Julia Kelly's Blog, page 27
April 15, 2015
First Draught is a Podcast!
Originally posted on First Draught:
If you’re like us, you love podcasts. That’s why we couldn’t be happier to let you guys know that First Draught is now available to download as a podcast on a couple different platforms!
iTunes: http://apple.co/1OrzoQI
Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/1DjJ4ru
You can also find all of our podcasts on the sidebar of this website if you’d rather stream and listen.
Alexis is hard at work converting all of our back episodes into fully downloadable shows, so be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss any past or future shows!
And don’t forget to like this site for the very latest updates on First Draught including announcements about future guests and show topics.
April 10, 2015
Show Notes: How to Build Your Author Brand (Even When You Don’t Have a Book Out)
Check out the show notes for this month’s First Draught!
Originally posted on First Draught:
We had a fantastic conversation with Laura von Holt and Amy Jo Cousins last Tuesday about the ins and outs of building your author brand. We touched on the tangibles like fonts, covers, and websites, but we also discussed making sure that your voice on social media and other platforms is authentic.
There’s a lot of great stuff in here!
We wanted to be sure to highlight a few things we mentioned during the show.
Canva (the amazing graphics program we gushed about)
Shari Slade (Amy Jo’s brilliant confident and fellow author who just went through a site rebranding herself)
Book Beautiful (the author design service site that Amy Jo name dropped)
Lucas Stoffel (Laura’s fantastic website designer)
Font Fabric (The font resource Alexis Anne uses to find unique new fonts)
And here’s a closer look at our contributors:
Amy Jo Cousins
Visit Amy Jo’s website: amyjocousins.com
Subscribe to Amy Jo’s…
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April 7, 2015
Cover Reveal: One Week in Hawaii
It’s here! One Week in Hawaii‘s gorgeous cover is now out in the world, and, ahead of its May 19th release date, the book is up for presale at retailers too! I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when Book Beautiful sent us the draft of this cover. She got it in one shot, capturing all of the sexy, steamy, beachiness of this book.
Here’s a little look at what you can expect from this seriously hot anthology:
Sun, sand, and seduction.
This summer, Alexis Anne, Audra North, Julia Kelly, and Alexandra Haughton sweep you away to paradise for One Week in Hawaii.
A wedding planner breaks all the rules to have just one night of pleasure, only to find that a stolen moment might hold the key to forever.
A movie star falls hard for her sexy co-star…who just happens to be her best friend.
A former black sheep risks falling from grace again when she seduces a handsome stranger with a dark history.
An artist has to choose between dating a guy who will please her parents and one who will please…and pleasure…her.
Sex on the beach is so much more than a drink in these four sizzling contemporary novellas by the authors who brought you One Week in Wyoming.
Preorder is now live!!!
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NH2mKe
iBooks: http://apple.co/1GlNTTh
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CCzIqC
The book will retail at Barnes & Noble on May 19th. One Week in Hawaii will also retail in paperback on Amazon.
Keep checking back in the run up to our May 19th release date for sneak peeks, excerpts, and more! And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter for the very latest about this and other new releases!
Tagged: Alexandra Haughton, Alexis Anne, Amazon, anthology, Audra North, beach read, coming soon, contemporary, cover reveal, One Week in Hawaii, preorder, release date, romance, sexy, summer read
April 6, 2015
Author Branding on First Draught Tomorrow!
A quick reminder for you that First Draught is coming up tomorrow at 8:30 PM EST! Alexis, Mary Chris, and I are very happy to be welcoming Laura von Holt and Amy Jo Cousins on for a discussion about building your author brand. We’ll talk about why branding is important, how you should go about creating your online and in real life presence, and why it’s important to start now even if you don’t have a book out.
RSVP to our live event to be sure you don’t miss a minute of our live conversation. If you can’t make it on Tuesday, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel or check out our brand-new First Draught website!
Laura von Holt is a marginally famous writer and performer from Hawai’i who lives in New York. She writes paranormal romances about mermaids, and literary fantasy about the dark side of fairytales. She is also a Pulitzer-nominated playwright and the Co-Artistic Director of Little Lord, a Brooklyn-based theater company. Laura is best known as her pinup and performance artist alter ego, von Hottie. When Laura is not on the ground, she is in the air as the sparkly half of the international aerial comedy duo, Flaming Mermaid Broken Star, which creates and performs “stunning feats of how-dare-they” on the regular.
Visit Laura’s website: vonhottie.com
Subscribe to Laura’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/OqvlD
EBK PHOTOGRAPHY
Amy Jo Cousins writes contemporary romance and erotica about smart people finding their own best kind of smexy. She lives in Chicago with her son, where she tweets too much, sometimes runs really far, and waits for the Cubs to win the World Series.
