Julia Golding

s perry wrote on 17 May 2013:

My husband 58yr is reading secret of the sirens loves it so must be adults too? thanks sjp

Hope so!

Maddie wrote on 15 May 2013:

Hey Julia, I am a keen writer, wanting to become somebody like you when I'm older but I'm quite stuck. Also, who was your idol for writing when you started? mine is you! I'm not that fussed I just would like some insparation. Thanks, Maddie

That's sweet of you. I think I probably wanted to be Susan Cooper or maybe CS Lewis (He had a good day job too). My advice would be not to worry about rushing to the goal but enjoy the journey. The more experience of life you get the more you'll have to write about.

Rosie wrote on 13 May 2013:

Dear Julia, firstly, you are an amazing author! I've recently finished Deadlock, what a book ! And what an ending ! I know you've said that you would have to write a fourth Darcie Lock on your own time, I was just wondering if you had an idea of how you would continue the story when you wrote such a cliff hanger to end the third ? or did you just write it as a last minute twist, not knowing yourself what would happen next ? Also, was Diamond of Dury Lane your first work, or did your first piece of writing never get published ? if so, what was it about ? Many thanks for all the time to spend answering these questions !!

I have a fourth book in mind set in the US so it was not a last minute thing but part of a greater plan. Diamond was the first to be published (I wrote Sirens first).

Maybeth wrote on 13 May 2013:

So, the site won't work again? Oh no... So sorry to hear so...I wish i had discovered it sooner... I hope it will work again!

It does work but there is no membership pack sent out anymore as that entailed costs.

Matty wrote on 08 May 2013:

When is the next book of universal companions coming out? Love your books!

Not written yet as I'm busy on other projects. Have you tried Young Knights yet? That's where my brain is at the moment.

Benecia wrote on 08 May 2013:

Hi. I love your books! Just a question: How do I get onto the website to choose your companion?

Follow the link on the sirens page.

Imogen Barr wrote on 07 May 2013:

Hi Julia, I have read all the books from the Cat Royal series, I was wondering if Cat is going to have any more adventures now that she's found her brother? I have also been reading about Darcie Lock's adventures I think they're great and hope there are more! Imogen :)

Hi Imogen Thanks for getting in touch. Please see FAQs.

Maybeth wrote on 06 May 2013:

Hello, I heard about the magic quarter series some months ago. I was very interested and I decided I had to read those books. I've already read the first one the Secret of Sirens. I saw the link for the companions club but I was really disappointed when I realised even though "I choosed a mythical creature as a companion" I couldn't register. Can we become members in that website? Thank you for your time writing those wonderful books and in that way gave a great meal to bookworm me!-Maybeth

Hi Maybeth The website runs with a little test for fun but the rest was stopped some years ago (the books first came out in 2006 and the club ran for about 3 or 4 years).

Alex wrote on 06 May 2013:

I don't get why Cat Royal gets all the fun. Every where she goes, she takes trouble with her. I think that you should write a book about Cat Royal in London with all the people that shes met

Emilia wrote on 05 May 2013:

i just brouht the book the middle passage and i dont know when im supposed to read it is it after black heart of jamica and before cats cradle. and by the way i love your books

I hope you got it for free! It goes in between as you suggest above.

M.H.D wrote on 04 May 2013:

Mrs. Golding, I am thirteen years old and I love your books. I'm a pupil librarian at my school and we have all of the Cat Royal books save for Cat's Cradle and the first two about Darcie Lock as well as all the Companion's Quartet - relly looking forward to getting my hands on Water Thief, by the way - and I suddenly wondered if you might like to set up the Society for the Protection of Mythical Creatures for real. You see, you could set up the website for environmentalists, only with an Assessment page for people who want to become members and post things. It would basically just be another group saving the planet, but based ont he ideas in your books. I'd love it it you could actually arrange this, but you probably won't because that's just not how it works. Thanks all the same, wish I had an email for you to reply to me, Melissa Hannah

Hi Melissa I'm a supporter of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth (as well as some other smaller conservation groups) so this is the way I've gone with this.

