Julia Kelly's Blog, page 20

Cleaning Out My Life and Letting Go

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I am surrounded by things. My things. Nearly everything in this apartment I sit in while writing this was bought by me or for me with the purpose of filling up my life and shaping my home. There are things for comfort (the sofa I sit on), utility (a litany of kitchen equipment), or amusement (my prodigious book collection). And while they’ve all served a purpose and helped define a chapter of my life, many of them now seem superfluous.

When I decided to move to London, my first thought was for the friends I would leave behind. My second was for the sheer volume of stuff that would have to be sold, donated, and junked. It was staggering and almost crippling though despite my living in a home that is likely smaller than most of the people reading this.

I’m proud to say that my 320-square-foot studio has suited me well, in part because after nearly nine years of New York apartment living I’ve become an expert a bringing things into my home that serve multiple functions. No storage opportunity is overlooked. No kitchen gadget can have just one purpose. (Note the ice cream maker that I want so desperately but have been loath to buy because of giving up precious kitchen storage space.)

I realize the privilege it is to have stuff. I’m a woman who, through working both as a writer and as a journalist, has been able to make a comfortable living for herself. Fretting about what to do with excess things is a privilege of people who can afford to have an excess of things. Clutter is very much a first world problem and, at the moment, it’s a problem I’m facing.

I read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up when it was in vogue a couple years ago. Everyone I knew seemed to be Kondo-ing their lives, so I took a shot at it. I emptied my closets into the center of my room and sorted clothes, putting back only those things that I truly loved. (I did not hold every item and ask myself if it brought me joy and thank it for serving its purpose when I relegated it to the donation bin because that felt too woo woo for me, but if it works for you, more power to you.) I did the same exercise with my books, culling through things I loved and getting rid of things I knew I’d never read again.

However, despite this Kondo-inspired clean out a year ago I still found myself surrounded by things. I wasn’t brutal in my purging because I wasn’t going anywhere. My day job was solid and my mind was mostly occupied with writing books. I’ve also never found myself resentful of things. I’ve never felt the urge to seek out the freedom people write about in article urging us to eliminate material possessions and live out of one suitcase. As anyone who has perused my closet can tell, I derive too pleasure from clothes. I like being surrounded by books. There’s satisfaction in finding the exact right set of wine glasses to go in my cupboard with the perfect water glasses and champagne flutes which sit next to the Moscow Mule copper mugs. (Yes, I do own those. Yes, I do use them. I enjoy cocktails immensely.)

All of my preciousness about my things changed when I decided to move. I’m now in the midst of the third or fourth round of clothing purges. I’m selling the majority of my wardrobe on Poshmark and ThredUp to see what I can get money for and what will be donated. Old technology has gone off to Decluttr as well as DVDs because I can’t remember the last time I turned my BluRay player on. Some of my furniture and barware will go to my best friend who has already claimed it. The rest of my furniture will be sold in a Craigslist fire sale or placed out on the curb to be scavenged, a time-honored tradition NYC tradition. Bags and bags of books have already been taken to my local library’s used bookstore for donation, and I still have many bags to go. (The people there are starting to recognize me.) Friends are also getting surprise boxes of books sent via media mail to fill up their shelves.

It’s not as though I’ll be traveling to London with nothing. A box of winter things is already winding it way there. Research books (some difficult to replace as they’re out of print) are going via M-bags, a form of international shipping I didn’t even know existed before this move. My sister and her boyfriend will be in New York the week before I leave by happy coincidence and will take a pair of suitcases back with them. I, a woman who travels light and hates to check luggage, will attempt not to break out in hives at the idea of checking a second pair of suitcases when I board my one-way flight.

When I arrive in London, I’ll still have things, but they’ll be highly curated — the best parts of who I’ve been in New York through my 20s and who I want to be in London.

#5forFriday: Moving, Hotly Anticipated Books, and Scrivener

It’s been a busy week! Here are the top 5 things I’ve loved, learned, and listened to:

OMG I’m moving to London! I talked about the decision to move out of NYC in a post earlier this week, and while I’m thrilled I also still can’t believe it. (But I’m sure it’ll start feeling real once I bring the suitcases out and empty my apartment.)
I got to speak to Sarah Aswell from SheKnows about my top 10 most-anticipated romance novels for the rest of 2017.
This M. O’Keefe book is free right now and you better believe I grabbed a copy.
On this month’s First Draught we talked about Scrivener (i.e. the writing and organizational software that makes it possible for me to write several books at once). Here’s a link to the podcast.
This song by Odessa is giving me life this week:

Heroines, Choosing Happiness, and Why I’m Moving From NYC to London)

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In a month, I’m going to be uprooting my life in New York City and moving to the United Kingdom.

