My good friend Alexis Anne and I tackled the heroine in romance novels a few weeks ago. Now we're back and talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the hero. Join the conversation by leaving a comment here or on Facebook and Twitter!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5F8x_w6Ho8
You can tell a lot about a person by the books on their nightstand.* Here's how To Be Read lists work in my family. First there's the long list (I keep mine on Goodreads). Then there are the books that are physically kept in your bedroom. Those are a little more likely to be read in the next couple of years. When a book makes it to the nightstand, it's like being called up to the big leagues.
Earning a spot on the nightstand means there's a good chance I'm probably going to read that book next. Once I pass the midway point of whatever I'm currently reading, I'm mentally queuing up what comes next. Since I often read in bed, the most natural thing is to finish a completed novel and pick up the next one off of the nightstand stack.
So here's what is in my TBR stack right now:
Crazy Thing Called Love, by Molly O'Keefe
I'm ashamed to say I've never read any of Molly's work despite the glowing recommendations I've gotten. I plan to fix that very soon.
Too Good to Be True, by Kristan Higgins
I got this book at RWA along with her book The Best Man. I loved that one so much this immediately went into the TBR pile.
I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith
There are few books I will gladly reread over and over again. This English novel is perhaps the best coming of age story I've ever read. I try to revisit it every couple of years. If you haven't read it yet, I strongly recommend grabbing it (the movie starring Bill Nighy isn't half bad either).
Phineas Redux, by Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope rivals Elizabeth Gaskell when it comes to my favorite 19th century author. No one else depicts upper class Victorian London in such rich detail. I challenged myself to read all of his Palliser novels in 2013. I'm clearly going to miss that goal as Phineas Redux is the 4th out of 6 in the series, but I hope to wrap up my challenge early next year.
Gotham Writer's Workshop: Writing Fiction
Writing prompts ahead.
The Passion of the Purple Plumeria, by Lauren Willig
My sister Justine turned me on to Lauren Willig a few years ago, and since then I've read everything Willig has put out. This is the most recent entry in the Pink Carnation series - a fun, snappy set of historical romances all centering around a spy ring filled with witty (if sometimes bumbling) Georgian era characters.
Freud's Mistress, Karen Mack & Jennifer Kaufman
My mother and I have a wonderful bi-coastal book exchange going. Every few months I will come home to a USPS box stuffed full of books curated by my own personal librarian. I ship a box back filled with the ones I've read and a few things I picked up here in New York. Mum sent me Freud's Mistress after I read Henry James' Midnight Song by Carol de Chillis Hill which also deals Freud's strange love affair with his sister in law.
The Book in the Renaissance, by Andrew Pettegree
Bookworms find each other. A couple years ago one of my coworkers and I discovered we're both voracious readers. Ever since then we've been recommending and sharing books. Our taste for non-fiction is similar, so when he asketd me if I wanted to read a book about books I jumped at the recommendation.
What is in your to be read pile?
*Or piled up on the floor/window next to their bed.
Day 15 of NaNoWriMo has come and gone. I recorded this video yesterday night to talk about discouragement, stepping back from your book, and why burlesque dancers might help me find a creative kick again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS9ZMx4td98
The burlesque club I went to is called the Slipper Room on Orchard and Stanton in Manhattan's Lower East Side. The dancers are incredible. You get everything from traditional strip tease to aerialists to performance art. Here are just a couple photos I snapped while I was out.
Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter! I'm also sharing writing inspiration at Tumblr and Pinterest.
If you're doing NaNoWriMo too, just search for Julia Kelly to add me as a writing buddy (and keep me honest!).
Happy writing!
Reviewing isn't for me. There are bloggers and even other authors who do a much better job of it. However, I'm as much a reader as I'm a writer. When I finish a book I love, I launch into Book Evangelist mode and tell everyone I know about it. Every once in awhile you'll get a recommendation from me on this blog.
Here goes...
