Julia O’Connell

@juliajoyce.bsky.social

832 Followers 464 Following

Publicity Director at Penzler Publishers; Freelance editor; Book blogger at The Gothic Library. She/her ✡️📚

Romancing the Gothic 2026 Conference More Terrors Than Her Reason Could Justify Cocktail Hour Recipe Guide Prep mint syrup in advance: 1. Heat equal parts sugar and water on stove 2. Remove from heat and add several sprigs of mint 3. When cool, strain into a jar for storage Death of the Italian Mint syrup Lime juice Black sambuca* Prosecco (*White sambuca also works, but won’t look as goth) Forest Fizz (non-alcoholic) Sugar (any kind) Pickle juice or fresh dill Lemon juice Cucumber juice Seltzer Rosemary sprig How to make cucumber juice: 1. Grate a cucumber until you have about 1 cup 2. Squeeze through cheesecloth or a strainer until you have ¼ cup of juice
Photo of me, a brunette woman with book earrings holding a pink starbucks drink
Photograph of an intricate metal chanukiah (menorah). The branches are made of decorative scrollwork. In the center are Hebrew letters spelling out “Nes gadol haya sham (a great miracle happened there)”. The base of the menorah has more Hebrew letters spelling out “Hanerot Hallalu kodesh hem (These lights are holy).” There is a lit central candle (shamash) and one lit candle furthest to the right. The menorah rests on a Chanukah-themed placemat/wax-catcher on a wooden kitchen table.
Screenshot reading: “Your book Charles Todd immediately caught our attention. The title evokes [brief thematic description] themes that resonate deeply with our members, who are drawn to stories that move both the heart and mind.”
Photo of the front window of The Twisted Spine bookshop
Romancing the Gothic 2025 Conference: A Warning to the Curious Cocktail Hour Recipe Guide. Prepare shrub in advance: Mix 2 cups of strawberries with 1 cup of granulated sugar Leave in fridge to macerate for 1-2 days Strain out solids to get liquid strawberry syrup Add one part red wine vinegar to two parts syrup Store in fridge indefinitely until ready to make mocktails, cocktails, sodas, and more! Lost Hearts (Non alcoholic): Strawberry Shrub Seltzer Lime juice Strawberry garnish The Archdeacon’s Obituary: Gin Dry Vermouth Absinthe Pomegranate seeds for garnish *The key to this cocktail is stirring!* Come prepared with a nice long spoon or swizzle stick, a cocktail shaker or tall glass, and plenty of ice.
Fluffy black cat exposing her belly while a hand pets her.
Brunette woman stands in her living room wearing a white gown and a black cape and holding a candela. She’s looking over shoulder as if there is something frightening behind her.
Photo of a fluffy black cat sitting elegantly in a sunlit window. She is in profile, looking out the window, and the fur on her front shines reddish in the glowing evening light.
Photo of THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by Stephen Graham Jones (signed Strand edition) held up in front of a wall of old, leather-bound books in The Strand’s Rare Book Room
Video of a manicured hand holding a paperback novel up to the light. The book’s cover says GLITTER IN THE DARK by Olesya Lyuzna in while text in front of a gold Art Deco pattern and a shadowy image of a flapper woman in teal. A metallic effect on the cover makes it shimmer when turned this way and that. When the book is turned over, a clearer image of the flapper woman can be seen on the back, along with the book’s description. The video is taken from a instagram reel from the account @mysteriouspress.
Photo of a tuxedo cat curled up on an orange towel inside of a blue carrier, staring straight at the camera.
Screenshot of the “Job Moves” section of a Publishers Weekly email with the relevant section circled. It reads “Julia O’Connell is being promoted to publicity director at Penzler Publishers and can be contacted at Julia@PenzlerPublishers.com.”
Video of an a handsome tuxedo cat lying on his side/back on a wooden floor. He is wearing a red frilly collar that says “Naughty” in white letters and is hugging a large stuffed candycane while alternating biting, licking, and rubbing his face on it.
Artistic photo of a fake skull wearing a red Santa hat, sitting on a wood table
Photo of a tuxedo cat wearing a Christmas-y, red-plaid jingle-bell collar, sitting on the kitchen floor, looking expectantly up at the camera