I will do this to be living closer than a plane ride away from my parents for the first time in my adult life.

I will do this because my sister and her boyfriend will be only an hour away and I want my lady movie watching buddy back.

I will do this for adventure and a promise I made to myself a long time ago to do something that scares me to death every decade or so.

I will do this despite the fact that I’ll leave behind friends and a life I’ve cultivated in weird, wonderful New York for nearly nine years.

I will do this without the security of a day job, giving me the chance for the first time in my author life to write full time for a little while.

I am excited and eager and trepidatious.

What I am not is uncertain about my choice.

My mother often tells me with a laugh that I’m just like my father. We mull over something as important as a life change or as simple as a new gadget for months, researching and weighing pros and cons. We learn everything we can about whatever it is that’s caught our imagination. Recently this has led me to become a casual expert on:

Running clothes and training guides (This obsession started a year ago and has not let up, leading me to be somewhat angry with my runner friends who didn’t warn me that my laundry would soon be all running clothes and one morning a weekend would be devoted to long runs, often done in the cold and rain because you need those miles in the bank)
Social media and content marketing programs like CoSchedule (Welcome to the sexy behind-the-scenes world of being a working author)
External audio recorders (Podcasting)
Shipping books internationally (My extensive research library is moving to London which is…a challenge)

My father and I will read, collect information, and take notes until one day we’re ready. Like a flip being switched, we make our decision and rarely look back. It’s as though steeping ourselves in all of that information has infused us with the ability to say, “Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”

It would make sense that this brand of seemingly contradictory dragged out decisiveness appeals to me. It’s similar to the way that heroines in romance novels come to the realization that they are both in love and deserving of it.

The heroine spends the entire story getting to know the hero by talking to and interacting with him (or he does with him in M/M or she does with her in F/F). She might meet family or friends, see him on the job, or watch him at play. Often without realizing it, she’s gathering information about the sort of partner he’ll be letting that process in her subconscious until she’s ready to choose.

All at once she knows. He’s the one. It’s Elizabeth realizing Darcy has saved her sister. Cher announcing “I love Josh” in front of the fountain in Beverly Hills. It’s in the ah-ha moment we spend the entire movie or book waiting for.

Other people—even the hero—might try to move our heroine onto another path, but she’s certain. She’s chosen the love of the hero, just as she’s chosen her own happiness.

This may I’ll be choosing my own happiness as well as family and adventure. I plan to share bits and pieces of my move and subsequent settling in to the city I write about—even if the timeline is about 200 years off—and I hope you’ll take the journey with me here as well on Instagram and Facebook.

#5forFriday: New Covers and Spring Days

It’s been a bit since I’ve done a #5forFriday post because I’ve been off writing all of the books for you guys (seriously, I’ve written like 40,000 words in the last 10 days). In honor of getting over the hump of book 2 in the Matchmaker of Edinburgh series, I’m bringing #5forFriday back. Here we go!

1) I got to reveal the beautiful cover for my upcoming Scottish historical romance, The Look of Love, this week. If you missed it, here are all of the details, plus this is the cover.

COVER REVEAL: Book 1 in a Sexy New Scottish Romance Series

If you’ve been reading my newsletter or my website for awhile now, you know I’ve been hinting at the new Scotland-set historical series I’ve been writing. Well, the first book in the Matchmaker of Edinburgh series is now available for preorder, and it has a gorgeous cover!

Amazon | Amazon UK | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Google Play

Isn’t she beautiful!? The cover designer did an amazing job with this one, and I couldn’t be happier!

I loved writing this heroine who is a fiercely independent sculptor who’s near ruination lands her in a marriage of convenience with her best friend.

Here’s a closer look:

An accomplished sculptor with secret ambitions, Ina Duncan has managed to avoid marriage for years until an accidental encounter at a party leaves her near ruin and in need of a husband. Fast. Determined to find a willing husband for Ina, Edinburgh’s most powerful matchmaker, Moira Sullivan, quickly realizes that the solution to Ina’s problem might be right in front of her.

