About
Julie Gianelloni Connor is an award-winning author and retired senior Foreign Service Officer. Her first book, "Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, not the Hike," garnered no. 1 status on Amazon in both the category for new books on hiking and walking and the category for Spain and Portugal. It subsequently went on to win a silver medal in the eLit national competition as well as being selected as a finalist by Self-Publishing Review (SPR), in addition to three other awards.
She released her second title, a children’s book, in 2021. It won first place in the children’s book category at the North Texas Book Festival and the Grand Prize for children's books from AMI (Authors Marketing International). "The Baby with Three Families, Two Countries, and One Promise" tells an international adoption story. Her short stories have appeared in four anthologies.
Julie is the owner and publisher of Bayou City Press (BCP) in Houston, Texas, which focuses on travel writing, Houston, history, and international affairs. She has published a third book, by Houston author Carrie Carter, "Whiskers Abroad," about the fictional visit of an author and her cat to Japan. A fourth novel is in the works, this time set in Italy. Bayou Press specializes in non-genre or genre-crossing books.
Julie founded BCP after spending 33 years as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, first with the U.S. Information Agency and later with the U.S. Department of State. She had nine overseas assignments in seven different countries: Israel (twice), Paraguay, Guatemala, Indonesia, Colombia (twice), Malaysia, and Chile. In Washington, DC, Julie worked on a variety of matters, ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to narcotics control to women’s issues.
She has one son, James, and two cats, Halloween and Charles Augustus V.
Her books can be ordered from her publishing website (BayouCityPress.com), from her author website (JulieConnorAuthor.com), or from Amazon.com.
Featured Work
Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It's the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike
"Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike" focuses on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage trail that began around 820 AD. The author made the pilgrimage in 2016 via the French route from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, a journey of some 500 miles. Her book incorporates a blog and travel journal she kept during that pilgrimage. The book is also a memoir, with Ms. Connor explaining how and why she decided to make the pilgrimage. Savoring the Camino incorporates practical tips for those interested in the Camino. While the prevailing culture of the Camino is to walk the route, Ms. Connor believes that walking is not the only way to undertake the Camino. After completing the pilgrimage, the author journeyed on to Madrid and Toledo, and there are chapters in the book covering those visits. Ms. Connor also recounts activities related to the Camino following the journey. The book includes a useful chapter on resources as well as an index.
Other Works
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The Baby with Three Families, Two Countries, and One Promise: An International Adoption Story
2021