Julia Kelly's Blog, page 31

First Draught

I feel as though every month I sit back and say, “I can’t believe another First Draught is already here!” This month is no different. Seriously, where is the time going?

For October, we will be discussing pulling out that old, abandoned manuscript, ripping it apart, and revising it. Both Alexis Anne and Mary Chris Escobar have taken a forgotten draft through to publication, so catch the chat for all of their tips, tricks, and advice!

RSVP here to make sure you don’t miss the live chat Tuesday, October 7th, at 8:30 PM EST!

Tagged: Alexis Anne, chat, First Draught, manuscript, Mary Chris Escobar, novel, revision, romance, video

September Reading Wrap Up

What a month! A mild summer here in NYC doesn’t mean that the fall is any less welcome. It’s my favorite time of year. The cool, crisp weather makes me want to curl up with a cup of tea and take a deep dive into a great book.

With that in mind, here are a few of the things I’ve enjoyed this past September:

Devil in Winter (Wallflowers #3)

by Lisa Kleypas

Amazon | B&N | iBooks

Excuse me for a moment while I drop the professional author guise and go all fangirl for a moment. OH MY GOD, THIS BOOK. I’m not sure what prompted me to pick it up — perhaps it was all of the people telling me over the years that I would love Kleypas’ historicals. I should listen to those people more often.

This is a marriage of convenience story (which just happens to be one of my favorite tropes). Sebastian, Viscount St. Vincent, is the perfect alpha hero. His alphaness is director more towards protecting the heroine, Evie, than being a bossy asshole. Even better, although Evie is quieter than her husband, she has serious backbone. The chemistry between them is electric, and it’s wonderful watching their marriage of convenience turn into love.

Unlocked (Turner #1.5)

by Courtney Milan

Amazon | B&N | iBooks

Courtney Milan is pretty much an instabuy for me at this point. I found this novella in the Seven Wicked Nights boxed set featuring a lot of my favorite historical authors. It tells the story of a heroine who has been bullied for years and the man who has to humble himself to win her heart. Since it’s a Milan, there’s no surprise that there’s a good dose of science in the storyline as well.

Upside Down (Off the Map #1)

by Lia Riley

Amazon | B&N | iBooks

I’m not a very prolific New Adult reader. Usually the high drama and angst turns me off, but I found that this book has just the right mix of humor and drama. Upside Down also fills my recent cravings for romances in unusual settings as the action takes place in Melbourne where Talia is studying abroad. I’m lucky enough to have gotten an early read of book 2, Sideswiped, and I’ve got an author interview with Lia Riley coming up in a few days so keep an eye out!

A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death that Changed the British Monarchy

by Helen Rappaport

Amazon | B&N | iBooks

If you’re feeling like some history, this might be a good place to start. Rappaport is a highly accessible writer who focuses in on a specific period of Queen Victoria’s reign. The book focuses primarily on the death of Albert and Victoria’s decade-long period of high mourning for him. It touches on the Victorian obsession with death and the various social and political issues caused by the queen’s refusal to assume her public duties. If you’re at all interested in the Victorian era, this is a good way to dive a little deeper into a fascinating subject.

Just a quick heads up. First Draught is coming up on October 7th. We’ll be talking about revising that book you started but shoved in a drawer (or the deepest, darkest depths of your hardrive). RSVP here to make sure you don’t miss out on the discussion!

Tagged: books, Courtney Milan, fall, Helen Rappaport, historicals, history, Lia Riley, Lisa Kleypas, New Adult, Queen Victoria, recommendations, summer, Victorian era

Book Bundles Abound!

The wonderful people at iBooks have been featuring outstanding book bundles for 99c/99p to help readers in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand discover new authors. My debut One Week in Wyoming is included in this deal, but so are a bunch of really wonderful books. I just wanted to share with you a few of recommendations. All of these books have reached the top 100 paid books in the US at some point during this book bundles deal.

