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WORK TITLE: THE WRITING RETREAT
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CITY: Brooklyn
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Certificate, Exhale to Inhale: Trauma-Informed Yoga, 2017; received master’s degree from Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, 2018; certificate in couples therapy training, Relational Life Institute, 2020.
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Author and therapist. Also works as a yoga instructor.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Social worker Julia Bartz’s first novel is The Writing Retreat, a gothic horror-mystery novel. Alex, the protagonist, is stuck in a dead-end position she no longer enjoys. In addition, she is still mourning the end of her relationship with her former best friend Wren, even though that happened a year ago. Suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, one of Alex’s favorite novelists. Roza Vallo, announces that Alex has won a position at an exclusive writing retreat at Roza’s Adirondack hideaway, Blackbriar. It turns out that Wren will be there too. “Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate,” wrote a reviewer for Down the Book Jar, “including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself.”
After arriving at Blackbriar, Alex learns that there are hidden conditions to participating in the retreat. Each writer is expected to produce three thousand words of prose every day and complete a full length novel by the end of the retreat. As time goes on and Alex works on her novel about the original owner of Blackbriar and his occult obsessed wife, the environment begins to affect her psyche. “Excerpts from Alex’s work-in-progress pepper her increasingly paranoid narration,” explained a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “underscoring her shifting mindset.” When one of her competitors disappears, Alex begins to believe that deeper matters are afoot.
Critics enjoyed Bartz’s debut, including its slow build and its gothic-horror sensibility. “There’s an underlying predatory nature that comes out in full force towards the second and third arcs of the novel, which I can take as a metaphor for the industry as a whole,” stated a reviewer for the Ashley Hajimirsadeghi blog. “What would you do in order to become a famous author? Who do you really idolize when you look up to celebrities? And, some unethical decisions aside, what will you do in the name of creativity?” “The book’s pacing–a slow roll of dread and horror, especially in the first half–is exceptional,” said a Kirkus Reviews contributor. “Bartz hits all the gothic highlights.” “I promise that you’ve never read anything quite like The Writing Retreat. It’s got me shook in the best of ways,” concluded Steve Netter in the Best Thriller Books. “Julia Bartz’s debut novel is incredibly well done and one that I won’t soon forget.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2023, review of The Writing Retreat.
Publishers Weekly, October 31, 2022, review of The Writing Retreat, p. 26.
ONLINE
Ashley Hajimirsadeghi, https://www.ashleyhajimirsadeghi.com/ (January 3, 2023), review of The Writing Retreat.
Best Thriller Books, https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/ (January 27, 2023), Steve Netter, review of The Writing Retreat.
Down the Book Jar, https://www.downthebookjar.com/ (November 27, 2023), review of The Writing Retreat.
Psychology Today Online, https://www.psychologytoday.com/ (January 27, 2023), author profile.
Julia Bartz LCSW
About
Julia Bartz, LCSW, is a therapist and writer based in New York. She sees individuals and couples at her private practice, which is sex-positive, anti-racist, and feminist. Julia has a background in yoga; she completed a Yoga Alliance-certified 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2016 and was certified in trauma-informed yoga through Exhale to Inhale in 2017. She has led yoga and meditation workshops focusing on healing and empowerment at studios throughout Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter, and get in touch via her Psychology Today profile.
Julia Bartz
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
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(646) 956-2557
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During COVID-19, I'm offering expanded availability and remote sessions through video (Zoom) or phone.
About
Some people come to therapy knowing exactly what they want to work on. Others have a more vague sense that something in their lives is wrong. Both motivations can be an incredible opportunity to learn more about oneself and figure out how to build a more authentic and fulfilling life. I use a variety of modalities to assist clients in this goal. You can also read more about me on my Psychology Today blog "My Pleasure: The New Psychology of Sex, Dating, and Self-Care" at psychologytoday.com/us/blog/my-pleasure.
Sessions may include traditional psychodynamic techniques with a focus on the unconscious and childhood, somatic methods such as mindfulness and meditation, and parts work based on Internal Family Systems. I bring a social justice-oriented lens to my practice and frequently question systemic barriers that may be affecting clients' mental health.
