Julia J Simpson's Blog, page 3

September Update

I can’t believe it’s already September!

Now through December is my favorite time of year. I love fall and winter, but living in Florida means experiencing those seasons a bit differently than most. Our “sweater weather” doesn’t typically begin until November, and sometimes not even then. Many of our trees–especially our numerous live oaks–tend to lose leaves in March rather than September. And you’d be hard-pressed to find an apple orchard or a natural pumpkin patch in most of the state. But...

Why I’m Changing How I Review Books

Several months ago, I started hearing about other indie authors losing reviews on Amazon. One day their book would have 50 reviews, the next day it would have 30. Some people were unable to leave reviews or had lost their accounts all together. Rumors swirled, theories ranging from faulty bot algorithms to deletion due to social media connection. The only thing that’s for certain is reviews must abide by Amazon policy, and those policies are pretty strict. They have to be, because a lot of pe...

Guest Post: Four Tips to Help You Master Deep POV

I’m so pleased to welcome author Jade Young to my blog!

A lot of the writing I do is very character driven. Therefore my goal is for my readers to connect with my protagonist. I want my protagonist to come alive for them and for his or her thoughts and actions to jump off the page and draw the reader in. Ultimately, I want my readers to feel like they are the protagonist.

That’s essentially what Deep Point-Of-View or Deep POV is. The reader forgets they’re reading a book because it’s written...

Re-Defining New Adult

I missed it, but there was a conversation on Twitter last week about whether or not to include college-age protagonists in the Young Adult category. From the sound of it, people were evenly split–and since this is something I was already pondering, I know exactly where I stand.

“Young Adult” is a book category featuring protagonists in the 15-18 age range. Although YA fiction is enjoyed by young and older adults alike, it’s often geared toward teenage readers. However, what truly defines YA i...

Why I’m Not Writing a Sequel to Ashes Swept

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After the release of Ashes Swept, I was surprised by how many readers said they were excited for the sequel and asked when it would be out. This caught me completely off-guard, because Ashes Swept was always meant to be a stand-alone novel. The book covers the important part of Synda May’s story, so I’d never even considered adding on beyond that.

It’s flattering, though, that people enjoyed the characters and world so much that they want to spend more time with them. So, why not write a se...

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

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Looking Back at 2017

Sitting here at my desk, contemplating this post, I’m finding it hard to believe another year has gone by. One year ago, I was knee-deep in editing Ashes Swept with the help of my CPs, Shannon and Ely. It had been a whole year since I’d set up my author page and social media sites, but the reality of calling myself an author felt a million miles away. Now, with 2017 behind me, it feels like my first launch day was ages ago.

What did I learn? Well, I definitely have a be...

Horseback Kidnappings, Apparently?

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Hillary Clinton said: “The whole romance novel industry is about women being grabbed and thrown on a horse and ridden off into the distance.”

I laughed when I first read that. Then I grumbled. And then I set out to write a post about how unjust that sentiment is. That’s when I fell down a familiar rabbit hole. And bear with me, this subject change is going to give you whiplash…

My last excursion down this particular rabbit hole was a few months...

Random but handy…

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It’s already been two weeks since the launch of my debut novel, Ashes Swept. Looking back, I can’t help but take stock of the entire process–what worked, what didn’t, and what to do another way next time. Here are five (totally random) things that I’ll definitely remember when I’m ready to do it again…

Archer Farms Instant Coffee
Really, Target’s brand of instant coffee is actually pretty good. It’s also two dollars cheaper than Starbucks Via, but just as good. When you go through as much...

Ashes Swept is now available!

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You can find it in print and e-book on Amazon.com!

Ashes Swept Playlist ~ Top Five

Lots of things inspire me when I write, but nothing inspires me more than music. The right song can help me flesh out my characters, spark plot ideas, and can even influence entire scenes. The playlist for Ashes Swept is one of my favorites so far, so I’m excited to share my five favorite songs on the playlist with you, along with some of the lyrics that inspired me.

#1 Home by Gabrielle Aplin

So when I’m ready to be bolder, and my cuts have healed with time;
comfort will rest on my shoulder...