Historical

Seven Wicked Nights by Courtney Milan, Tessa Dare, Caroline Linden, Sherry Thomas, Carolyn Jewel, Erin Knightley, Leigh LaValle

(I’m actually reading this bundle right now, and it is wonderful)

New Adult

Up All Night: A New Adult Collection by Erin McCarthy, Viv Daniels, Heidi Joy Tretheway, Ronda Helms, Lark O’Neal, PK Hrezo, KK Hendin, Shari Slade, J.L. Flynn, Jen Frederick

(I cannot highly recommend Shari Slade’s novel The Opposite of Nothing enough)

Suspense

Danger and Desire by Amber Lin, Pamela Clare, Katie Reus, Dianna Love, Carolyn Crane, Kaylea Cross, Norah Wilson, Dee J. Adams, V.K. Sykes, Misty Evans

Contemporary

One Week in Wyoming by Alexis Anne, Audra North, Julia Kelly, Alexandra Haughton

 

YA

Breaking Ties (The Breaking Series, Book 3) by Tracie Puckett

(It isn’t a book bundle, but I wanted to highlight my friend Tracie Puckett’s new novel Breaking Ties which is a force to be reckoned with. It’s been bouncing around at the top of the charts for the last few days, and rightly so. Tracie is a YA writer with a lot of EQ, and her stories are always gripping)

 

Happy reading, all!

Tagged: book bundle, Breaking Ties, contemporary, Danger and Desire, deals, historical, iBooks, NA, New Adult, novel, One Week in Wyoming, recommendations, romance, Seven Wicked Nights, Suspense, Tracie Puckett, Up All Night, writing, YA

It’s Not Just the Sexy Scotsman

A note just for my sister: I want my old copy back…

It might just be the communities that I’m in online (hi, Romancelandia), but it seems like every other tweet I’ve seen between Saturday evening and Tuesday morning this August and September is about the Starz adaptation of Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander. Of course, I’m just as guilty as my fellow watchers. In August, I jumped right in, watching the series, listening to The Scot & The Sassnach*, and rereading the first book. Every time I get together with other romance authors, the conversation inevitably makes its way over to Outlander. The internet basically exploded when Claire and Jamie got their first sex scene. I was worried that all of the squee might create a black hole that sucks everything into and ends life as we know it. This still may happen. What with streaming and everything, the verdict’s still out.

As we get closer to the mid-season break, I’ve been thinking a lot about what a big deal book Outlander was for me in my teenage years. I remember the old cover clearly with its red plaid, flowers, and broken clock. I used to walk by it on my mother’s bookshelves all the time. One day when I was about 16, she pulled it off the shelf and slid it over to me, suggesting that I might enjoy it. Mum is a very smart lady.

I fell in love with the time slip, 18th century Scotland, that hot Highlander in a kilt, everything. I ripped through the 800+ page book in a matter of days, reading so late into the night that the next morning my eyes were gritty from lack of sleep. I even have clear memories of sneaking it under my desk in AP US History class so that I could keep reading.** I’m pretty sure I walked around school with it in front of my face, blushing something fierce because oh my goodness, people. There was sex and lots of it.

When people ask about the series, I like to tell them that Outlander was the book that made me a woman (my sister finds this mortifying).  What I really mean is that this was first time that I read a book with graphic sex in it^ where the sex wasn’t meant to stand as a metaphor for growing up or as way to shame its characters.^^

Jamie Fraser, ladies and gentlemen.

Outlander is a book about a sexually self-possessed woman who knows how to ask for what she wants and the man who wants to give that to her. In fact, the show goes one step further. In the first episode, the creators wrote a scene in where Claire’s husband Frank moves to kiss her. Instead, she pushes him down on his knees and he lifts her skirt to perform oral sex. The message is clear. Claire is a sexual person and not the least bit afraid of expressing it. Add Jamie in a kilt to the mix and you have serious sparks.

Outlander isn’t perfect. I reread my beaten-up copy of the book while watching the show this summer, and there are some scenes that border on uncomfortable for me. I won’t spoil them here, but dedicated readers of the series can probably guess what I’m talking about. However, the book does portray a lot of positive aspects of Claire and Jamie’s relationship, and I’ll always think of it fondly as my gateway into the world of historical romance.

If you had told me that I would be writing historical romance (or really any romance at all) before those days of reading Outlander under my desk in History class, I probably would have called you crazy. But afterwards? Well, it’s all I ever really wanted to write.

