Julianna Keyes's Blog, page 9
April 7, 2016
"UNDECIDED" RELEASE WEEK POST FOUR
PACE YOURSELF
I give a lot of thought to structure when I’m plotting a book. I want to make sure things are happening in a reasonable, orderly, and interesting way, and that my pacing isn’t too fast or too slow. I generally draw out a little three-act chart and map the major story points, then fill in the details as I go along.
One of the first scenes I envisioned before I ever started writing was the scene at the Halloween party. This is the mid-point (halfway mark) of “Undecided.” Because school starts in early September, that was Labor Day. Hmm, I thought. Interesting. Why don’t I use holidays to mark the major story beats? And so…
INCITING INCIDENT: Labor Day
MID-POINT: Halloween
2nd ACT TURNING POINT/CLIMAX: Chrisgiving (you’ll see)
RESOLUTION: Valentine’s Day
For those of you eagle-eyed readers, I skipped the 1st Act Turning Point in this example because it doesn’t happen on a holiday. In fact, I was not aware of any holidays (in the US) between Labor Day and Halloween until I googled them just this instant. I suppose National Grandparents Day, Columbus Day, or National White Cane Safety Day are all good options, but it’s too late now. (For the record: I’m Canadian and while I’ve heard of Columbus Day, I honestly had no idea it was in October.) Anyway, if you’re curious, the 1st Act TP is the day Crosbie helps Nora build her bed. That’s the moment readers are supposed to think, “Aww. There’s no going back now! Crosbie + Nora 4-ever.”
Crosbie sort of outlines this holiday structure toward the end of the story, but I thought I’d mention it here so you’d know I thought of it first. It was all my idea.
I give a lot of thought to structure when I’m plotting a book. I want to make sure things are happening in a reasonable, orderly, and interesting way, and that my pacing isn’t too fast or too slow. I generally draw out a little three-act chart and map the major story points, then fill in the details as I go along.
One of the first scenes I envisioned before I ever started writing was the scene at the Halloween party. This is the mid-point (halfway mark) of “Undecided.” Because school starts in early September, that was Labor Day. Hmm, I thought. Interesting. Why don’t I use holidays to mark the major story beats? And so…
INCITING INCIDENT: Labor Day
MID-POINT: Halloween
2nd ACT TURNING POINT/CLIMAX: Chrisgiving (you’ll see)
RESOLUTION: Valentine’s Day
For those of you eagle-eyed readers, I skipped the 1st Act Turning Point in this example because it doesn’t happen on a holiday. In fact, I was not aware of any holidays (in the US) between Labor Day and Halloween until I googled them just this instant. I suppose National Grandparents Day, Columbus Day, or National White Cane Safety Day are all good options, but it’s too late now. (For the record: I’m Canadian and while I’ve heard of Columbus Day, I honestly had no idea it was in October.) Anyway, if you’re curious, the 1st Act TP is the day Crosbie helps Nora build her bed. That’s the moment readers are supposed to think, “Aww. There’s no going back now! Crosbie + Nora 4-ever.”
Crosbie sort of outlines this holiday structure toward the end of the story, but I thought I’d mention it here so you’d know I thought of it first. It was all my idea.
April 6, 2016
"UNDECIDED" RELEASE WEEK POST THREE
SHOW YOUR WORK
Remember when you were first learning to do long division and the teacher made you “show your work” so you couldn’t just cheat and write the final answer? This is a pretty apt analogy for how I feel about instalove in romance novels. I know a lot of people are willing and able to overlook it, but it drives me insane. That’s why there are zero instances of instalove in any of my books. Insta-lust? Sure. I can buy that. But instalove is a firm no.
My favourite part of reading romance is seeing the characters fall in love. Being told on page nine that they can’t live without each other feels like a cheat. I think the reason instalove is so prevalent in modern love stories is because of the pressure to “get your story started” right away. You have to “hook” a reader/agent/publisher immediately, so characters simply lock eyes and begin drowning in their desire for one another on page two.
I’d much rather come to the conclusion that a couple is meant to be 2-gether 4-ever on my own. And I like to come to this conclusion by reading about the progression of their relationship, by seeing their interactions (and not just the sexytimes), reading the dialogue, and *feeling* something.