Yours to Keep - Serena Bell
So that's my recommendation this week. What are you reading and loving?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKI_k6LIx9s&feature=youtu.be
Every once in awhile I'll be asking other authors nosy questions about their writing process and upcoming projects . Today romance author Lashell Collins was kind enough to answer some questions about her newest contemporary novel, Jagged Addiction and talk about the difficulties of writing an unconventional romance.
Tell me a little about the Jagged Ivory series.
Well, Jagged Ivory is a fictional rock band made up of five band members - Otis and Noah Ivory, Cory Dutton, Benji Staffon and Buzzy West. And each book in the series centers around a different member of the band. It actually began as just a single story about Noah Ivory, but as I was writing that first book, I realized that what I actually had was a family and each member of that family had a unique story that needed to be told.
Can you give us a little summary of the most recent book Jagged Addiction?
Jagged Addiction is book 3 of the series and it's about the band's bass player, Benji Staffon. In book 1 of the series, we learn that Benji actually has a pretty significant drug problem and he ends up overdosing and almost dying in book 1. So in Jagged Addiction, we get to delve into his life a little bit and we learn what led him to the drugs, how his habit developed over time and how he fared in rehab. We also get to take the journey of wellness with him and see how he copes - or if he copes - with sobriety, and also how he handles adding falling in love to that mix.
What will readers find unique about this hero and heroine?
Well, I honestly don't know if there are too many drug addicted heroes in romance novels, are there? I suppose there might be a few, but it's certainly not the norm for the genre. In romance, we tend to want our heroes to be "perfect." Flawed for sure, but certain things still seem to be sort of taboo, and I think drug addict is one of those taboo areas. So that's certainly unique. In fact, before I began writing this one, I specifically asked a friend who is also a huge romance reader if she could root for a hero who was recovering from addiction. And I wanted her honest opinion before I even started.
As for the heroine in this story, I haven't read too many romance novels where the heroine looks like Fae Miller in terms of being heavily tattooed and pierced. Also working in such a male-dominated field as she does. So, she is certainly unique in her own way as well.
You deal with the really serious topic of drug addiction in this book. How did you balance that recovery and healing process that your hero goes through with the romance that develops with the heroine?
That's an interesting question because the first draft of the book looked very different from the finished product. When I completed the first draft and went back through it, I realized that I was doing Benji a great disservice by glossing over the whole recovery process, and I didn't want to do that. Yes, it's fiction, but I didn't want to be accused of not being real. And I certainly didn't want to offend anyone who has been through addiction and recovery because it is such a huge issue, and recovery is a huge process. I did a lot of online research, and I also happen to have family members whose lives have been touched by heroin addiction. So, I didn't take it lightly.
What motivated you to base a series around a band?
My undying love of music, plain and simple. I am a huge music fan; I love just about all genres of music, but my favorites are rock and 80's pop.
Can you give readers a sneak peek at your next projects?
Well, I just finished writing a holiday novella installment of the Pierced Trilogy, so Pierced By Christmas will be out on December 1st. And I'm also working on book 4 of the Jagged Ivory series as we speak. That one is Jagged Secrets, and I'm hoping to have it out by the end of December, and then book 5 by the end of January.
Jagged Addiction is available at Amazon and Smashwords along with the rest of the Jagged Ivory series and Lashell's Pierced Trilogy.
To follow my progress during NaNoWriMo check out @The_Julia_Kelly where I'm tweeting about my writing challenge! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtbnjzu77jw&feature=youtu.be
It's the first of November and that means all across the country crazy writers are saying yes to NaNoWriMo. The rules are simple: write a 50,000 word book in November. It sounds impossible, but it's definitely doable (although a challenge)! I want to invite you to join Alexis Anne*, Tracie Puckett, Lashell Collins and me as we write messy first drafts of the books that will (hopefully) eventually wind up on your shelves! Every once in awhile I'll post a video about my progress. Here's the first one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaOznxoRQeU&feature=youtu.be
*Alexis already has a NaNoWriMo first day video up on her blog. Check out how bright eyed and optimistic we are on Nov. 1. Hopefully we're still feeling that way by the 15th...