—

*An excellent podcast that I highly recommend for not only recapping Outlander but also breaking down what works in both the show and the book from a narrative standpoint. Seriously, go check it out. It’s delightful, and there’s a real live Scotsman on it.

**Sorry, Mr. Hall. I did go on to get a degree in History so hopefully that makes up for it…

^Upon rereading, the sex seems so tame, but at 16 all I was reading were Kensington Zebra sweet romances where the characters held hands and had one chaste kiss on the last page. THE LAST PAGE?! I felt so cheated each and every time, and yet I read these books for three years. I had no idea that there were sexy books out there I could buy with my babysitting money.

^^I’m looking at you, Go Ask Alice. If you haven’t read it, this is a book where the heroine loses her virginity while on LSD or something and then I’m pretty sure winds up addicted to hard drugs and maybe getting raped or prostituting herself or both. She might also die at the end (sorry, 40something year-old spoilers). Clearly, that was not what teenage Julia was looking for.

Tagged: Claire, Diana Gabaldon, first books, gateway books, Go Ask Alice, historical, Jamie Fraser, Kensington Zebra, Outlander, reading, romance, sex, Starz, The Scot and the Sassenach

Listening for Love

A version of this post ran on September 8th on One Week in Love .

Hi all, Julia here. I’ve talked before about the importance of music and writing, but today I’m going to touch on the songs that I listened to while writing, editing, and generally wringing my hands over “Seduction in the Snow” in the upcoming One Week in Wyoming anthology.

When I start writing a book, I create a playlist with the working title and begin throwing songs on it. Since I write historical as well as contemporary it can be tough finding lyrics that match the scenarios I think I might write (although let me tell you, if I had better French of any Italian there’s a whole world of crazy opera arias that would fit historical romances pretty well).  That’s why I go for a mood that feels like the book I’m writing.

Now, if I’d written this post back in March when I worked on the first draft of “Seduction in the Snow”, I would have said that I put that playlist on and started working away. That’s what it was like until mid-July when I read an article that said most people are less productive when listening to music with lyrics (even in languages that they don’t understand). That flipped a switch in my writer brain, and now I suddenly can’t write to anything that’s not instrumental. Instead I put my playlists on about a half hour before I think I might sit down to write to get me back in the right frame of mind for the story.

Okay, playlist time. For “Seduction in the Snow” I wanted a few angsty songs, some confused, “Wait, are we a couple or not?” lyrics, and a whole lot of sexy girl-power blues rock. If I’m being totally honest, I would admit that I just listened to Pistol Annies’ “I Feel a Sin Comin’ On” on repeat. The problem is that just one song makes for both very poor playlists and blog posts. Here’s a more expansive look at what was on my Spotify list.

If you would like to read “Seduction in the Snow” for yourself, you can buy One Week in Wyoming for $0.99 wherever ebooks are sold.

Tagged: blues, music, One Week in Love, One Week in Wyoming, Pistol Annies, playlist, rock, Seduction in the Snow, songs, soul, Spotify

Wine and Romance

I might live in New York City, but I’m a California girl through and through. I’ll go barefoot if I can, and if I have to wear shoes you better believe they’re going to have at least a 3″ heel on them. I thrive in dry heat and melt in the humidity, and I think that Atlantic beaches have nothing on Santa Monica and Malibu.

In my recent release One Week in Wyoming, I made my hero a California wine grower. I grew up with parents who had “European” views on wine consumption, so I’ve been drinking wine for years. I’m a big cheerleader for the wines my home state produces, and I wanted to feature a touch of California in my novella. Plus, what’s better than a man who wants to pour you a glass of cab at the end of the day.

This list features wines from all over the state that I drink on a regular basis. It also has a few that I’ll reach for on a special occasion. I’ll admit that it’s a little red heavy as I drink a lot of pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, but some of the whites are just fantastic (the J Pinot Gris in particular).

If you’ve got a favorite, let me know! I’m always looking for new recommendations.

