Meet Julie Navickas

We recently connected with Julie Navickas and have shared our conversation below.

Julie , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose the way most obsessions start—early and often. As a kid, I loved telling stories to anyone who’d listen; as I grew up, I kept shaping them, first on stage and then on the page. The more I practiced—performing, writing, revising—the clearer it became that storytelling wasn’t just something I did well; it was the way I made sense of the world. Somewhere between a spotlight and a blank document, I realized: this is what I’m meant to do.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m Julie Navickas, a contemporary romance author represented by Chip Rice of WordLink, Inc. I write heart-wrenching, second-chance love stories that balance humility, humor, and heroism. My Trading Heartbeats and Clumsy Little Hearts trilogies have been recognized with a Literary Global Book Award, five first-place BookFest honors, and finalist nods from both the American Writing Awards and the Clarion Award.

Outside of the fictional worlds I create, I teach writing in the School of Communication at Illinois State University and work in corporate communications at COUNTRY Financial. With master’s degrees in organizational communication and English studies, along with a bachelor’s in public relations, I bring both academic and professional experience to my storytelling.

What truly sets my work apart is the perspective I’ve gained along the way—a former educator turned storyteller, I write with wit, warmth, and emotional resonance. My characters are genuine, the stakes are tangible, and each story is grounded in the brilliance of everyday love and redemption.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1) Curiosity (seeing like a storyteller). Noticing small, human details—and asking “why?”—gave my stories heartbeat. How to build it: keep a pocket “observations” note, collect overheard lines and sensory details daily, and interview people with open-ended questions until you reach something surprising.

2) Stagecraft & pacing (timing the reveal). Performing taught me beats: when to pause, when to punch, when to cut. That same rhythm makes prose unskippable. How to build it: read your work aloud, perform a scene at an open mic night or to a voice memo, and trim every sentence until the tension holds without extra words.

3) Revision stamina & structure (architecture over vibes). Drafting finds the spark; structure makes it land. How to build it: outline with clear stakes (goal/obstacle/choice), use a beat sheet to spot sagging sections, trade pages with trusted readers, and treat edits like rehearsal—each pass with one focused intention.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
In the last 12 months, my biggest growth came from surviving the query gauntlet and signing with literary agent Chip Rice at WordLink, Inc. this past summer. This partnership feels like a key—suddenly, doors that were once shut are cracking open. I’m channeling that momentum into my latest romcom, Love & Honeybuns, which is currently out on submission. It’s equal parts scary and thrilling—and exactly the kind of forward motion I’ve been working toward.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photography by Erin B.

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