My name is Julie Murphy.  My friends call me Julie, my patients call me Dr Julie.  I am a mental health counselor who works with children, adolescents, adults and families.  I love helping people, especially children.

As a child I wanted to tell stories. I created long novels in my head but never wrote them down.  I read all the time and still do.  I love murder mysteries, historical novels, novels set in regions, and the classic books like Little Golden Books.  I used to save all my books but now I donate them to the library so I can have room for more. I also buy lots of children's books.

I'm an avid golfer and am passionate about college football, especially the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.  I also like college basketball.  I have one dog, a Miniature Schnauzer, named Mulligan.  He was the inspiration for my self-published book: "Barks and Bytes by Mulligan."  

Mulligan made me want to write down the stories I tell my "kids" in the office.  I've learned so much in the past five years.  It's a lot easier to tell a story than it is to write one and have an editor think it's good enough to publish.  I am grateful for the people who have helped me so for with my learning - my critique group, the conferences I've attended and the wonderful people who give their time to critique aspiring writers.  I am a member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and of the Carolinas chapter of SCBWI.

I am currently enrolled in the Institute of Children's Literature learning the craft of writing.  Although I am unpublished, I persevere and remain hopeful.  

Check out my blog  and leave comments whenever you can.

Julie (Dr Julie)