Hire Julie.

Take a quick look at my about page, and work history. I once had a fellow tell me, when I applied for a job at his company, that I was confusing. It's fair to say the work of the past decades has been difficult to categorize in any typical fashion. Why would you want someone to data entry who has an art degree and worked in a welding shop for a week? But variety has its selling points: many experiences brings many insights.

Creative. Honest. Organized.

Put the North Dakota farm kid work ethic to work for you.

Jordan Loftis, founder of Story Chorus

"Julie is a unicorn in the world of freelance writing. She understands what it means to be truly remarkable. Her work isn't just good—it's exceptional. Every time.

Julie's superpower is turning complex ideas into content that resonates. Ghostwritten books, articles that engage, copy that persuades—she does it all with finesse. But what makes Julie indispensable is her commitment. She's professional, communicative, and never misses a deadline.

Don't just take my word for it. Experience the difference of working with a writer who cares as much about your project as you do. Hire Julie. You won't regret it. Just save a spot for me in her calendar."

Contact

Feel free to email me for more information.

julie@loneprairie.net

Virtual Assistant

Sometimes it's hard to keep everything together.

If you feel as if you're drowning in administrative tasks, being beaten by your to-do list, or are having a hard time staying on top of email and appointments and forgetting to do things, I can help.

As a notoriously organized person (a family joke, somewhat), I can help you with basic things that you may be struggling with. I am reliable, flexible, confidential and proactive. Even if you need just a few hours a week or month to help you stay ahead of the curve, I can help you.

Calendar management: Add appointments, meetings, and events to your calendar. Remind you of appointments.
Daily/Weekly summary: Summarizing your day/week (schedule, email, events, to-dos, reminders) and providing that to you ahead of time
Email management: Clear out junk email, set up automations (as your email system allows), respond or bring important email to your attention.
Client management: Book client appointments, respond via email or other messaging system, or client data entry and updates.
Communication: Basic scheduling/communication for employees, and point of contact for customers
Online presence: Updating your website (Wix, Wordpress, Weebly, basic HTML)
Training: Maybe you just need someone to come and show you how to use the software and tools that are getting ahead of you.
Data organization: Organizing and/or cleaning up data, digital files and documents, and data entry.
Out of town services: Responding via email or messaging when you're out of town. I have also picked up the mail and deposited checks for people (Bismarck) who were on vacation, functioning as a temporary personal assistant.

This can be an ongoing thing or something I do for a while just to get you caught up.

Fee: Retainer or hourly.

Creative Work

I've worked in graphic design, created fine art for sales and gallery shows, written marketing copy, created website design and copy, decades of blogging experience, worked in content marketing, and written over 15 non-fiction and fiction books (some mine, some ghostwritten). Take a look around the website to get a sense of what that work looks like. Be sure to visit Lone Prairie Books if you're a writer who needs some help getting your book project off the ground.

Self-Published Writers

Since I've done several self-published projects, I can consult with you on how to go about doing something that you might have questions on.

For self-published writers needing an extra set of eyes on their work who are under budget constraints, or just some help editing or fleshing out their book idea, I can help either in suggesting low-cost tools to use or reviewing/rewriting the work myself. I can also help with cover art (though I ask that you review the art gallery to get a sense of my style and acceptable subject matter).

Ghostwriting

I've written or provided significant content for over 14 client books, plus six books (as of 2024) of my own. If you have a book idea and would like help making it a reality, I can help you.

Blogs and Websites

For those needing blog articles or website copy, I work as a ghostwriter (i.e. you put your name in the byline). I've written for marketing blogs, product blogs, faith blogs---you would be amazed at what I've been asked to write about. Clients provide a mix of direction including the headline, keywords, links, post outline, and preferred call-to-action.

Custom Art

I've painted portraits of pets, people, and farms. I've been asked to paint on saw blades, duck calls, and all kinds of odds and ends. I've sold art at shows and fairs, as well as unique objects like books, journals, denatured books, and so on. Some of these you can see in the art gallery or in the online store. If these are things you're interested in, or even just curious about, contact me.