Originally from the Midwest, I’ve spent more than fifteen years on the East Coast and received my master’s degree from Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work. I hold a special interest in social justice, gender/sexuality, spirituality, and trauma. My practice is sex-positive, anti-racist, and feminist. I work with adults and couples.
Call or Email Julia Bartz for a free 15 minute consultation now - (646) 956-2557
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Verify your health insurance coverage when you arrange your first visit.
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License: New York / 092092
School: Hunter's Silberman School of Social Work
Year Graduated: 2018
Additional Credentials
Certificate: Relational Life Institute: Couples Therapy Training / n/a
Certificate Date: 2020
Certificate: Exhale to Inhale: Trauma-Informed Yoga / n/a
Certificate Date: 2017
Location
New York, NY 10018
(646) 956-2557
Offers online therapy
Specialties
Anxiety
Depression
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Addiction
Burnout
Codependency
Emotional Disturbance
Family Conflict
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Attachment-based
Compassion Focused
Culturally Sensitive
Eclectic
Feminist
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
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Bartz, Julia THE WRITING RETREAT Emily Bestler/Atria (Fiction None) $27.00 2, 21 ISBN: 978-1-9821-9945-6
Five writers, four weeks, and a $1 million book deal for the lucky winner. Unless they disappear first .
Having just turned 30, Alex has to face up to some hard truths: She hates her job; she's been miserable since breaking up with her best friend; and she's mired in writer's block, which makes it pretty hard to be discovered and published. Then, a call from the blue: A writer friend has finagled her a space at an elite writers retreat at the estate of the mysterious, glamorous novelist Roza Vallo. From the very first night at Blackbriar, though, it's clear that this is no warm and fuzzy workshop, and Roza is no gentle mentor. Each writer must craft a proposal for a full-length novel, then crank out 3,000 words a day to be critiqued. Despite the trappings of luxury--food and wine and an unparalleled library--there's no ignoring the fact that the writers are trapped; there's no Wi-Fi or cell service to be found. For Alex, the sense of disquiet grows as her research deepens; with Roza's urging, she has decided to write a novel about the original inhabitants of the house, a wealthy tycoon and his waitress-turned-medium wife who were both found dead after the wife apparently channeled a demoness named Lamia. When one of the other writers disappears, Alex can't help but wonder whether occult history is repeating itself. Or is there a much more sinister (and human) plot behind this writing retreat? Despite Alex's somewhat whiny nature, the book's pacing--a slow roll of dread and horror, especially in the first half--is exceptional. Bartz hits all the gothic highlights, but, far from feeling stale, they work.
A perfect winter night's haunting.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Bartz, Julia: THE WRITING RETREAT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A731562273/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9a35edc7. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
The Writing Retreat
Julia Bartz. Atria/Bestler, $27 (320p)
ISBN 978-1-9821-9945-6
Aspiring novelist Alex--the narrator of Bartz's audacious psychological thriller debut--idolizes button-pushing feminist horror writer Roza Vallo, so she's elated when Roza selects her to attend an exclusive, all-female writing retreat at Blackbriar, Roza's remote Adirondacks estate. Upon arriving, Alex and the other four invitees learn they must each conceive of and complete an entirely new book in the next 28 days. Roza will eject anyone who doesn't make their daily word count, but her ediror will publish the best finished manuscript and pay its author a $ 1 million advance. With Roza's encouragemenr, Alex begins a fictionalized account of the bizarre, unsolved deaths of Blackbriar's builder and his occultist wife. The story flows as though channeled, but when unsettling events start happening and one of the participants disappears during a blizzard, Alex wonders if perhaps she should focus less on potential fame and more on survival. Boldly drawn characters complement Bartz's gleefully twisted plot. Excerpts from Alex's workin-progress pepper her increasingly paranoid narration, underscoring her shifting mindset. Sara Gran fans, take note. Agent: Alexandra Machinist. ICM Partners. (Feb.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Writing Retreat." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 45, 31 Oct. 2022, p. 26. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A726954244/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4b247b2d. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
Book Review
Jan 3
Written By Ashley Hajimirsadeghi
Review of The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
“As Roza prepares to welcome four unnamed young female writers into her estate for a monthlong writing retreat this winter, one could wonder whether her focus has shifted. Is she going to become a mentor, outwardly facing and fostering talent, instead of disappearing back into her reclusive writer’s life?”