I want to see couples be real, be funny, be foolish, be frisky. Trying to find the balance between showing these things and keeping up the pace so the reader/agent/publisher is invested is not always easy, but when a writer takes the time to do this, I give them an A+ for effort. (*ahem* I’m saying give me an A+.)
What do you think? Do you find instalove irritating or is it a non-issue?
Remember when you were first learning to do long division and the teacher made you “show your work” so you couldn’t just cheat and write the final answer? This is a pretty apt analogy for how I feel about instalove in romance novels. I know a lot of people are willing and able to overlook it, but it drives me insane. That’s why there are zero instances of instalove in any of my books. Insta-lust? Sure. I can buy that. But instalove is a firm no.
My favourite part of reading romance is seeing the characters fall in love. Being told on page nine that they can’t live without each other feels like a cheat. I think the reason instalove is so prevalent in modern love stories is because of the pressure to “get your story started” right away. You have to “hook” a reader/agent/publisher immediately, so characters simply lock eyes and begin drowning in their desire for one another on page two.
I’d much rather come to the conclusion that a couple is meant to be 2-gether 4-ever on my own. And I like to come to this conclusion by reading about the progression of their relationship, by seeing their interactions (and not just the sexytimes), reading the dialogue, and *feeling* something.
I want to see couples be real, be funny, be foolish, be frisky. Trying to find the balance between showing these things and keeping up the pace so the reader/agent/publisher is invested is not always easy, but when a writer takes the time to do this, I give them an A+ for effort. (*ahem* I’m saying give me an A+.)
What do you think? Do you find instalove irritating or is it a non-issue?
April 5, 2016
UNDECIDED - RELEASE WEEK - POST TWO
RELEASE WEEK POST TWO
MAKE MAGIC HAPPEN
Several years ago I went to see Penn & Teller’s Vegas magic show with my parents. (They’re a magician duo, if you’re unfamiliar.) (Penn & Teller, not my parents.) After the show they do a meet & greet in the lobby where you wait your turn to take pictures. The picture-taking set-up wasn’t particularly orderly—more like a giant swarm of people that you slowly waded through to get your photograph.
I was waiting with my dad, who felt I wasn’t being aggressive enough in getting to the front of the pack and as such, nudged me insistently. And by “insistently” I mean, non-stop. I-will-cut-off-your-finger-if-you-poke-me-again non-stop. Coupled with a hundred admonitions of “Move up! Get in there! Push through!” I was red-faced with fury. It probably took about ten minutes to reach Penn and by the time I got there, I was livid. Still, I wanted this picture so I posed with Penn, smiled to let my dad take the picture, and sagged with relief. It was over. Until we got about seven steps away and my dad mumbled, “Yeah...I didn’t get it.” I was like, WHAT? For reasons only dads can understand, he’d fiddled with the settings on the camera and couldn’t figure out how to un-set them so we ended up with a super-zoomed in shot that includes my sunburned forehead and the bottom right portion of Penn’s face. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ANGRY IN MY LIFE.
After several years, I became less angry and started to find the story funny. I’m not a huge magic fan (though I enjoyed the show), so I was less furious about the botched photo op than the nagging it took to get there. Still, I thought about this a lot while considering Crosbie’s magic tricks for the book, and spent some time on Youtube trying to find simple tricks that would fit the story. For those who are interested, below are links to two videos that show a couple of the tricks Crosbie performs (the one with the folded $1 and $5 bills, and the one with the coins). They’re not particularly high quality, and be warned: they both show how the tricks are done, in case you don’t want spoilers.
Enjoy!
$5 and $1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8aoA...
Coin toss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xznFp...
MAKE MAGIC HAPPEN
Several years ago I went to see Penn & Teller’s Vegas magic show with my parents. (They’re a magician duo, if you’re unfamiliar.) (Penn & Teller, not my parents.) After the show they do a meet & greet in the lobby where you wait your turn to take pictures. The picture-taking set-up wasn’t particularly orderly—more like a giant swarm of people that you slowly waded through to get your photograph.
