Julie Cantrell (née Perkins; born 1973) is an American New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, editor and TEDx speaker who has written fiction, nonfiction and children’s picture books.

She served on the board of the Lafayette County Literacy Council in Oxford, Mississippi and helped launch an after-school program to strengthen the reading skills of at-risk elementary students.

[8] That same novel also hit number 21 on The New York Times Best Seller List of Combined Print & Ebook Fiction, March 11, 2012.

[13] Library Journal gave The Feathered Bone a Starred Review and described the book as a “portrait of loss and heartbreak” that was “bound to be nominated for all the major CF literary awards.”[14] Redbook noted in its starred review that Cantrell’s fourth novel, Perennials, was “A stark exploration of the idea that home might not be the place it seems.”[15] Cantrell's debut novel was followed by a sequel, When Mountains Move, which continued the historical tale of Millie Reynolds through the World War II era.

[15] Cantrell co-wrote a creative nonfiction book, Crescendo: The Story of a Musical Genius Who Forever Changed a Southern Town, with film producer Allen Cheney.

[23] Cantrell spoke at TEDx in 2017, giving a speech titled “Know Thyself: Two Questions That Will Change Your Life.”[30] She has presented keynotes, served on panels, and led workshops across the country, participating in many literary festivals and events such as the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop,[31] Her Spirit Santa Fe 2021 and 2022,[32] and the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend 2021.