— Julia Bartz
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (2022). Published by Atria Books.
I have been in the writing world for about eight years now, and began actively publishing my work when I was sixteen. There’s a certain sense of doom and gloom when you realize that once you become an adult, while also being a writer, is that under a system of capitalism you simply are not allowed to create without having to worry about money. Unless you come from rich parents, money and writing will most likely be a concern of yours. Anyways, writing retreats and applying to fellowships and conferences have become a staple in the process of quote on quote becoming a writer, despite them costing a lot of money.
And that’s what drew me into this book. I’ve been on a massive kick lately about reading novels which feature protagonists who are writers, artists, and creatives trying to work in the industry. I’ve seen a lot of similar tropes appearing in these kinds of works, making these characters into archetypes of sorts, but I was curious about The Writing Retreat because it looked like it had a thriller mystery underneath its surface. Plus it’s a debut author! We love supporting authors just starting out, so I requested an ARC and got one.
Here’s my review.
A writing retreat full of drama and productivity suddenly goes horribly wrong.
The Writing Retreat is written in the first person perspective of Alex, a writer who has given up on writing after a fallout with her best friend, Wren. Alex and Wren were tight as anyone could imagine, living together as roommates in New York City and sharing the same friend group. Alex, who works as a publishing assistant at a New York City publishing house, finds herself secretly envious of Wren, who quit her job, joined a startup, and became a popular influencer after the startup landed her a gig as their beauty editor while blowing up online. Wren is someone who seems to have it all, wearing designer clothes, verified on Instagram, and traveling around the world. Alex still stalks her on Instagram with a burner account, which is why we know that.
We later learn the true extent of what caused their friendship to implode on itself, but that has to wait until Part II and III of the novel. Ursula, a mutual friend of the two, ends up landing both Wren and Alex at an elite writing retreat read by Roza, a popular author who they both admire. Roza became famous as a writer when she was old nineteen years old, as she wrote a novel as her best friend, supposedly dying of stomach cancer, was withering away. Roza’s retreat is an exclusive one, as she only selected four, now five, people to come to her mansion in upstate New York for a month-long retreat that might end in a publishing contract.
But as the five girls arrive at the mansion, they’re tasked with writing an entire novel within the month. The winner of the best novel is promised a million dollar advance and a book deal, so the girls find themselves wandering the halls and library in search of inspiration. Alex, who has been suffering from Writer’s Block for over a year since the death of her friendship with Wren, has to struggle with maintaining the peace between the two and navigating how to end her block. She becomes closer to Roza, spilling all of her secrets with Wren to a woman she just met, but everything seems to go terribly wrong when Rosa drugs them one night with LSD and one of the writers ends up missing.
The girl, presumed dead, sparks another chain of events that leads this novel down an extremely thrilling and wild ride. I felt like all of the characters were fleshed out in a way that I felt like I got to know their personalities, but as the novel jerks and twists through completely new plot points, the rug is pulled completely beneath the reader. I won’t go into details about the potential spoilers that come with a novel like this, because there are some moments that will make your draw drop in shock. Some things you don’t see coming at all, while others I found to be completely predictable. There’s little hints scattered throughout the story that I didn’t realize meant something larger until I got to what exactly they hinted at.
At the same time, we get this exploration of friendship and fame. There’s an underlying predatory nature that comes out in full force towards the second and third arcs of the novel, which I can take as a metaphor for the industry as a whole. What would you do in order to become a famous author? Who do you really idolize when you look up to celebrities? And, some unethical decisions aside, what will you do in the name of creativity?
There’s also some commentary about the publishing industry and who’s in it, too, as Keira, the only Black girl invited on the retreat, has some questionable things said to her. Alex is a mess going into the retreat, and is quite emotional after her interactions with Wren. At the same time, I found their outcome to the friendship to be rushed at the end of the novel, very predictable, but also kind of out of place. I get what they want through is a lot, but I didn’t particularly think they liked each other despite Alex’s brave action towards the end.