I was waiting with my dad, who felt I wasn’t being aggressive enough in getting to the front of the pack and as such, nudged me insistently. And by “insistently” I mean, non-stop. I-will-cut-off-your-finger-if-you-poke-me-again non-stop. Coupled with a hundred admonitions of “Move up! Get in there! Push through!” I was red-faced with fury. It probably took about ten minutes to reach Penn and by the time I got there, I was livid. Still, I wanted this picture so I posed with Penn, smiled to let my dad take the picture, and sagged with relief. It was over. Until we got about seven steps away and my dad mumbled, “Yeah...I didn’t get it.” I was like, WHAT? For reasons only dads can understand, he’d fiddled with the settings on the camera and couldn’t figure out how to un-set them so we ended up with a super-zoomed in shot that includes my sunburned forehead and the bottom right portion of Penn’s face. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ANGRY IN MY LIFE.
After several years, I became less angry and started to find the story funny. I’m not a huge magic fan (though I enjoyed the show), so I was less furious about the botched photo op than the nagging it took to get there. Still, I thought about this a lot while considering Crosbie’s magic tricks for the book, and spent some time on Youtube trying to find simple tricks that would fit the story. For those who are interested, below are links to two videos that show a couple of the tricks Crosbie performs (the one with the folded $1 and $5 bills, and the one with the coins). They’re not particularly high quality, and be warned: they both show how the tricks are done, in case you don’t want spoilers.
Enjoy!
$5 and $1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8aoA...
Coin toss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xznFp...
April 4, 2016
"UNDECIDED" RELEASE WEEK - POST ONE
NAME CALLING
The working title for “Undecided” was “Love the One You’re With.” That’s actually still what the Word file is called. I used it mostly because it was the first thing that came to me and stuck. But I had my doubts, chief among them being that I’d read an Emily Giffin book by the same title and even though these stories had nothing in common, it still felt like copying. A search on Goodreads showed several more books with that name, and when choosing a title, one of the concerns is finding something that is both appropriate for the story, and not likely to be confused with others. (Especially when those “others” are huge authors whose search results are going to bump yours down to page 117.)
I don’t actually remember when “Undecided” occurred to me, but when it did, I knew I had a battle on my hands. I really liked “Love the One You’re With.” I’d been calling the book that for months, and every time I thought about it I sang the chorus to the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song of the same name. I wished someone would do a mashup of that song and Van Halen’s “Crazy Love.” How great would that be? Why aren’t I more musical? What else can I do to procrastinate?
What ultimately tipped the scales in favour of “Undecided” was theme. The entire New Adult genre is about people at an age and time in their life when they’re discovering who they’re meant to be. They don’t have to make a decision—they have to make choices. Mistakes. They try things, some work, some don’t. Some find what they’re looking for right away, some take a bit longer. And since the “Undecided” of the title isn’t expressly a statement of Nora’s romantic choices but rather her life choices—or lack thereof, as it may be—it ended up winning by a landslide. (And by landslide I mean my one vote.)
Some people have criticized the cover/title combination of giving the impression of a love triangle (there isn’t one), and I see their point. But the story is also about not judging a book by its cover. (I’m, like, super meta.) Nora assumes Kellan is one thing, Crosbie another, and they view her as something else altogether. But given time, they learn about each other and themselves, and grow up. Sorta.
The biggest “downside” to this title choice is not the love triangle assumption, but the fact that whenever people ask me what my book is called and I say “Undecided,” they think I mean that I haven’t chosen a title yet. So when I say the title out loud, it sounds more like, “The title of my book is ‘Undecided.’ Like, that’s the actual title. ‘Undecided.’ Not the status. I have a name. It’s ‘Undecided.’ That’s—Oh, dammit.”
Are you a title wizard? What would you have called this book? Feel free to pitch in in the comments. :)
The working title for “Undecided” was “Love the One You’re With.” That’s actually still what the Word file is called. I used it mostly because it was the first thing that came to me and stuck. But I had my doubts, chief among them being that I’d read an Emily Giffin book by the same title and even though these stories had nothing in common, it still felt like copying. A search on Goodreads showed several more books with that name, and when choosing a title, one of the concerns is finding something that is both appropriate for the story, and not likely to be confused with others. (Especially when those “others” are huge authors whose search results are going to bump yours down to page 117.)
