Julia Whelan
Also known as Julia May Whelan, June French
Narrating hundreds of audiobooks alongside authoring contemporary fiction has established a prominent presence across both print and audio media. Julia Whelan first gained public recognition as a television actress before expanding her career into screenwriting, literary fiction, and full-time voice performance.
Career & Background
Whelan began her screen career as a child actor at age 11, most notably starring as Grace Manning on the television drama series Once and Again from 1999 to 2002 and co-starring in the 2002 film The Secret Life of Zoey. She paused full-time acting to attend Middlebury College in 2004, spending the 2006 to 2007 academic year as a visiting student at Lincoln College, Oxford. She graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury in 2008 with a degree in English and Creative Writing. Over more than 15 years in voice work, she has recorded over 700 audiobooks for bestselling authors as well as long-form journalism for publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Vanity Fair, receiving industry honors including Spotify's Narrator of the Year Award, a Gracie Award, and a SOVAS Lifetime Achievement Award.
Writing Style & Themes
Whelan's experience in dramatic acting and vocal performance directly informs her novel writing, resulting in dialogue-driven prose crafted specifically for how language sounds when read aloud. While studying in England, her initial flirtation with tea grew into a deeper study that culminated in her certification as a tea master. When not writing her own books, she regularly reads work by other authors out loud into a microphone. Her fiction frequently examines personal reinvention, romantic connection, creative ambition, and the interior lives of performance professionals.
Major Works
- Thank You for Listening — Drawing directly from insider knowledge of the voice-recording industry, this novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator navigating personal recovery, romantic complications, and identity.
- My Oxford Year — Set against the backdrop of Oxford University, Whelan's debut novel follows an ambitious young American woman fulfilling her dream of studying abroad who faces unexpected choices when romance and life-altering decisions collide.
- Casanova LLC — A romance novel presented under the fictional pen name June French, created with writing assistance from Whelan.