Deals & Moderate Bottles ($20 and below)

 

J Pinot Gris – Sonoma County

Mumm Napa Valley Brut – Napa

Handcraft Pinot Noir – California

Cambria Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard – Santa Maria Valley

Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir – Monterey

Handcraft Cabernet Sauvignon – California

Hess Estate Cabernet – Napa

Josh Cellers Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa

 

Special Occasions ($20+)

Far Niente Chardonnay – Napa

Cakebread Cellers Chardonnay – Napa

Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir – Santa Barbara County

Qupe Syrah – Central Coast 

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellers Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis – Napa

 

One Week in Wyoming is now available for purchase at all ebook retailers.

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Tagged: cabernet, California, California wine grower, New York City, One Week in Wyoming, pinot gris, pinot noir, Santa Monica, wine, wine grower

One Week in Wyoming Releases Today!

Finally, after months of work and waiting, One Week in Wyoming is here! It released this morning for $0.99 at all major ebook retailers, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to share it with you.

When best-selling romance author Joan Halliday invites four single female writers to stay at her family’s luxurious Wyoming lodge, she’s counting on a quiet week of bonding on the slopes and in the spa.

Bruce Halliday was looking forward to a relaxing reunion with his college buddies in the wilds of Wyoming…but when his wife’s group meets Bruce’s unattached friends, the sparks start to fly.

Four stories by Alexis Anne, Audra North, Julia Kelly, and Alexandra Haughton heat up the page in one sexy anthology.

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

If you are a paperback reader, fear not. We will have hard copies available for order very shortly.

Tagged: anthology, book blurb, contemporary, ebook, Jackson Hole, One Week in Wyoming, paperback, release date, romance, sexy, ski season, where to buy, Wyoming

Exclusive Excerpt from “Seduction in the Snow” (Part 2)

My upcoming anthology One Week in Wyoming releases tomorrow! To celebrate, I’m giving my blog readers an exclusive look at my novella “Seduction in the Snow.” On Friday you met Lydia, my heroine. Today, take some time with Evan.

Enjoy!

“Seduction in the Snow”

- Part 2 -

Evan hated spreadsheets on a good day. Now, trapped in a flying tin can next to a woman with kissable lips who oozed sex, they officially topped his “Things That Suck” list.

He pushed his glasses up and squinted hard at his computer. He would conquer this inventory list. He would deal with his bursting inbox. He would not think about the way that this Lydia woman’s boots climbed up strong, lean legs, or how they would look wrapped around his waist. He wouldn’t imagine plunging into her warmth and losing himself…

Fuck.

He didn’t even know her last name—she hadn’t bothered to tell him—but when the two of them touched, his pulse kicked up and his cock swelled. Just from touching her hand. Suddenly he was back in a high school nightmare, awkward and uncertain of what to do around a pretty girl.

What the hell is wrong with me?

He wasn’t seventeen anymore. He was a decent-looking guy with a great job. He could talk to a woman without his mouth going dry. He’d even picked up women before.

Okay. One or two, but who was counting?

I’ve got this if I want it. I just have a lot of work to do.

Of course, the first email he’d gotten when he pulled up his inbox was a note from his partner, Kyle, asking him why the hell he was checking email on vacation. He couldn’t help but grin. Before he left, they’d bickered about whether he’d log some hours in Wyoming. Even though Kyle made him promise to disconnect, Evan couldn’t help feeling guilty for dumping the entire operation on him. Broken Ridge Winery was growing fast, and both of them were stretched to their max trying to keep up with everything.

The problem was that emails and spreadsheets just didn’t hold his interest with Lydia sitting next to him. She was more striking than pretty, with a long, oval face, wide eyes, a strong nose, and a generous mouth. Her mahogany hair fell in loose waves around her face and down her back. He wanted to bury his nose in it and breathe her in.

He nearly groaned at the wave of longing that crashed into him. He itched to see if her olive skin was as soft as it looked. Those bright, clear eyes made his heart pound every time he caught her glancing over. But it was her legs that were the main problem. She sat with them crossed, her iPad leaning on her knee. Every once in a while she’d shift and re-cross them, sending all of his hardwiring sparking in his head.

She was giving him enough green lights to floor it, but he couldn’t. Between work and his ski vacation with the guys, he had zero time for anything else. Getting involved with a woman on a trip was not part of the plan. Besides, soon she would walk down the plane’s gangway and out of his life. It was better that way.