I don’t actually remember when “Undecided” occurred to me, but when it did, I knew I had a battle on my hands. I really liked “Love the One You’re With.” I’d been calling the book that for months, and every time I thought about it I sang the chorus to the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song of the same name. I wished someone would do a mashup of that song and Van Halen’s “Crazy Love.” How great would that be? Why aren’t I more musical? What else can I do to procrastinate?
What ultimately tipped the scales in favour of “Undecided” was theme. The entire New Adult genre is about people at an age and time in their life when they’re discovering who they’re meant to be. They don’t have to make a decision—they have to make choices. Mistakes. They try things, some work, some don’t. Some find what they’re looking for right away, some take a bit longer. And since the “Undecided” of the title isn’t expressly a statement of Nora’s romantic choices but rather her life choices—or lack thereof, as it may be—it ended up winning by a landslide. (And by landslide I mean my one vote.)
Some people have criticized the cover/title combination of giving the impression of a love triangle (there isn’t one), and I see their point. But the story is also about not judging a book by its cover. (I’m, like, super meta.) Nora assumes Kellan is one thing, Crosbie another, and they view her as something else altogether. But given time, they learn about each other and themselves, and grow up. Sorta.
The biggest “downside” to this title choice is not the love triangle assumption, but the fact that whenever people ask me what my book is called and I say “Undecided,” they think I mean that I haven’t chosen a title yet. So when I say the title out loud, it sounds more like, “The title of my book is ‘Undecided.’ Like, that’s the actual title. ‘Undecided.’ Not the status. I have a name. It’s ‘Undecided.’ That’s—Oh, dammit.”
Are you a title wizard? What would you have called this book? Feel free to pitch in in the comments. :)
"UNDECIDED" RELEASE DAY!
It’s heeeeere!! FINALLY! After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, “Undecided” is available pretty much everywhere, eagerly anticipating your download. (Okay, fine – that’s mostly just me anticipating things.)
In any case, as I have done with my previous books, I’ve prepared a week of non-spoilery posts about all things “Undecided.” Today’s post will appear in just a moment.
Tomorrow’s post talks about one of the most enraging moments of my entire life, and includes photographic evidence. (Yes, that’s right: I hold onto grudges AND proof.)
On Wednesday I’ll talk about instalove, Thursday discusses pacing (see if you recognized my plot scheme before you read this post!), and on Friday there’s a post about character arcs and a giveaway. You’ll want to read carefully, since there’s also a quiz. (I’m mean!)
As always, thanks for reading. :)
Paperbacks available on Amazon.
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B01BXZMCEW/
Kobo: https://goo.gl/jQFgRX
Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/OyAvqm
Apple: https://goo.gl/gZ3yWW
In any case, as I have done with my previous books, I’ve prepared a week of non-spoilery posts about all things “Undecided.” Today’s post will appear in just a moment.
Tomorrow’s post talks about one of the most enraging moments of my entire life, and includes photographic evidence. (Yes, that’s right: I hold onto grudges AND proof.)
On Wednesday I’ll talk about instalove, Thursday discusses pacing (see if you recognized my plot scheme before you read this post!), and on Friday there’s a post about character arcs and a giveaway. You’ll want to read carefully, since there’s also a quiz. (I’m mean!)
As always, thanks for reading. :)
Paperbacks available on Amazon.
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B01BXZMCEW/
Kobo: https://goo.gl/jQFgRX
Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/OyAvqm
Apple: https://goo.gl/gZ3yWW
March 1, 2016
"Undecided" Review Copies
REVIEWERS:
"Undecided" will be available on NetGalley for the month of March! This is a smart, sexy New Adult Romance about a bad girl trying so hard to be good... Request it here: https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...
There will also be a Virtual Book Tour running April 4-15, 2016, hosted by Tasty Book Tours. Tour spots are now open - sign up here: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/03...
Enjoy!
"Undecided" will be available on NetGalley for the month of March! This is a smart, sexy New Adult Romance about a bad girl trying so hard to be good... Request it here: https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...
