Who am I? I’m Spider-M—
You know what? I can’t lie to you. Not after all we’ve been through together. The truth is… I’m not actually Spider-Man. Tobey MacGuire is. That’s right, it’s 2007 again. So, grab your Zune loaded up with Nelly Furtado tracks and let’s get in line for the midnight release of the first-generation iPhone.
With that important business taken care of, 15+ years and several Spider-Mans later, we’re back in the present. Setting aside all jokes about my alleged secret identity (no matter how utterly believable and reasonable they might be), in this reality I’m Julian, professional author and tutor. My real superpower is overanalysis. If we could somehow strap electrodes to my hyper-fixation responses, the entire east coast would have limitless clean energy forever.
Now for the bullet points version of me… Born in France, I’ve lived on three continents and am fluent in as many languages. Growing up all over the world, and being exposed to so many different cultures and peoples, had a tremendous impact on my perspective. The rest of the credit belongs to the various mentor figures who, in my formative years, guided me toward becoming the person I am today.
In gratitude for all the direction I was given, and in recognition of the specific hardships I’ve suffered, my mission is this: to pass on what I’ve learned—through triumph and tribulation—in an effort to be useful to those with whom I share this planet now and those who will succeed us.
Author
Tutor
Human
At seven years old, I wrote my very first story. I got about two chapters deep before being seven took over. At 11, I tried again and stuck with it, publishing my first novel at 18. Once I graduated college, I got serious about the business. And, at present, I’ve self-published 20 novels and novellas and one poetry collection. Writing keeps me (relatively) sane and stable.
I started teaching in high school. My first job was helping an opera singer with her French pronunciation. Throughout college, I helped people with their writing and developed my preferred teaching style: question-and-answer + supportive attitude.
A full-time tutor now, I work with students of all ages, helping them in subjects like reading comprehension, test-taking, and writing skills. Some of my students’ short stories and poems have won competitions and scholarships. Regardless, I am extremely proud of all of them.
My days are spent with my wonderful spouse and our three animal friends—Sadie (a beagle mix), Riddle (a crooked-headed calico), and Charlie (a dangerous lump of ginger fur bristling with claws and teeth). It has been observed that I’m just a tad eccentric: my life’s a blur of taking the dog out, feeding the cats four times per day, cleaning, cooking, teaching, writing, video games, and reading. Often, I try my hand at new tasks, which is how I learned to cut my own hair (sort of), design book covers, and more. It’s been a long road, and there are many miles yet ahead of me; generally, I am content.