My name is Julia Derek and I’m a fitness trainer by day, writer by night.  My fitness career began in Sweden where I  taught group fitness, primarily step, high and low impact dance classes, and body sculpting.  While studying journalism at George Mason University, I taught corporate fitness for Fit Physique. After graduating, I headed to Los Angeles where I taught group fitness at places such as Beverly Hills Country Club, L.A. Fitness and Crunch. I trained primarily high-powered executives and movie producers. Almost six years later, I headed to NYC where I’ve been working as a senior trainer and group ex instructor at the exclusive health club Equinox Sports Club (formerly Reebok Sports Club) since 2005.  My specialties are core/functional training, body sculpting, and high-intensity training.  I’m NASM-certified and very comfortable working with people with injuries of all ages.

I don’t advise wearing big sunglasses when writing, nor is more than one glass of wine recommended… (Okay, fine, two… But no more!

I’ve been writing since I was a kid and published my first short story in the Swedish equivalent of Seventeen Magazine at age fifteen. While in L.A. I did stand-up comedy, enjoying writing material more than performing, which was how I re-discovered writing. My memoir, Confessions of a Serial Egg Donor, was published in 2004. A cautionary tale meant to inform prospective egg donors about the fertility industry, it has garnered lots of media attention.  I’ve also written several fitness articles for Livestrong.com and E-How.com. These days my focus is on writing fiction. If you like suspenseful mysteries and thrillers, you should check out my novels. Click here to find out more about my books.