My novella is in the hands of some trusted beta readers, giving me the chance to do some housekeeping. I've been meaning to share a wonderful post on Wonkomance showcasing photos of romance writers' work spaces. I'm on there as well as my good friend Mary Chris Escobar who is about to release a new novella. Most writers are creatures of habit, so I love getting a glimpse at what makes them tick. Of course then edits took over my life, and I forgot about that post. The other day I read Serena Bell's interview on Miss Ivy's Book Nook talking about what she needs to write. I decided to record this little video for you guys to welcome you to my writing space (just in time for NaNoWriMo). Where do you guys like to work, and how to do you make it feel like home?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jwUF0L9CKY
I live on the far eastern side of Manhattan. My walk to Central Park takes me past the frat boy sports bars of Second Avenue, through the generic shops of Third and Lexington, and into the Old New York opulence that marks the true Upper East Side. Then, just when I'm beginning to feel as though I don't belong in my Sunday uniform of boots and jeans, I see green.
Trees tower over a low wall that draws the boundaries of the park. There is a little entrance at 79th Street. That is the one I take. A paved path leads me deep into the heart of the park. Cyclists and weekend athletes race past me in. They are working harder than I am, but I am on a break I tell myself.
My path curves to the Great Lawn, and I spot Belvedere Castle across Turtle Pond. It's a strange building - impressive and incongruous. A castle in the middle of the great concrete jungle. It has been nearly a year since I stood on its battlements. I put my head down and begin the climb up wide, gentle steps.
On top of the castle the view is breathtaking. Clouds reflect in the deep blue, undisturbed water of the pond. On the sloping lawn, children play at games only they understand the rules to. Trees just beginning to change colors in the fall chill frame the scene. Unashamed of being a tourist in my own city, I snap a photo and then tuck my phone away so I can watch those around me marvel at this beauty.
Revived I walk down another set of steps and through the park. I examine the plaques on green wooded benches. I stop on a bridge leading to the Reservoir to watch the runners huff and puff, fighting against the burn of ever-cooling air. There is calm here. The mere act of walking through the park washes the rest of New York away. I feel clean and new.
The sun is setting when I finally clear the park walls. On Fifth Avenue I feel the city begin to encroach upon the peace I've found. I push past tourists eager to make their way to the Met before the museum closes.
The walk back to my apartment is quick. Keys rattle in my pocket the entire way. An hour after I decide to take my walk, I'm back in front of my computer. I'm ready to work again.
Yesterday night my good friend Alexis Anne sat down for a Google Hangout with me to talk about strong heroines. She also gets into the writing process a little and tells us about her new book The Storm Inside. It was ($0.99 on Amazon when I posted this and has some fantastic reviews, so definitely check it out. Isn't technology great?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE2DVHo2lq4
Editing is a process just like writing. For better or worse, this is how I edit. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8tdqH9DY4Y&w=420&h=315]
As I continue to work my way through edits on this novella, I've been thinking a lot about the romances I love to read. I read pretty widely, so it's tough to just boil it why something works for me. Attributing it to "accuracy in historicals" or "really hot sex scenes in contemporaries" kind of falls sort.
Then I realized I know exactly what all of my favorite romances have in common. It all revolves around how the author treats the female character in the context of the relationship. Let me break it down for you:
1) The heroine has a strong sense of who she is.
My close female friends all have one thing in common: they know who they are outside of their relationships. I look for the same thing in a heroine. I wouldn't want to see a friend lose herself in a relationship. Same goes for my heroines. I want to read about women who can define who they are outside of the hero.
2) Female economic independence.
One of the best classes I ever took was called the History of American Women taught by Professor Victoria Brown at Grinnell College. She told me that patriarchy survives when a woman is forced to be economically dependent on a man. It's a simple but powerful idea.
I find myself drawn to heroines who have some degree of economic independence from the hero - even in historicals. It's a tricky line to walk because you never want to be anachronistic, but money complicates relationships. There's nothing wrong with reading books about women who must marry a marquis to save her family, but I'd rather see her come to the relationship with some financial options (even if they aren't great ones). I want her to have a chance at coming to the relationship as an equal.