But Evan’s decision didn’t make it any easier to keep his imagination PG, and by the time they touched down he was desperate to put some distance between him and this beautiful stranger. The fasten seatbelt sign dinged off, and the cabin filled with the sound of dozens of buckles unsnapping. He packed his laptop away and hauled himself up to reach for the overhead bin. Then, even though he knew it would cost him a sliver of his sanity, he asked Lydia, “Can I help you get your bag down?”

She eased into a tight spot next to him in the aisle. Her breasts brushed his arm, and the floral scent of her perfume drifted up to him. He breathed deep and hoped that he could restrain the urge to grab her by the waist, bend her backwards, and find out exactly what that wide mouth tasted like.

“Thank you,” she said in the husky voice of a black-and-white movie star—more Bacall than Monroe.

He maneuvered her bag out of the overhead and set it down between them. Then she turned those soulful brown eyes on him and stole every word from his tongue. All he could do was grunt as the people in the rows ahead of them began to shuffle off the plane. He scrambled for something to say—anything that wouldn’t make him sound like a sixteen-year-old with a crush.

Nothing.

When Lydia pulled her purse higher on her shoulder, she stuck out her other hand for him to shake. “Maybe I’ll see you around, Evan Sullivan.”

Something about the way her eyes sparkled told him she was testing him—teasing, even. He gripped her hand and fought the urge to prove he could play this game, too. It was just the weight of his laptop in the bag hanging off his shoulder that anchored him to reality. He had just five days in Wyoming.

Really? That’s what’s stopping you?

But before he could do anything else, Lydia turned up the aisle.

 

Thanks for reading! If you liked what you read, One Week in Wyoming is available for exclusive preorder on iBooks for $0.99 and will release wherever ebooks are available tomorrow. You can check out more from all of the authors in the anthology at our series website.

Tagged: contemporary, excerpt, exclusive, free fiction, Jackson Hole, One Week in Love, One Week in Wyoming, plane, release, romance, San Francisco, sexy

Exclusive Excerpt from “Seduction in the Snow” (Part 1)

My upcoming anthology One Week in Wyoming releases in less than a week! To celebrate, I’m giving my blog readers an exclusive look at my novella “Seduction in the Snow.” Today you’ll get to meet our heroine Lydia. On Monday, it’s all Evan.

If you like what you read, One Week in Wyoming is available for exclusive preorder on iBooks for $0.99 and will release wherever ebooks are available on September 9th. You can check out more from all of the authors in the anthology at our series website.

Enjoy!

“Seduction in the Snow”

- Part 1 -

“I think this is me.” A voice to the right of Lydia interrupted her reading time, and she clicked her iPad off with a sigh.

She’d planted her purse on the aisle seat next to her in hopes that it would stay empty on the flight to Wyoming. No such luck. Now she’d have to wage a silent, passive-aggressive war with a stranger for the shared armrest. Mentally grumbling, she glanced up.

Oh.

Tall, sandy-haired, and handsome filled the aisle. The man glanced down at the printed-out boarding pass in his hand. “This is row ten, right?”

The low rumble of his voice turned her insides liquid. She’d fight over an armrest with him any day.

“Sorry about that. Let me get this out of the way for you.” She juggled her purse to clear his seat.

One corner of the man’s mouth quirked up—for real this time. “I’m always hoping for an empty aisle, too.”

She smiled back. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“I’m not disappointed.”

He heaved his suitcase up and shoved it into the overhead compartment. As he moved to snap the bin closed, his eyes raked over her so fast she might not have caught it. Except she did.

Good.

He didn’t look so bad himself. He wore a thin knit sweater with the sleeves pushed carelessly to his elbows to expose a pair of strong, lean forearms. A pair of thick black glasses perched on a nose that looked like it might have been broken once, and a three-day beard covered his chin with just enough scruff to give him a rugged sort of look without edging into hipster territory. This stranger was catnip, and he’d be sitting just inches from her for the three-hour flight from San Francisco to Jackson Hole.

He let his beaten-up brown leather messenger bag slide off of his shoulder and onto the empty seat. A lock of hair fell over his forehead as his head dipped when he pulled a laptop free. It took everything Lydia had not to reach out and twine a finger around that curl.

