Julie Cantrell

Julie Cantrell (née Perkins, 1973) is an American New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, editor and TEDx speaker who has written fiction, nonfiction and children’s picture books.

She is known for her vivid depiction of the southern landscape and its strong, relatable characters.

Cantrell was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but spent most of her childhood in Walker, Louisiana.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1995 and a master of arts in 1997 from Louisiana State University.

A member of Phi Kappa Phi, she graduated summa cum laude in Communication Sciences and Disorders as the Outstanding Senior of the College of Arts & Sciences.

Her master’s thesis examined working memory deficits among children with specific language impairment.

Cantrell worked as a certified speech-language pathologist in medical and educational settings before focusing on writing and editing.

Specializing in language development, Cantrell spent most of her career teaching children to read, write, and communicate.

She served on the board of the Lafayette County Literacy Council in Oxford, Mississippi and helped launch an after-school program to strengthen the reading skills of at-risk elementary students.

Her first writing job was for Mothers of Preschoolers, Intl.

(MOPS) where she wrote about parenting and child development.

She then worked as a copywriter and editor for newspapers, magazines, non-profits and corporate clients.

She’s also served as editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review and as a creative writing instructor at Story Summit  and Drexel  University.

Her first two books were designed to help young children cope with fear and anxiety (Zonderkidz, 2009).

Her debut novel, Into the Free, (David C Cook, 2012) made The New York Times Best Seller List at number 13 on March 11, 2012 and remained on that list at number 35 (March 18, 2012) and at number 32 (March 25, 2012).

That same novel also hit number 21 on The New York Times Best Seller List of Combined Print & Ebook Fiction, March 11, 2012.

The title made USA Today's best seller list for general fiction beginning March 1, 2012 for three weeks at #47 and #89.

A USA Today HEA editor named Into the Free on the Favorite Books of the Year list for 2012.

Into the Free earned a Starred Review by Publishers Weekly who described Into the Free as “a visceral and gripping journey of a young woman’s revelations about God and self….” This novel,” it continued, “will surely excite any reader who appreciates a compelling story about personal struggle and spiritual resilience.

Library Journal gave The Feathered Bone a Starred Review and described the book as a “portrait of loss and heartbreak” that was “bound to be nominated for all the major CF literary awards.”

Redbook noted in its starred review that Cantrell’s fourth novel, Perennials, was “A stark exploration of the idea that home might not be the place it seems.”

Cantrell's debut novel was followed by a sequel, When Mountains Move, which continued the historical tale of Millie Reynolds through the World War II era.

She received the Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship in 2012.

This second novel was selected as a Best Read of 2013 by USA Today HEA editor and LifeWay.

After these two works of historical fiction, Cantrell released two contemporary novels.

The first, The Feathered Bone, set in her home state of Louisiana, was named a Best Read of 2016 by the Library Journal.

It was a 2016 Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, a Top Pick of 2016 by Romantic Times Reviews and a selection for the Winter Reading List by Deep South Magazine.

Her fourth novel, Perennials, set in Oxford, Mississippi, was named Southern Literary Review's December Read of the Month in 2017, a 2017 Fall Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, and the Bonus Book of the year by the Pulpwood Queens International Book Club.

And Redbook included Perennials in its "20 Books by Women You Have to Read This Fall" (2017).

Cantrell co-wrote a creative nonfiction book, Crescendo: The Story of a Musical Genius Who Forever Changed a Southern Town, with film producer Allen Cheney.

Through her own BlueSpark Editorial, Cantrell has contributed to numerous titles as a developmental editor, line editor, contributing author, or ghostwriter.

Cantrell spoke at TEDx in 2017, giving a speech titled “Know Thyself: Two Questions That Will Change Your Life.” She has presented keynotes, served on panels, and led workshops across the country, participating in many literary festivals and events such as the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, Her Spirit Santa Fe 2021 and 2022, and the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend 2021.