Bridget wrote on 02 May 2013:

Hi Julia, I have read some of your books and I have a question. I don't know if you do this, but could you check out this new author **********? I have a friend that knows her and they are trying to promote the book and asked me to help. If you don't wan't to check it out,that's okay, I just wanted to ask. Thank You

Hi Bridget I can only really get involved with an author I know about or know personally - sorry!

Adrianne wrote on 01 May 2013:

I absolutely LOVE the Companions Quartet, and am currently waiting to read Water Theif, but I noticed you said it came 13 years later making Connie about 27! I was curious if you plan to kind of fill in the gap and conclude Connie's story?

No plans to but happy for my readers to imagine it!

Grace wrote on 28 April 2013:

I'm a HUGE fan of your Cat Royal series! The only problem is that I live in the U.S. and they only have the books through Cat o' Nine Tails. I REALLY want to read your next books. Is there any way to read them here?

You can buy in the UK versions online I think - that's what some other readers have done.

Catrina wrote on 27 April 2013:

You said earlier that there was a chance you could write afourth Darcie book, but it would have to be on your own time. Does the same go for Cat? If so, you have to finish the series!!!! I have been reading the series again and again, every time wanting the ending books more and more! Hope you'll consider! Catrina

Yes but I have to work on the books for which I have publishers first so I can earn a living wage - there's a business side to what I do as well a creative.

A Fan wrote on 26 April 2013:

For our Employ ability class in school we have to ask somebody some questions about their job and I hope you don't mind but would you answer these questions about being an author for me please?:) 1. Who do you work for? 2. What are your hours? 3.What skills are required for your job? 4. What is the best experience you've had with your job? 5. Why did you choose your job? 6. How long have you been doing it? 7. Do you enjoy it? 8. When did you decide to work as this job? 10. Is your job a vocation or is it for money? 11. Would you change your job? 12. Do you have any advice about choosing careers? Thank you very much!

Hi Being an author doesn't really fit that format. I work for myself and work most days during the 9 to 5 slot but that's not fixed. Being able to construct plots and write stories. The joy is being creative, making the story - not a visible experience but the best one. I wanted to write. Since 2006. Yes. It is more that I got the break by being published. Vocation. No. Do something you love.

sam wrote on 24 April 2013:

i have just finished reading Dragonfly and thoroughly enjoyed as I did all your other books.I would like to know what "ac' stands for.I would also like to know if you are planning to write a book about Ramil and Tashi and their new life together.I'M also eagerly awaiting the fourth Darcy book.

Hi Sam I imagined the ac to be like O' or Ben or Mac or even de - meaning of the family of. You see the characters briefly again in The Glass Swallow. Julia

Natalia wrote on 24 April 2013:

are you writting more cat royal series? i love them soooo much:D

See FAQs

Nicole wrote on 24 April 2013:

Hi! what was your most succesful series? and how did you com up with the characters in your books? what is your favorite books that you've written? your books are like the best!

Depends how you define success. Diamond won the most prizes but maybe Companions went into more languages - see what I mean - it is not simple. Characters are part of the writing process, the dream time of creating so again not straightforward to answer. I enjoyed writing Dragonfly most.

:-D wrote on 23 April 2013:

Dear Julia, When you wrote Black Heart of Jamaica, and wrote the songs sung, did you have any tunes that you composed for the lyrics? (The songs being New come Bukra and Me can't go there) I was wondering because we recently did a small part of out music lessons on the music the slaves sang. (And I do agree with Cat, it most certainly is something.) Thank you. P.s. Is there anything we can do to revive Cat from her early grave in literature?

Hi I found them in my research - they are real. I don't know what tunes they would have used but I guess they may have made up different ones depending on the musician and the instruments.