a storyteller. Eventually, all those scribbled ideas turned into my debut novel, Lucky Number Six, a psychological thriller, releasing on September 18th, 2025. I’m beyond excited to share it with readers—stay tuned for updates!
These days, I live in a Chicago suburb with my husband, our two amazing kids, and Pepper, our adorable toy poodle. When I’m not writing or working, I’m sipping coffee with a good book, shuttling kids to non-stop activities, or unwinding with a glass of wine and calling it self-care.
Want to follow along on my writing journey? Let’s connect on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Sincerely (and with way more than five English words now),
Julia