Ina’s best friend, Gavin Barrett, has a secret no one knows: he’s loved her for years. As the second son of a baronet, however, he knows he has little chance with his brilliant, beautiful friend. All that changes when Moira convinces Ina to propose a marriage of convenience to Gavin to save her from ruin. Ina only wants two things from him in return: a vow she can continue to sculpt and a promise they’ll remain in Edinburgh.

After a rocky start, happiness—and maybe passion—seems on the horizon for the newlyweds until a twist of fate bestows the title of Sir Barrett on Gavin and forces him to assume responsibilities he’s never wanted. Forced to mold herself into the perfect baronet’s wife, Ina must choose between her dreams and the man she’s learning to love.

This book is slated to come out on October 9, and you can preorder it now so you don’t miss it’s big release day! Just click on one of the links below.

Amazon | Amazon UK | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Google Play

Meet Me in Boston!

Boston-area romance readers, you’re in for a treat! The New England Chapter of RWA is putting on a book signing from 6 to 8 p.m. this Friday at the Burlington, Mass. Marriott. The line-up is incredible with big-name authors from all genres of romance, and I’ll be in the thick of it signing books and giving away downloads of The Governess Was Wicked!  

I love meeting readers, and this is one of the few events I’ll be doing this year that doesn’t require a conference registration fee to attend. Please stop by and say hi!

Romance on the Run: Frozen Penguin 5K Race Recap

FROZEN PENGUIN 5K — MARCH 12, 2017

Official Time: 26.28

Average Pace: 8:32/MILE

My editor is going to be so mad at me if I can’t type by the end of this.

This was the first thought that flashed through my mind as I ran out of a tunnel in Riverside Park and onto a straight, picturesque stretch of pavement along the Hudson River. I was a little over a mile into the NYC Runs’ Frozen Penguin 5K, and the race was living up to its adorable (and regrettably accurate) name.

It was just after nine a.m. on a crystal clear Sunday morning, and about 22 degrees Fahrenheit. Because I enjoy tormenting myself, I also looked up the “real feel” temperature before the race. 19 degrees.

Lovely.

While running, I like to check in with my body every once in awhile to make sure nothing’s feeling off. That’s when I realized I couldn’t feel the middle and ring fingers on my left hand. Being right handed and far from ambidextrous, that shouldn’t be too much of a concern — save the pesky frostbite risk — but given that I’m an author with a fast-approaching deadline it was cause for concern.

My editor, Marla Daniels, is incredibly supportive and understanding, however the idea of emailing her Monday morning to report that I had two non-functional digits which I rely upon to type those novels she’s contracted for me was a little unsettling.

Hi Marla,

Hope you had a great weekend! Something funny happened yesterday. Really, you’re going to laugh. Probably.

I was doing this race and my fingers froze. Like froze froze. I can’t feel a couple of them. As you can guess, that’s kind of a problem.

Soooo…I’m trying the old “hunt and peck” method of typing right now. I’ll let you know how it goes when I turn in this book in three weeks! Hopefully. Probably. Wish me luck!

Best,

Julia

PS Please send deadline pie.

Yeah, that wasn’t going to fly.

I started wiggling my fingers to get the blood circulating again, trying to remain philosophical about the whole thing. Maybe frostbite could come in handy for future book research. You’d be surprised how many real life events work their way into plots — twisted and changed enough to protect the guilty parties, of course.

As I rounded the top of the esplanade where a helpful NYC Runs volunteer bundled up as tightly as an arctic explorer waved me on, my legs started to feel…weird. It took me a moment to realize it was because I was sweating, and when that sweat hit the sub-freezing temperatures it was making my skin prick and tingle.

I was left with a choice:

A) Run slower, sweat less, and finish the race slower, thus resigning myself to more time stuck outdoors in New York-turned-Siberia.

B) Run faster, sweat more, and finish the race faster, therefore getting myself out of the cold ASAP.

I opted for the latter.

The NYC Runs course looped me around a series of paths with gentle hills, passed something called Dinosaur Playground (I was sorely disappointed not to spot any dinosaurs, but maybe I missed them while trying to remember how to breath), and down a mostly flat straight to the finish line. I crossed at a respectable 26:28 with an 8:32/mile average pace.