Fun facts: Amy Jo can get back into a kayak in the open water if she falls out of it, taught herself and her son how to say I love you in seventeen languages, and once ran the table in a game of eight ball.
Visit Amy Jo’s website: http://amyjocousins.com/
Subscribe to Amy Jo’s newsletter: http://bit.ly/1CriI2U
Tagged: Amy Jo Cousins, branding, First Draught, Google Hangout, Laura von Holt, romance novel, special guests, video, writing, writing advice
April 3, 2015
Hot for Friday: Book Boyfriends Cafe
Hey there, blog hoppers! Today I’m participating in the Book Boyfriends Cafe Hot for Fridays. This week they’ve asked us to share a swoon worthy line from our hero. I’m road testing a little sneak peek of my upcoming book One Week in Hawaii and introducing you to Chris and Annie. He’s a hot, young chef from LA who is a guest at the wedding that she’s planned. And it turns out both of them have a taste for moonlight beaches, classic movies, and champagne.
Chris wasn’t ready when Annie said, “No one’s ever brought me champagne before.”
He stared at her. How was that even possible? “Then I’m glad I’m the first.”
“It’s part of being a wedding planner,” she gave him that small smile again, as though the admission were an apology. “We’re usually the ones coordinating the big gestures.”
“Well, tonight you get champagne.” He pulled the glasses out of his pockets and handed them to her. “Do you mind?”
She took them from him with a raised eyebrow. “Not at all.”
He set about peeling the foil off the champagne’s cage.
“Does this make you William Holden?” she asked after a moment’s silence.
His hand stilled. “William Holden winds up with glass in his ass. I’m Humphrey Bogart.”
“You know Sabrina?” she asked, a little incredulous as he stuffed the cage into his pocket and eased the cork out of the bottle. It sighed—one of the best sounds in the world.
“I know Bogey. A man’s man.” He poured out her glass with a flourish before moving on to the other one. “Besides, there’s a whole culinary school b-story in Sabrina. It’s practically required watching.”
When he glanced up at her, she was smiling. A real smile that lit up her whole face. “You could just admit you love the movie.”
He laughed, clinking the edge of his glass against hers. “Or I could just admit I love the movie.”
If you liked this little preview of Chris and Annie, sign up for my newsletter. That way I can let you know as soon as the book (and its sexy cover) are up for preorder and sale. And don’t forget to check out Book Boyfriends Cafe for all of the swoon worthy heroes you can handle!
Tagged: beach, book boyfriend, Book Boyfriend Cafe, classic movies, Hot for Friday, One Week in Hawaii, preview, romance, romance novel, Sabrina, sneak peek, writing
March 12, 2015
Boston Romance Workshop
I’m thrilled to announce that I will be presenting at the Let Your Imagination Take Flight Conference hosted by the New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America!
Audra North and I will be presenting “How to Publish a Boxed Set or Anthology: A Practical Workshop.” We’ll teach you everything you need to know about idea creation, organization, preorders, marketing, royalty distribution, and taxes. This workshop will also be a great guide for anyone who wants a down and dirty overview of what it takes to put together a self-published book.
What: 2015 Let Your Imagination Take Flight Conference
When: Friday, April 24 – Saturday, April 25
Where: Boston Marriott in Burlington, MA
And don’t forget, the best way to keep up to date on updates, release dates, and exclusive excerpts is by signing up for my newsletter!
Tagged: anthology, appearance, Audra North, box set, conference, how to, Let Your Imagination Take, New England Romance Writers of America, self-publishing, workshop
March 5, 2015
One Week in Hawaii is Coming Soon!
Really excited about One Week in Hawaii coming out! I think you guys are going to love this one!
March 4, 2015
First Draught & The “I Love You”
Just a few quick things to tell you about today.
Read
I’m over on the Contemporary Romance Writers’ blog talking about why your characters don’t always have to say, “I love you,” at the end of your romance.
Meet
I will be speaking at the NECRWA “Let Your Imagination Take Flight” conference from April 24-25. Audra North and I are presenting a practical guide to self-publishing an anthology or box set with great tips about idea creation, organization, and royalties distribution. I’ll have more details on that appearance in the coming weeks, but if you plan to be there please say hello and introduce yourself.
Watch
The women of First Draught are back at it again talking about problematic heroines. Why can it be so tough to get a heroine just right? Are we harder on our heroines than our heroes in romance? Plus we dish on the heroine tropes we just can’t stand.
Also keep an eye out for updates about One Week in Hawaii, the next anthology in the One Week in Love series featuring novellas by Audra North, Alexis Anne, Alexandra Haughton, and myself. We’re getting ready to release our very sexy cover and get this book up on preorder.
If you would like to be the first to see that cover and help us spread the word about One Week in Hawaii, check out this quick form.
