Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julie Seedorf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Julie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

As an older person, most would say elderly, the younger generation is surprised to see an author of my generation on all avenues of social media. In the world, we live in today authors need to constantly change how they market their books so it is crucial we push ourselves to stay current with social media trends. It is a large learning curve for the older generation. I tend to set up my own marketing but do have thoughts of turning it over to a company to manage in the future. It’s hard for me to do because I love the challenge but I have to accept there are instances where I feel I fail at mastering it.

Julie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the author of twelve cozy mysteries, the Fuchsia, Minnesota Series, The Brilliant, Minnesota Series, and the Whistle Stop Series. Cozy mysteries have no graphic sex, no graphic violence, and they are a clean language read. Cozies usually feature an amateur sleuth, a puzzling mystery along with a few cute pets adding to the action.

Writing has always been my way of sorting through my problems. As a young person, my dreams and fantasies were fun to turn into a story. I wanted to be a writer and author but settled for more appropriate careers that were acceptable to my generation, the best one becoming a mother.

When I turned 57 I began a blog and the story of Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt/ aka Granny was born. It brought me out of a dark time in my life. On a whim I sent the manuscript to a publishing company. To my surprise they offered me a contract and with many revisions the journey with my dream job began. An area newspaper also took a chance on me and I became a columnist with a column called Something About Nothing. The column lasted twelve years until I decided to move on.

I’ve had most of my success as far as a career, in my later years. My key message to my readers is that you are never too old to learn. I became a computer technician at 55. I love technology and that carries over to my career as an author. I design many of my own book covers. I love apps so I can create advertising for myself and other author friends. Social Media is a big part of my life. Being older it always seems to surprise the younger generation that I have more apps on my phone then most young people and have many social media accounts. At my age, I still love to learn new technology. I make some doozies of mistakes and occasionally make a fool of myself, but I totally enjoy promoting my writing and my books on social media platforms. I have three blogs, Sprinkled Notes, Mysterious Musings, and The Pink Percolator Review site.

My series of books are meant to take people away from reality, to make them laugh, yet give readers pause for thought and a mysterious mystery. Had I not been a dreamer I would not have taken a chance on a technician career or on a writing career. Fuchsia and Granny were developed because of the way media portrays elderly people along with what I call the graying of America when it comes to housing. Individuality in communities is not valued but cloned housing and stiff rules and regulations to keep homeowners in line had me seeing red. My characters and communities defy the thinking of what might really be. Old folks are vibrant and interesting if you take the time to see past the age and possible disabilities.

Writing is hard work. Words don’t magically appear on the page although occasionally our characters take over and we are surprised at what they do. Once a manuscript is done it’s off to the editor and revisions start. Editing is not my favorite part of the book journey. After it’s published the hard work begins and that is promoting with social media, in person and still taking the time to work on the next book. Developing a character so readers connect and care has a writer reaching deep inside to pull out feelings and characteristics that builld interest and yet keep characteristics hidden so there will always be more to reveal. When a writer kills a character it is a feeling of losing an old friend whether the character is a saint or a sinner.

In my personal life I have a husband that has memory loss and that has rocked my world and at times made writing difficult recently, but I am back perhaps with more wisdom. Living in a retirement/assisted living as an independent person while my husband is in assisted living has opened my eyes to the foibles and inequity in rules and regulations making it hard for the older people to navigate and understand contracts, and what they have as rights. So my brand especially on my blog Sprinkled Notes, is about to change. I want to advocate for more open communication and let others know what is happening in the world of the older generation.

It’s never too late no matter your age. That’s what I want others to remember about my writing. Writers write to make their readers lives better. We write to give joy and laughter, to feel empathy and sadness and to take others out of their world for a short time so they can relax. Seldom is it about money because writers and authors do not usually make enough for it to be a career. There are those that have hit it big and I love that, but my life and my brand which is myself I guess, is about making the world a better place. After all, we have to live here.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My head spins with the resources available to writers and authors now. Social Media has made that possible. Had I been published thirty or forty years ago I would have had to leave it to the publishing company to promote my book. The venue would have been newspapers and trade papers. There was no Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Tic Tok which all make it easier to sell our brand and our books to the world. I wish in my journey as a writer I would have known how important it is to have a fabulous editor, beta readers and learned more about podcasting, live feeds etc. I was lucky I have some technical experience as that has made it easier for me. Others my age are not so lucky. Writing programs, such as Pro Writing Aid is a helpful tool. I wish I would have had it from day one. I also wish I would have known the importance of a mentor. We are stubborn and think we have to go it alone but the best tools for a writer are their readers, their editor, and themselves, having the confidence to accept the doubts and the criticism. It all comes with the territory.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started Social Media with Facebook for my personal life. I then added an Author page. Twitter was my next adventure. I still am learning. I then added Linked In, Pinterest, and Instagram. Along the way, I built a website for my Author’s Business. I also added a blog to my website. My last endeavor was Tik Tok. I had no idea what I was doing and I said that. I got over 4000 hits on that post. My grandson told me Tik Tokers like elderly people. I am still learning. I know a little about each and am working on learning more now that I am getting back to work.

I also send out newsletters. For a time I hired a website to manage it but I missed being in control. I am a control freak when it comes to my social apps because I love meeting my readers through social media and controlling my content. Unfortunately, social media takes a big chunk of time which takes away from writing. In the last year, I have been at a little bit of a standpoint when attracting more people because I did not post as often because of a huge move and my husband’s illness. You have to post regularly to keep your audience and find new ones. One of the best ways I built my audience was through newsletters and blogs.

I also find engaging with my readers is a big help. Readers like to know who you are and it helps them invest in your characters. I don’t always post about writing but ask questions so I can also get to know my readers. Many readers have become friends. Your audience also is very good about sharing.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://julieseedorf.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/julie_seedorf
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieseedorf
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/julieseedorf
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/JulieSeedorf
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@julieseedorf https://the-pink-per-cola-tor.com https://sprinklednotes.com/

Image Credits
Julie Seedorf