When the man finally maneuvered into his seat, he set his laptop on his knees but didn’t open it. Instead, his head fell back with a sigh. He looked like he could use some serious loosening up. She’d be happy to help with that.

The plane’s PA system crackled, and a flight attendant welcomed them in cheerful tones, pulling Lydia’s thoughts back to her vacation. Soon she would be at Dabai Lodge with Joan and the rest of her writing group. Joan’s husband, Bruce, had invited his college friends for some skiing at the same time, but she couldn’t care less about throwing herself down a mountain with a pair of two-by-fours strapped to her feet. All she wanted was some spa time, a few good meals with friends, and a week of relaxation. That was just the sort of well-earned wind-down she needed after a few punishing months on deadline.

It would be an added bonus if the lodge had a good-looking, unattached man staying there too. Someone like the guy sitting next to her—all long legs and big, rough hands who’d let her wrap herself around him and really enjoy her vacation.

I should be so lucky.

Once they hit the runway, the plane sped up, the nose pitched skyward, and suddenly they were airborne. She sank back into her seat, silently thanked whatever genius convinced the FAA to let readers keep their devices on through takeoff, and turned her attention to her tablet.

“Do you mind if I turn the light on?”

She looked up and found a pair of icy blue eyes fixed on her. Even through his exhaustion she caught a hint of soft, sweet warmth in her seatmate’s expression.

“I didn’t know if it would cause glare on your iPad,” the man explained.

She shook her head. “It should be fine. Thank you for asking. I’m Lydia, by the way.”

She stuck out her hand. The man glanced down at it and hesitated. I won’t bite, she wanted to purr, but the poor guy already looked like he was torn between crushing her lips with his and bolting. Then something like determination crept into his expression. He took her hand.

The moment they touched, heat swept straight down to her toes and back again. She imagined his broad hands stroking over her bare skin, palms exploring, fingers teasing. Her whole body hummed for him, and the intensity with which he stared at her nearly knocked her backwards.

“I’m Evan Sullivan,” he said, his tone low and thick.

She wanted that voice wrapping around her as he whispered every little thing he’d do to make her come. It spoke of dark rooms and slow, sensual sex fueled by need. She throbbed wet and ready for him.

“Evan. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Her body screamed at her to unbuckle her seatbelt and climb into his lap, but the two no-nonsense flight attendants nearby didn’t look like they’d tolerate the idea. Still, maybe she and Evan could arrange to meet in Jackson—a little vacation fling. It was all she ever wanted from a guy, something fun with no strings attached. Flings were easier than relationships. Less messy.

Before she could decide whether to act on the idea, Evan dropped her hand. “Sorry to be rude. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed, but she nodded. “Of course. I don’t want to keep you from your work.”

Picking up her tablet again, she leaned on the armrest next to the window. Evan kept his attention so carefully locked on his computer that she wondered for a moment whether she’d imagined that the attraction went both ways. The quick pulse of a little, bitable vein at the base of his neck made her think no. Then he let out a shaky breath, and she knew he’d felt the connection too.

With a little smile, she dove back into her book.

 

Thanks for reading! Look out for another exclusive excerpt on Monday!

Tagged: anthology, contemporary, excerpt, Jackson Hole, One Week in Love, One Week in Wyoming, plane, preorder, release date, romance, San Francisco, Seduction in the Snow, sexy, Wyoming

VIDEO: Learn to Love Your Research

Yesterday night First Draught tackled the question of research and writing. How do you get the details right, where should you start, and how do you know that you’re just avoiding writing the book? A.L. Parks shared her stories about interviewing members of the FBI, Alexis Anne discussed the pros and cons of writing about fictional vs. real places, Mary Chris Escobar talked about authenticity, and I tackled the historical side of things.

UPDATE: Looks like a gremlin got into one of our computers and caused some feedback for a few minutes in the middle. Bad gremlin. The problem does resolve itself pretty quickly, and we will try to figure out how to prevent it in the future.

If there is a topic you want us to discuss, reach out to one of us! We’re always happy to take suggestions.

Tagged: A.L. Parks, Alexis Anne, contemporary, FBI, historical, Mary Chris Escobar, research, writing, writing advice