WORDWATCHERS
Although Julian has been writing fiction since school, it is only in the last decade that he has given serious attention to short stories and novels. Prior to that, Julian's creative passion was for song writing - from the early days, at school, writing for the band and for the occasional school production, through to the post-University years, writing both for himself and others, performing throughout England.
In 1995, following an extended trip to Ireland, Julian turned his attention to his first novel The Waters and the Wild, an ambitious story about love, loss and the breakdown of communication in relationships. On completion of the first draft, a chance encounter with a commissioning editor at Transworld led to this first draft being read and reviewed. A rejection came back with the comment that this "quintessentially Irish" novel was "a quiet story, well told" with some "excellent touches - Mary's anger at the mistress and her desolation at having lost touch with her husband", but that it would be "a difficult story to promote and sell." The book was also read by publisher acquaintance John Fairfax (co-author of "The Way to Write"), who considered it worthy of re-work, and potentially ready for publication within six months.
For personal reasons, the novel was shelved and Julian returned to song writing.
Since joining WordWatchers in 2002, Julian has won four short story competitions, and has recently spent time co-writing a screenplay for a fast-moving thriller set forty years in the future. In 2006, Julian returned to novel writing, with two projects planned; reworking The Waters and the Wild, and developing his latest work, What Price The Moon? a novel about the choices we make in life and the dreams we lose along the way.
Julian can be emailed on: mail@juliandobbins.com
