JESSAMINE COUNTY –(TNS) Central Kentucky native Julia Seales wrote the beginnings of her first novel on the back of her chemistry notes when she was a student at West Jessamine High School.
Long before the scribbles on the back of her class notes, Seales had dreamed of being a published author since she was 8 years old.
More than two decades later, that dream has come to fruition with the publication of her novel, “A Most Agreeable Murder,” which has become a national best-seller. The book is described as a “cozy mystery” which features the coming-of-age of Beatrice Steele.
Seale said her book was inspired by her love of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie; offering romance, comedy, social commentary, personal growth and some mystery.
“I find murder mystery very comforting. A cozy, murder mystery where loose ends are tied up in the end,” Seales told the Herald-Leader.
Seales had the idea for her novel in 2019, while she was working as a show runner in Los Angeles. When the TV and film industry was shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Seales decided there wouldn’t be a better time to work on achieving her dream.
She set a goal to use the Stephen King method — writing 2,000 words a day — to piecemeal her first draft together in six months. Then she enlisted the help of her mother, roommate and data reader for more edits before she submitted a manuscript to publishers.
The process took a year to get on their desk. But it would be another 18 months before “A Most Agreeable Murder” found its way onto shelves. She was 30 years old.
“It was very unreal,” she said. “Even though for this project it seemed fast, I had been writing books for so many years and working with a manager for years — it was a culmination of so much what I was working towards.”
Although she was thousands of miles away from her hometown when she wrote the fiction story, the small English township where her book is based reminded her of Nicholasville in many ways.
“Everyone has secrets, they care about their reputation, and there are good elements about caring about the community and supporting one another,” she said. “There is a funny thing of people wanting to be involved in people’s lives, and going so overboard which is great for comedy.”
Two months after she sold her manuscript, the book was auctioned by TriStar to be adapted for the big screen. Seales was hired to write the script, getting into the Writers Guild of America. It required her to remove her writers’ hat and put on her screenwriters’ hat.
But with the writers’ strike, actors’ strike and the industry’s ongoing acclimation to streaming services, the movie process has been put on hold.
Regardless, Seales said her involvement in the screenwriting adaptation for her book was an amazing experience — despite not knowing the future of the movie. Most recently, she heard there was a search for a director and lead actresses to attach.
Whether it is on film or in the book’s pages, Seales hopes that people laugh and have a good time when engaging with “A Most Agreeable Murder.”
“I wanted it to be entertaining and funny and whisk you away and let you forget about the outside world for an afternoon,” she said. “I also really wanted to write a story where it’s a coming of age, with her learning to follow her strengths and interests and passions. I want people to feel really empowered reading it.”
From her own story and experience, Seales encourages people aiming to accomplish a goal to not give up.
“It is not always about huge things happening. You can take small steps take each day to reach a goal,” she said. “Thinking about writing a book and getting it on the shelves, that is overwhelming, but 2,000 words a day is achievable.
“For anyone wanting to do something, it may be hard to break into, and statistically maybe not a lot of people do it, but someone gets to do it. So why not you?”
Seales is a writer and screenwriter and resides in Los Angeles. She earned an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Vanderbilt University. She is a 2011 graduate of West Jessamine High School.