There will also be a Virtual Book Tour running April 4-15, 2016, hosted by Tasty Book Tours. Tour spots are now open - sign up here: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/03...
Enjoy!
February 24, 2016
"Undecided" Available for Pre-Order!
Undecided
A couple of years ago I was reading a popular New Adult book, and as I read I kept thinking, “I really wish she’d ditch the hero and fall for his best friend instead.” She didn’t, of course, and because I had my hands full with the Time Served books I just moved on and forgot about it. Or at least I tried to.
But the idea of the cocky best friend being the love interest instead of the super-suave supposed-to-be-hero wouldn’t be ignored. I jotted down a few ideas (the Halloween scene is probably the big one – you’ll see in a month!), and carried on with my life.
“The heroine falls for the best friend!” isn’t exactly a plot, so while I had a basic idea, I needed to wait until an actual story came to mind. And eventually it did. I’m not going to tell you about it here because that would spoil the book, but when it occurred to me I knew it paired perfectly with the first concept and together I could make them work.
Eight months later, I’m thrilled to tell you UNDECIDED is set to release on April 4, 2016. There’s more info on my website, pre-order links are up in most places, and I’m so excited for you to read it. As a special thanks to those who are also excited and choose to pre-order, I’ve prepared a special PDF of bonus materials that includes:
*a comic strip I wrote (but did not draw)
*my dreadful original mock-up for the cover versus the final version, and the thought process behind both
*all three versions of my back cover copy and the journey it took to get to the polished perfection you enjoy today (ahem)
*a sneak peek at the first chapter of UNDECIDED
All you have to do is email info@juliannakeyes.com with a copy of your receipt and I’ll reply with the bonus material. And if you’re not quite sold, that’s fine too. To tempt you further there’s an awesome excerpt available on my website that will help you decide. (See what I did there?) ;)
www.juliannakeyes.com
Thanks for reading!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon: http://goo.gl/mQY4iU
Kobo: https://goo.gl/jQFgRX
Apple: https://goo.gl/gZ3yWW
Chapters: https://goo.gl/pEX005
Barnes & Noble: Coming Soon
A couple of years ago I was reading a popular New Adult book, and as I read I kept thinking, “I really wish she’d ditch the hero and fall for his best friend instead.” She didn’t, of course, and because I had my hands full with the Time Served books I just moved on and forgot about it. Or at least I tried to.
But the idea of the cocky best friend being the love interest instead of the super-suave supposed-to-be-hero wouldn’t be ignored. I jotted down a few ideas (the Halloween scene is probably the big one – you’ll see in a month!), and carried on with my life.
“The heroine falls for the best friend!” isn’t exactly a plot, so while I had a basic idea, I needed to wait until an actual story came to mind. And eventually it did. I’m not going to tell you about it here because that would spoil the book, but when it occurred to me I knew it paired perfectly with the first concept and together I could make them work.
Eight months later, I’m thrilled to tell you UNDECIDED is set to release on April 4, 2016. There’s more info on my website, pre-order links are up in most places, and I’m so excited for you to read it. As a special thanks to those who are also excited and choose to pre-order, I’ve prepared a special PDF of bonus materials that includes:
*a comic strip I wrote (but did not draw)
*my dreadful original mock-up for the cover versus the final version, and the thought process behind both
*all three versions of my back cover copy and the journey it took to get to the polished perfection you enjoy today (ahem)
*a sneak peek at the first chapter of UNDECIDED
All you have to do is email info@juliannakeyes.com with a copy of your receipt and I’ll reply with the bonus material. And if you’re not quite sold, that’s fine too. To tempt you further there’s an awesome excerpt available on my website that will help you decide. (See what I did there?) ;)
www.juliannakeyes.com
Thanks for reading!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon: http://goo.gl/mQY4iU
Kobo: https://goo.gl/jQFgRX
Apple: https://goo.gl/gZ3yWW
Chapters: https://goo.gl/pEX005
Barnes & Noble: Coming Soon
December 19, 2015
AUTOGRAPHED PRINT COPY OF "TIME SERVED"
TIME SERVED is not *technically* available in paperback, but a handful of print copies were prepared for a contest, and now they are ALL MINE. Since I spent a million years working on this story, it’s safe to assume I already know what it’s about, so I don’t need all of these. If you, however, would like one, visit my Facebook page and check out the Giveaways tab for a chance to win!
