Jule Jessenberger

I just can’t wait to spill the tea on some totally bizarre, personal tidbits about me and how these little gems have moulded my storytelling and writing skills to this day.

It’s like, seriously weird and fascinating how certain things or events have had a major impact on my personal life, and, like, still influence me today.

It’s like my life is one big meme, you know?

Oh dear god, I am already so dramatic. This is going to be fun. 😀

How Darkwing Duck Sparked My Love for Adventure Stories.

Alright, here’s the first wacky fact for you:

I was head over heels for Darkwing Duck as a kid.

Yes, you heard it right, the cartoon duck with a penchant for drama and a killer cape from the 90s show “Darkwing Duck”.

Despite regular reality checks from my family (“He’s a cartoon, duck! He’s not real!”) I was smitten.

This wasn’t just a crush, lovely readers.

This was my initiation into the adrenaline-pumping world of action and adventure, a genre I’ve been madly in love with ever since. Think Indiana Jones, but with feathers and a beak. And yes, I also had a bit of a crush on Indiana Jones, too. But Darkwing Duck will always be my first love. 😀

Now, I’m a sucker for an adventure tale with a hefty dose of feels, something I try to channel into my own writing and I always come back to.

For me, it’s just the most fun to dapple in the action-adventure genre!

It’s all about “Let’s get dangerous”, you know. 😉

How “Struwwelpeter: The Tarantino of German Children’s Literature” Made Me Love Dark Twists.

You know the German version of a bedtime story?

Picture Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but on steroids. Germans believed in the ‘scare-them-straight’ approach to child-rearing. Such fun! 😀

Take one of my childhood reads, for instance. “Struwwelpeter.”

Sounds harmless, right?

Wrong.

It was like Quentin Tarantino took a detour into children’s literature. I was convinced a Tim Burton-esque character like Edward Scissorhands would sneak into my room, ready to do some impromptu manicures because I had a bad nail-biting habit.

This messed-up childhood reading, coupled with Germans’ dark, sarcastic humor – think Deadpool minus the spandex – really seeped into my writing style.

I developed a thing for fairytales and monsters, and I just love a good dark-twist sprinkled with some sarcatic sense of humour.

Even as a self-confessed scaredy-cat, I can’t resist adding a creepy, dark twist to my tales. It’s the whole reason I nerd out over urban fantasy genres.

A bit of darkness with your magic?

Yes, please!

How I Swapped My Singing Dreams for the Stories in my Head.

Before I was dreaming up tales and weaving plotlines, I was a wannabe singer belting out tunes like the next Bonnie Tyler.

Yep, that’s right, I was all set to bring the house down at a musical show before I swapped the mic for a typewriter.

Music is my Achilles’ heel, my secret addiction.

It’s like I’ve got an Spotify subscription hardwired into my DNA, and let me tell you, it’s a tad bit consuming.

I’m not just a casual listener, I’m a hardcore music junkie. I’m talking about that ‘can’t-survive-a-day-without-a-80s-ballad-song’ level of obsession.

But here’s the twist, this music fixation of mine, it’s like a secret spice in my storytelling. It helps me step into my characters’ shoes and dance to their rhythm.

Each story has its own tailor-made playlist – it’s like the exclusive soundtrack of their fictional lives.

What would the characters tap their foot to? What’s their go-to shower song?

It’s like trying to figure out if my protagonist is a secret head-banging Slayer fan or a closeted ABBA enthusiast.

Got an emotional scene to write?

Time to roll out the heart-wrenching ballads and stock up on Kleenex.

Music, my friends, is my handy emotional barometer, guiding me through the tumultuous seas of my narrative like a seasoned sailor.

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And I share some of my (millions of) playlists on Spotify, if you dare to take a dose of my daily drug: Jule’s Spotify World

If you want to know what I am writing about or how you can find my stories, follow me on Instagram @nerdlifeistough.

Or check out my projects here.

Until then, stay curious and be kind.

With love, Jule.