Graphic Design

I've created T-shirt designs for traditional (non-digital) screenprint and embroidery shops for over 25 years. I've also designed logos, websites, book covers, cards, postcards, and more. Some of these designs you can see on the postcards available in the online store.

Writing Fee: Retainer, flat, or per word.

Research Fee: Retainer, flat, or hourly.

Consulting Fee: Retainer, flat, or hourly.

Art Fee: Per-project/flat, or hourly.

Consulting

As noted above, I can help you by providing information based on my work history and years of experience in the areas of:

Tools: Tools, apps, or software for productivity, time management, organizing, appointments, website builders, etc. I have experience building websites in WordPress, Wix, and Weebly, as well as basic HTML and CSS coding.
Online presence: A review of your online presence and recommendations on changes to websites, social media, or brand.
Procedures and systems: A review of your current systems or procedures and suggestions on improvement for efficiency, time and cost savings, and productivity.
Self-publishing: Recommendations and step-by-step processes for self-published authors.
Art techniques and shows: Art materials, instruction, tips, and critique. I have judged many art shows over the years, particularly youth, including for 4-H, private organizations, and other events.
Productivity and next steps: Helping improve habits and productivity in your art, writing, and freelance business. Helping you figure out next steps in a project or idea involving art, writing, freelancing, etc.

Basically, if you have an idea and think I might be able to help, why not find out? Not every industry or situation is a good fit, and I will be honest with you if I will be able to help you or not. Some consultations might be over email, Zoom/Teams, or meeting in person in some cases.

Fee: Hourly.

Systems Improvement

I learn quickly, am good with technology, and naturally see in terms of systems and how a clunky system can be improved. I'm detail-oriented and a stickler for consistency when it comes to how data is entered, manipulated, and handled. "If you don't put in good data, you get bad returns when you need to make decisions off of that data" is something I've often been heard saying to clients.

What does that mean for you?

If your business is struggling with how you're handling data, filing, appointments, overall organization, documents, or just feeling like you're behind the eight ball, I may be able to help you. I've worked in office settings (both in-person and virtual) where I've shifted the way things were done to be more efficient, updated, and effective.

Once I get an understanding of your process and what the end goal is, I have a knack for seeing ways to get to that goal more efficiently. This might happen through new software, changing the way you're using your current software, or simply handling data better. This is useful for small businesses struggling to manage clients, appointments, tracking inventory, or schedules.

Once I come up with a plan, I work with you and show you how to use the new method (and why I made changes) so you can continue with the new system on your own.

Fee: Retainer or hourly.

The Process and Payment

The process starts with an email to me. We'll have a quick exchange on what you need, if I'm able to help, and determine definitions for the scope of the project. Then we will discuss fees once I better understand what you need done, what your situation is, and if I'm the right person to help you out. I would never take on a project or client that I didn't think was a good fit for both of us, either in the scope of the work, personalities, bandwidth, or expectations.

Here's how the different fees are generally structured:

Per Project / Flat Fee: Varies based on scope of entire project. The project's entirety is defined and agreed on beforehand, and half of the total is paid up front, half at finish. Any work outside the scope of the project or after the project is completed and is paid for is considered new and additional. If the project is killed partway through, I keep the initial payment as a kill fee for whatever work and expenses I've already put towards the project.

Hourly: Depending on the type of work, hourly costs may range at $25-65/hour. I round to the nearest half hour after the first hour.

Retainer: A regular payment each month for a set period of time. During that time, I will do whatever work is necessary for the project (as falls within the definition of the project we've both agreed on) on an as-needed basis. I do not track time or count anything else for billing.

Per Word: Where applicable, such as in writing new or edited copy, I charge 20 cents a word.

*Invoices are on net 15 terms. Failure to pay may result in penalty fees, copyright claims for the work I've done that haven't been paid for, and refusal to do future work.