You don’t have to do anything bothersome like instruct everyone at the grocery store to enter or give me your baby or sign up for my free newsletter (though that last one’s also a tab and you should do it), just tell me about the best gift you’ve ever received (on the Rafflecopter page, not in the comments or you won’t be entered). It doesn’t have to be a Christmas present. My favourite gift of all time is a signed picture of Alex Gonzalez, a former Blue Jays baseball player. He was their shortstop for a number of years and when I first started watching, he was the reason I tuned in day after day. Alex no longer plays, but I still do, and looking at that picture reminds me of those first moments of falling in love…with baseball. Oh, and Alex.
So go ahead and enter the draw, tell everyone at the grocery store, do what you must. I’ll send the book anywhere in the world, and you can read it, stick it on your bookshelf, or give it to that friend who simply refuses to get an e-reader. These are the only print copies of this book on the planet, and for the moment, they’re mine all mine. In the spirit of the season, however, I’m willing to make one yours.
Good luck and happy holidays!
www.facebook.com/juliannakeyesauthor
You don’t have to do anything bothersome like instruct everyone at the grocery store to enter or give me your baby or sign up for my free newsletter (though that last one’s also a tab and you should do it), just tell me about the best gift you’ve ever received (on the Rafflecopter page, not in the comments or you won’t be entered). It doesn’t have to be a Christmas present. My favourite gift of all time is a signed picture of Alex Gonzalez, a former Blue Jays baseball player. He was their shortstop for a number of years and when I first started watching, he was the reason I tuned in day after day. Alex no longer plays, but I still do, and looking at that picture reminds me of those first moments of falling in love…with baseball. Oh, and Alex.
So go ahead and enter the draw, tell everyone at the grocery store, do what you must. I’ll send the book anywhere in the world, and you can read it, stick it on your bookshelf, or give it to that friend who simply refuses to get an e-reader. These are the only print copies of this book on the planet, and for the moment, they’re mine all mine. In the spirit of the season, however, I’m willing to make one yours.
Good luck and happy holidays!
www.facebook.com/juliannakeyesauthor
July 22, 2015
"In Her Defense" Now on NetGalley!
Hey everybody,
"In Her Defense" is now available for request from NetGalley! I don't have review copies yet myself, but if you are a blogger/reviewer and you don't have a NetGalley account, feel free to email me to request a copy when it becomes available.
https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...
Cheers,
JK
"In Her Defense" is now available for request from NetGalley! I don't have review copies yet myself, but if you are a blogger/reviewer and you don't have a NetGalley account, feel free to email me to request a copy when it becomes available.
https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...
Cheers,
JK
April 15, 2015
Newsletter!
At long last, I have created a newsletter. Actually, scratch that. At long last, I have created a newsletter sign up form. There is no newsletter. Yet. I don't imagine there will be a ton of newsletters each year, probably one for each new book and any special announcements. Because I hate being spammed, you won't be spammed, and because I hate receiving messages for things strangers think I might like to buy, your email will never be shared with anyone else.
I imagine there will be excerpts, giveaways, and sordid behind-the-scenes tales about each story. Okay, fine - the newsletter probably won't be sordid. I put that stuff right in the book.
Anyway, if you would like to sign up, you can do so here: http://juliannakeyes.com/newsletter.html.
The next book is scheduled for release in early fall, so I have plenty of time to think up content, and you have plenty of time to, well, enjoy spring and summer. :)
I imagine there will be excerpts, giveaways, and sordid behind-the-scenes tales about each story. Okay, fine - the newsletter probably won't be sordid. I put that stuff right in the book.
Anyway, if you would like to sign up, you can do so here: http://juliannakeyes.com/newsletter.html.
The next book is scheduled for release in early fall, so I have plenty of time to think up content, and you have plenty of time to, well, enjoy spring and summer. :)
