It's surprising to learn that the plot for this contemporary thriller started with a simple box. "I rarely have a plot in mind when I start writing," Julie says. As member of a writing workshop, she was given the prompt: "You have a box and character who is in possession of the box, but isn't supposed to be. Now start writing."

From that prompt grew the story of Anders' quest to find and rescue Olivia. In his search, the protagonist travels to Kenya and Tanzania, the place of Olivia's birth. To write those scenes, Julie traveled to Africa with her husband for their twentieth anniversary. She says she wanted to visit African anyway and that part of the story likely developed out of her desire. (Love those working, tax-deductible vacations!)

Terrific reviews for Rescuing Olivia keep coming. Booklist calls the story a "page-turner," and Publishers Weekly says, "Compton's intense, entertaining second novel involves a horrifying coverup and a powerful new drug . . . [She] pulls off a super-satisfying resolution to this romantic thriller."

Julie credits much of her success to writers' workshops. "I would have never been able to write the first book had I not been in a workshop at the time," she says. "It's what kept me moving forward. I didn't have any confidence in myself at all in the beginning."

Clearly, she's come a long way in a short time. Next up for this talented author is a sequel to her first story Tell No Lies. Even though Julie writes mostly from the male point of view, she loves "books that are about relationships and the transformation of the character." Two of her favorite recent reads are Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith and In the Woods by Tana French.  She also says, "I sat down with The Road [by  Cormac McCarthy] and did not get up from my chair until I was done."

To find out more about Julie Compton and her novels, visit her website.

L.J. Sellers is an award-winning journalist, editor, novelist, and occasional standup comic based in Eugene, Oregon. She writes the Detective Wade Jackson mystery series: Two are in print, The Sex Club and Secrets to Die For, and two more are in the works. L.J. also enjoys cycling, gardening, social networking, and hanging out with her family.