And don’t forget to sign up for newsletter for the very latest preorder and release date information as well as exclusive excerpts!
Tagged: "Let Your Imagination Take Flight" Conference, Alexis Anne, appearance, Audra North, Contemporary Romance Writers, cover reveal, First Draught, happily ever after, heroines, I love you, Mary Chris Escobar, NECRWA, One Week in Hawaii, One Week in Love, preorder, romance, writing
February 25, 2015
The TBR Problem
I, Julia Kelly, have a problem. I have a To Be Read pile that just doesn’t quit. It’s the best kind of problem to have that a lot of readers share, but it’s a problem nonetheless. I live in a New York studio apartment so even with two large bookshelves (that are double and triple-stacked in places) my home is bursting with books I haven’t read. My bedside table isn’t so much a table but a repository for the books I think I might read next. Romances, history, classics, mysteries, biographies, I’ve got it all. I’ve instituted a rule that if I don’t read a book I picked up at a conference within two years, it gets sent to a friend or donated. It’s a great rule, but it’s not really helping me get through the books that are queued up and waiting to be read. The books I really want to read.
So today I’m asking for your help. How do you guys handle an out of control TBR? Reading challenges? Quotas? Leave me a comment with your tried and true methods (or just join me in the book storage struggle).
Tagged: advice, apartment living, book shelves, book storage, reading, reading challenges, TBR pile, to be read
February 16, 2015
A Closer Look: James Miranda Stuart Barry
When you’re a historical author, you do a lot of research. Pair all of the book-specific research with a degree in Victorian British History with a focus on gender and sexuality, and I’ve got more random facts kicking around in my head than I know what to do with. I’ve always been fascinated by women in medicine. Today I’m taking a closer look at the unusual life and work of James Miranda Stuart Barry.
James Miranda Stuart Barry
“The good doctor wore three-inch lifts in his shoes, carried a parasol, and traveled the world with a milk goat. And he had a lousy temper. But James Barry earned the highest rank a doctor could achieve in the British army.”
James Miranda Stuart Barry
James Miranda Stuart Barry is a problematic, but important place to start when looking at first generation of female doctors to earn medical degrees in the United Kingdom. That’s because Barry lived for decades as a man, and it was not until his death that people discovered that he was biologically female.*
James Barry was born Margaret Ann Bulkley between 1789 and 1791 to unknown parents. What we do know is that Bulkley would grow up and want to be a doctor. In the early 19th century, that was a profession barred to women. Florence Nightengale and the professionalization of nursing had not yet happened, and the only way for a woman to really be involved in the medical profession was through midwifery. Stuart, however, had a plan.
Dr. Barry with a servant, c. 1862
In 1809, Bulkley assumed the name of James Barry to gain entrance to Edinburgh University (Women). Not much is known about Barry’s time at the university, but he successfully kept his gender under wraps and graduated in 1812 (Karlekar). Not satisfied with secretly smashing one barrier, he joined the British Army–an organization completely off limits to women–and was appointed Medical Inspector of South Africa.
By all accounts, Barry was not easy to get along with. He was, “bombastic, opinionated and tactless.” He criticized local officials in South Africa for inadequate water systems that he insisted on being upgraded. After his work in South African, he took his crusade for better sanitary conditions and nutrition for soldiers to India, the Caribbean, and Canada (Women). In Canada, he would eventually be elevated to Inspector-General of Military Hospitals in Canada (Karlekar). Barry also has the distinction of performing one of the first Caesarean sections in the British Empire.
Barry died in 1865. The woman who prepared his body made what must have been the shocking discovery that the doctor was in fact biologically female (Women).^ It was a secret he had kept for 56 years all to maintain a life dedicated to medicine.
If you are interested in more articles like this or would like to stay up to date on release dates and other news, please subscribe to my newsletter!
*I’m a strong believer in respecting self-identification. While biologically Barry was female, he lived the majority of his life as a man. We don’t know whether this decision was rooted in necessity because he wanted to practice medicine and would have been barred for his sex or whether Barry identified as male. Since we cannot ask Barry himself, I’ve chosen with great respect to identify him as male since that is the way he presented to society.
^While most sources seem to agree that Barry was biologically female, there are some people who dispute that claim. It is possible that Barry was a male hermaphrodite with breast development and external genitalia.
Sources
“Her-Story: Then James Barry/Miranda Stuart,” Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics On the Air!
Karlekar, Malavika, “An Anatomy of a Change: Kadambini Ganguly and the Seven Before Her”, The Telegraph India, July 8, 2007
Roland, Charles G., “Barry, James”, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 9, University of Toronto/Université Laval.
Tagged: doctor, Edinburgh University, Florence Nightengale, history, James Miranda Stuart Barry, Margaret Ann Bulkley, women in medicine 