3) The hero must respect the heroine.
I have no interest in reading books about men who belittle the women in their lives. It's not a show of masculinity. It points to a lack of human decency. This is the reason that I will likely not continue reading certain popular romantic erotica series. Works for some people. Doesn't work for me.
4) The sex is unequivocally consensual.
Consent is a big deal. There are a lot of old school romances that use rape as a device to move a relationship forward (see Sarah Wendell's Beyond Heaving Bosoms for a full breakdown or check out her excellent website). Thankfully these books mostly died off in the 80s. However, there is still a lot of grey area in romance novels. I think that the heroine and hero should both express their mutual consent during sex scenes like in, you know, real life.
I have no interest in writing a sex scene where someone is fearful. I have no interest in reading them either. That's not sexy. What is sexy is trusting your partner enough to ask them to do more adventurous things with you and acknowledging that you are both consenting adults who have had a conversation about boundaries.
5) Compromise.
My family, friends, and really anyone who has the misfortune of talking to me for long enough knows that I cannot stand it when a heroine gives up her entire life for a hero. I find books where one person blindly abandons life ambitions unrealistic and problematic. It all goes back to respect and maintaining one's identity as I mentioned above. Compromise is a realistic part of every relationship. No matter how crazy pants the book is, the relationship has to ring true.
So that's me. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Do you have any themes among the books you like to read? Any triggers that set you off and make you want to throw a book against a wall? Comment away!
http://youtu.be/Ke6Mdb22Yyg
I'm stepping back from revisions on my sports novella and letting this draft percolate this week. When I'm in the middle of first revisions I feel like my world sometimes closes down. Now is the perfect time to resurface and look around for inspiration.
For the last two weeks NYC has been taken over by Banksy fever. The semi-anonymous street artist has been painting nondescript walls in the 5 boroughs under the cover of darkness. There is something about this subversive, witty art that I find particularly inspirational. If you're a fan of Banksy he makes you think. If you don't get it, you aren't afraid to say it.
Justine Bottles took this picture of a Banksy installation in Woodside, Queens. A man tries to wash away the graffitied phrase, "What we do in life echoes in Eternity." I love the imagery and the contradiction.
What inspires you?
Just a quick update today to say I have a brand new Tumblr! I would love it if you would check me it. Mostly I'm posting beautiful pictures of hot men because I'm a romance author and it's kind of what I do. You can also follow me on Twitter @the_julia_kelly. Come say hi! I promise I'm friendly.
It took me four years to write my first novel.
Actually it would be more accurate to say it took me four years of starts and stops to write my first novel. I kept picking up the book and putting it down. I was in graduate school when I started it, and I'd been working for three years when it finally went off to agents.
My book would suffer when I would couldn’t find the time to sit down to get a solid block of writing in. I would push my manuscript aside if I felt overwhelmed with work, relationships, living in New York, everything.
Finally I got serious. I finished the book, and I went through edit after edit until it started to look like the romances I read. I decided I would never again push writing aside. I was going to make it a priority.
How exactly was I supposed to do that? How are any of us supposed to do that when we're always swamped. It doesn't matter whether you work, raise children, or care for ailing loved ones. Time is precious.
This is my big secret: you make time for the things you want to make time for. If what you really want to do is write, you can find the time to do it.
This isn't a post about balance. Honestly, I'm a little sick and tired of people telling me I'm supposed to write, hold down a job, dedicate time to my relationship (when I'm in one), work out, cook beautiful meals, and still be social. When I'm in the middle of a draft, balance is the last thing on my mind. I go to work. I eat whatever I can make quickly. I sleep less than I probably should. I write whenever I can. My friends are used to me declining about half their invitations because I'm writing. I have very understanding friends. I try to make it up to them when I resurface for breath after a draft.
Last January I found an article I've long since lost about a NYC-based writer who works on the subway. I should do that, I thought.