Book cover with text reading “Glitter in the Dark. A novel. Olesya Lyuzna” against a geometric art deco pattern of gold lines. Behind that is a shadowy blue-green image of a blonde flapper woman wearing a string of pearls
Book cover of an American Mystery Classics edition of MISS PINKERTON by Mary Roberts Rinehart, showing a woman in a nurse’s uniform walking down stairs
Photo of a full moon rising over a mausoleum, which is topped by a statue of an angel
Photo of me (a brunette woman wearing a Halloween “christmas sweater”) standing in front of a display of mystery and thriller novels
Image of hardcover book: Safe Enough and Other Stories by Lee Child. The cover shows what looks like the silhouette of a man digging a grave next to a car with its trunk open. Lee Child’s name is nice and big against a blue sky. Overlapping the image of the book is a sticker that reads “USA today bestselling booklist” In the bottom right corner of the image is a logo for The Mysterious Press.
The most beautiful fluffy black cat you’ve ever seen sits elegantly in profile in front of a sunlit window
Photo of a tiny black kitten on a dark sidewalk at night. One eye gleams while the rest of her sort of melts into shadow. The fingertips of a hand are reaching out to pet her.
Photo of a tuxedo cat lying on the ground and making a silly expression with his tongue out as he plays with a ribbon toy
Tuxedo cat lies on a wooden floor, playing with a ribbon toy. He looks excited and silly, with his tongue out and his eyes wide as he grabs the ribbon
Photo of 3 books propped on a ladder in front of a bookshelf: The Man on the Train by Debbie Babitt, Blood Rubies by Mailan Doquang, and SS Murder by Q. Patrick
Tweet from The Mysterious Bookshop reads: 🚨WE’RE HIRING!!!🚨 Are you a mystery reader looking for a Saturday gig? Become a mystery bookseller with a Saturday job! (Looking for someone on Saturdays only) (Write to ryan@mysteriousbookshop.com with resume and cover letter to apply)
Photo of a tuxedo cat curled up on some blankets
Photo of crocheted snake with many colored stripes corresponding to the genre of each book read, as indicated by a color-coded key
Photo of elaborate metal menorah with swirly designs and Hebrew writing incorporated into it
Photo of a fluffy black cat sitting on a wood floor. Yellow eyes peer out from her void-like fur.
Selfie of woman in red dress (me) in front of a table full of books
Logo, which reads: Brooklyn Book Festival. September 24-October 2, 2023
Photo of a multi-colored crochet snake positioned around a piece of paper. The paper says 2023 Reading Snake Log and contains a color-coded key explaining that each band of color on the snake represents a book in a particular genre (black for horror, red for romance, green for sci-fi, etc)
Photo of a plate with apple slices in a circle around a jar of honey and a skull-shaped spoon.
Photo of a stack of books with one upright on top. The books are galleys of CHRISTMAS PRESENTS by Lisa Unger. A santa hat is perched on one of the books and Christmas ornaments sit on top of and beside the stack.
Screenshot of a Goodreads giveaway page that reads: The Bequest: A Dark Academia Thriller by Joanna Margaret. Format: Print book. Availability: 20 copies available, 1660 people requesting. Giveaway dates: Aug 24-Sept 22, 2023. Win a copy of Joanna Margaret’s brilliant debut, now out in paperback!
Fluffy black cat resting her head on her owner’s wrist
Photo from the back of a fluffy black cat stretched up to look out a window in a way that makes her resemble the memes of creepy Long Furbies.
Graphic reads: Romancing the Gothic 2023 Conference: Witchcraft & the Supernatural Cocktail Hour Recipe Guide. Tongue of Mule (nonalcoholic). Rosemary simple syrup, lime juice, ginger beer, rosemary/other herbs for garnish. *Make syrup in advance: 1. Heat equal parts sugar and water on stove 2. Remove from heat and add several sprigs of rosemary 3. When cool, strain into a jar for storage. Lancashire Fizz. Empress gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda, mint garnish. *You can substitute any other brand of pea flower-infused gin or vodka, but the purple color is important!
An elegant side-profile photo of a fluffy black cat sitting in front of a sunny window
Me (brunette white woman wearing a black face mask) taking a selfie sitting next to Chuck Tingle (internet-famous author wearing his signature sunglasses and pink bag over his face) as he speaks into a microphone.
Screenshot of the audiobook for The Sleepless by Victor Manibo