Overall Thoughts
It’s a fun novel! I read it in one sitting and ended up staying awake late into the night to finish it. I will say, the first part of the novel comes across as rather slow if you’re not into reading about what it means to be a writer or hearing about Alex’s drama with Wren, but once the second part of the novel hits, it takes off absolutely running. I found myself amazed at how quickly the rug is pulled from the reader’s feet and once you think you’re stable and understanding something is happening, the situation shifts again. Everything starts to make sense upon reflecting, though, including some of the smaller details I combed back through to realize they had a larger meaning. Pick this one up even if it sounds remotely interesting.
Many thanks to the author, Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on February 21, 2023.
The Writing Retreat By Julia Bartz
Steve Netter
The Writing Retreat is a wonderfully deranged page-turning psychological thriller with horror, supernatural and sexual elements tantalizingly sprinkled in throughout. Suspenseful, haunting and enslaving, it gripped me early like a demonic possession and refused to let go until the final page – and figurative exorcism – were concluded.
Alex is having a rough go of things. Her job is unfulfilling, she’s battling a long bout of writer’s block and she’s having trouble getting over her best friend severing their relationship. But things seem to be looking up when she is given an opportunity of a lifetime to join a writing retreat run by her literary hero, Roza Vallo. Jumping on the opportunity, she arrives at Roza’s estate where she will work with and live alongside with 4 other women – including her ex-best friend Wren – as they all compete to win a million-dollar publishing deal. However, this writing retreat is anything but normal. Roza plays weird games with the women, Wren is messing with Alex’s head, strange things occur on the estate and then one of the writers goes missing. Sensing malevolent forces at play, Alex goes on the offensive to figure out what’s happening. But she may have bitten off more than she can chew and by the time she realizes what she’s up against, it might be too late.
It’s a bold move to write a novel about…writing a novel. But it works exceedingly well in The Writing Retreat because of the character-driven nature of the story. Yes, there are parts of this book that highlight the writing process and excerpts from the book that Alex is writing (which are well done to move the story forward). But the focus of the book is on the relationships between various characters. Alex and Wren’s complicated backstory and the uneasy state of their present proximity provide a good deal of captivating drama, but it doesn’t end there. Putting 5 women in close quarters, having them compete against one another for a publishing deal and the admiration of their god-like hero Roza, and having Roza’s “process” for the writers be anything but conventional, ensures there’s never a dull moment and propels the story forward with various subplots, relationship theatrics, jealous moments and desperate situations. Add in hidden agendas, dangerous secrets, terrorizing actions and a sexual encounter with a supernatural being and you get a novel that is as unique as it is entrancing.
I promise that you’ve never read anything quite like The Writing Retreat. It’s got me shook in the best of ways. Julia Bartz’s debut novel is incredibly well done and one that I won’t soon forget.
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
November 27, 2022 By Caroline
Another NetGalley pick for the win! I love the opportunity to read new authors, so I was super excited to see The Writing Retreat as Julia Batz’s debut novel. It has all the promise of some of the best thrillers, so what’s not to enjoy?
The Story
The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.
Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.
But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.
A claustrophobic and propulsive thriller exploring the dark side of friendships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.
My Thoughts
For starters, this is an impressive debut novel. I believe Julia Bartz will have a nice career ahead of her.
Now, would I classify The Writing Retreat as “unputdownable”? No. The beginning dragged for me, and then the ending dragged somehow too. Also, I felt there were too many lesbian sex scenes. Granted, there were two (maybe three?), but they were basically back-to-back. I also don’t feel they added anything to the book. It wasn’t like to characters finally coming together or working to get something out of the other. It was just incredibly random.
One other issue I had with The Writing Retreat: The characters were neither believable nor likable. They all felt like surface characters. Truthfully, they felt like an amateur writer still trying to get her feet under her, which is ironic since it’s a book about amateur writers trying to get their feet under them.
I feel like I’ve been ragging on the book a bit. Honestly, it was a good book. Solid premise and a very interesting twist. A bit like one of those closed-door mysteries. Like I said, I think Julia Bartz can do more and has a bright future ahead of her.
The Writing Retreat is available wherever you buy books on February 21, 2023.