Authors Answer: Julie Vick
Interview #544 In the Authors Answer series
Author interviews almost always focus on questions regarding an author’s latest publication (and that’s great because it’s how readers discover new books!) but sometimes it’s fun to ask authors to talk about their lives beyond the book they’ve just written. Authors Answer (started as a blog in 2020, moved onto Substack in 2025), is an attempt to give authors space to wax eloquent about the other influences on their writing. The questions posed here move beyond the formulaic classics like, “What books are on your nightstand?” or “What book inspired you to be a writer?” and even “You’re having a dinner party….which three authors (dead or alive) do you invite?” There are 20 standing questions. Authors pick FIVE that they want to answer.
Are you an author? Visit the Questions page to learn more about participating.
Today’s post features
.Julie Vick is the author of the humorous advice book for introverted parents, Babies Don't Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?). She writes the Substack Humor Me, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Real Simple, Parents, and the notes app on her smartphone.
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
I think for comfort food, it’s more often savory – things like soup and mashed potatoes come to mind. I do make both myself, although I think that restaurant mashed potatoes are often superior to my homemade ones (I’m guessing because they are approximately 50% butter).
I have written some food-inspired humor pieces like this one and this one, so cooking does offer writing inspiration at times.
What’s your favorite comic strip or graphic novel?
I have an affinity for The Far Side comics. I remember liking the dry humor in them when I read them growing up and they still make me laugh.
What’s the difference (at least for you!) between being a writer and an author? How do you shift gears between the two?
I was a writer for a long time before becoming an author, so I tend to think of the two things in terms of shorter vs. longer pieces. As an author, I feel like I need to get into a different headspace when I’m approaching a book project. I need more time to focus on something longer, and between teaching and parenting, I don’t always have the time or headspace for longer projects.
But as a writer, I have more permission to call a lot of things writing (humor pieces, Substack posts, and even social media posts at times). I can typically do some form of writing in even very small pockets of time.
What do you worry about?
I have a host of different things I worry about, ranging from the climate crisis to whether I should have phrased something differently in an email I sent two weeks ago. But one of my current worries is what will happen to writing in light of generative AI. It’s something I’ve been trying to sort out for my college teaching job, and it all feels complicated, especially as these tools get built into programs like Word and Google Docs, and I think it’s confusing for students as well.
I really can’t say I know where we are headed with some of the stuff or how it will change writing and publishing, and that is worrying.
What brings you great joy?
Anything that makes me laugh. I am big on comic relief when I feel stressed or overwhelmed. I’ve been trying to spend less time on social media, so I’m often trying to read, watch, or listen to funny stuff, and my kids also make me laugh regularly.
Endnotes!
This newsletter is a passion project started by me, Elizabeth Rynecki, to try to help shine a light on new-to-me authors. I am also an author (and a documentary filmmaker and podcaster) and if you want to learn more about me, you can visit my website or read my personal newsletter, Ink Trails: A Chronicle in Creativity.
I’ve never made Authors Answer specific social media accounts, but you can find me on Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.
This is a great series, Elizabeth! Thanks for having me :)