A Goodreads user asked Julia Glass:

Your books express a great deal of empathy for closeted gay characters but also for any number of other characters who have had difficulty finding and expressing love. You're also interested in your character's talents and their efforts to discover and do their chosen work. In your fiction or in life, can someone find happiness without either romantic love or an abiding passion for a job or profession?

Julia Glass Certainly the answer to that question would have to be yes. In my fiction, I'd say that what many of the characters are struggling for is true connection, whether it's with a spouse or a parent, a grandchild or friend--or even a place to call home. Most of my characters, even if they find what they are looking for--or are surprised to find gratification where they weren't even looking--are nonetheless left with pockets of sorrow and regret in their lives. That doesn't mean they're not living fully. One of the most important subjects to me is how we endure, and even thrive, beyond heartbreak we know we will never "get over." And as we get older, we face only more such heartbreak. Yet I like to believe that all my stories end on a hopeful, rising note. I'm writing about how we go on.

The relationship between people and their work does fascinate me. Some people are lucky enough to do for a living what they love most; others dutifully follow paths set out by their parents; still others (many) must do whatever work they can, like it or not, to survive or to support a family. (And of course, some people are free from money woes and have, perhaps, too many options.) But no matter what we "do" with our lives or how much we like it, that work will, over time, influence our habits, personality, and character--even our health. That, too, is a worthy and profound subject to tackle.

flag