To be truthful, I’m a little disappointed my time wasn’t faster. Granted this was the coldest weather I’ve ever run in, so that probably effected my time, but I’ve been working on speed drills and trying to get my legs turning over faster. I suppose those things take time to sink into your muscles. I also kicked into high gear in the second mile (8:15?! I haven’t run an 8:15 mile since high school, you guys), but dropped off at the end. Guess I’m going to work on those negative splits running coaches always talk about…

Once I crossed the finish line, a kind volunteer shoved a cup of hot chocolate in my hands. Sipping what tasted like warm elixir from the gods but was probably just massive batches of Swiss Miss, I found my friend, Nicole, and together we waited for the third member of our merry band of runners to finish his first 5K. Nigel and I had been talking about new year’s resolutions a few days after the start of 2017, and he mentioned that he wanted to run a 5K. Being the helpful/pestering friend I am, I found him this one, and we signed up.

Getting to watch someone not just complete one of their resolutions but do it while smiling despite the less-than-desirable conditions was without question the best part of the race.

The shirt’s pretty great too.

Big things, little things, I believe in celebrating all achievements so, hot chocolate in hand, we trooped out of the park for brunch.

And don’t worry, Marla, my fingers came back to life about a half hour later while wrapped around a hot cup of coffee.

Post-brunch triumph.

The Weird Wonderful World of Edwardian Valentines

Happy Valentine’s Day! As many of you already know, I come across a lot of really cool, interesting things in the middle of my research. Today I thought I’d share with some sweet, odd, or just down right concerning valentines from the early twentieth century.

All of these images are courtesy of the New York Public Library

There’s nothing weird about these first two valentines. They’re going to be our baseline…

…because after this, things get weird (Okay I find the clown/jester weird but I have a thing about clowns)

Is it sweet or is it Claudius poisoning Hamlet’s father while he sleeps in the garden? You decide

because nothing says love like two cherubs playing racket sports with your heart

The disembodied head in the middle of a pansy is…disconcerting

Because nothing says ‘love’ like a frozen heart and a half naked cupid wearing a fur with the sort of flair mae west would be proud of

Pro Tip: Don’t Forget the Cat

what happens when cupid gets into mom’s makeup baG? This horrifying mess

Painting spots on dogs. As you do

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May your Valentine’s Day be filled with love and your February 15th be rich with discounted chocolates!

#5forFriday

Here are five things making me happy this week:

#1 I ran my first race on Sunday! It was a nice, low key 4 miler in Central Park that my friend Jena suggested might be a good way to get into organized runs.

“I can’t feel my cheeks any longer.”

It was brutally cold that morning, and it took awhile for my legs to warm up and I was freezing before and after the race. (But not during the race. I was just really sweaty then.)

Unnecessarily intense race photo in which I promise I’m thinking, “Dear God when is this over so I can take a nap?”

No worries! I’m happy to say I beat my goal time and had a blast. The chicken and waffles at Amy Ruth’s in Harlem afterwards didn’t hurt either.

I’m already looking ahead to my next race in March and am thinking about signing up for a half marathon. (This is probably all your fault, Mary Chris.)

All bundled up at the finish.

#2 On Monday I met up with Laura von Holt and we headed over to Lady Jane’s Salon for the big eighth anniversary/Valentine’s Day reading. It was her first time being there, so naturally Laura won a stack of books in a raffle and was fed champagne and brownies.

#3 This article about black fashion designers is a must read for anyone interested in fashion history.

#4 I’ve really been struggling with the pacing of this historical I’m writing right now, but ripping the structure apart with help from Gwen Hayes Romancing the Beat on Saturday was hugely helpful. I feel like I’ve had a breakthrough on this book all thanks to her story structure.

#5 And finally, thank goodness for the Second Avenue Subway which got me to my day job in the middle of a snowstorm on Thursday without my old 3/4 mile walk to the other subway station in the neighborhood. It’s the little things.

Free Books for Historical Readers!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’ve got a treat for my historical readers! Fifteen historical romance authors and I are giving away copies of our books for a limited time.

Want to wander the Highlands? How about a romp in the Regency? Or maybe retreating to the American Revolution is more your style? This giveaway’s got you covered.

You can get these books for free until 2/27, but after that the deal’s gone! Click on the covers below to be taken directly to the book download link.