Into my purse went a notebook and a pen. I promised myself that for at least one leg of my daily 45 minute commute to or from the Bronx I would scribble.* I've always thought of myself as a skeleton first drafter who does her best work during edits. The words didn't have to be good the first time they go on the page. They just had to be there. I could fix them later.
For a couple weeks I stuck to my plan. On my commute I would write. At night I would transcribe the handwritten pages and pick up where I'd left off. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. At the end of those two weeks I had close to 30,000 words of a first draft. I was stunned. Clearly I'd hit on something.
This is what I've realized since then. Fitting in writing time whenever I can isn't just about hitting a daily word count. Something happens when I transcribe from paper to computer screen. The words flow better. Perhaps it's because I'm not starting cold. Whatever the reason, it's the best feeling.
I've now written in bars waiting for dates because I am always, always early. I've scribbled in a Florida hotel room packed with 3 other women getting ready during a wedding weekend. My notebook comes out on the bus, in the back of cabs, and on airplanes. On trips home my family is used to seeing it during slow football games and while we're all lounging outside. I've even got sand in the thing from days at the beach. I'll write wherever I can lay my notebook flat.
How do you find the time to write? Do you block out time, or can you snatch a 15 minutes here and there like I do? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
*Of course there are hidden dangers in writing on the subway. I was so absorbed while writing this post on the train that I missed my stop and wound up 5 stations away on the express train. A small sacrifice in the name of getting things done.
I'm happy to be writing this blog post from my parents' backyard in Los Angeles. After a crazy summer with few chances to stop and catch my breath, I needed to get away from life in New York. When I want to relax and not worry about anything more pressing than when to walk the dogs or what to make for dinner I come here -- my home away from home.
Taking a vacation from my day job at the TV station doesn't mean I took a vacation from writing. Into my suitcase my trusty binder full of manuscript pages and outlines went. My iPad, a Moleskein I carry everywhere, and a ridiculously high number of pens made the trip too. The big deal isn't that I brought all of these things with me. Instead it's that I promised myself I would actually use these tools. I haven't always been so good about making good on that.
Around this time last year I decided it was time for an author grow up moment. It was time to start treating writing as a full-time job. My friend Mary Chris Escobar has a great blog post about this. She's decided to own the phrase, "This is not your side hustle." I couldn't have said it better myself. This isn't my side hustle. This is my second career.
Now I write on the subway to and from work. Sometimes, when I can squeeze in a lunch break, I take my iPad upstairs and do a little work in the cafeteria. I used to worry about my coworkers getting curious as I've decided not to start telling them I write until I had something to show for it (ie "My book is coming out next Fall," etc.). It turns out that most people aren't observant enough to notice. This routine makes my writing goal -- five pages, five days a week -- a bit more attainable. Sometimes I make it. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes it's complete drivel and I later leave the page bleeding with edits. What matters is that I always sit down and write.
Because I spend most of my days writing around my work schedule, going on vacation means plenty of unstructured time to work. It also means time to think. Saturday afternoon I took myself on a solo drive up the coast. I stopped somewhere over the Los Angeles County border in Ventura, and got out to put my toes in the surf and have a long think. I also brought that notebook I mentioned earlier with me. Good thing I did because as soon as my feet hit the Pacific the floodgates opened.
I now have a solid idea of the next characters I want to write about. They're taking shape in my mind, and I'm loving the process of getting to know them. At the same time, I'm barreling through the last third of what I've come to think of as "My sports novella," although it's starting to swell to novel-length proportions. We'll see in revisions if it shrinks or grows.
I'm making my way back to New York Tuesday morning, so I'm saying goodbye to the luxurious, unstructured days of writing I've been enjoying. It's just another thing I'll miss about leaving California along with the sunshine, family, and two rambunctious puppies who always make it interesting.
I've been a writing machine since I got back from RWA in early July. I've been working hard on a new novella that I couldn't be more excited about. It has a second chance at love and a secondary sports storyline. Until two weeks ago the words flowed easy as can be. Then I got stuck. When I'm not writing romance novels at my kitchen table, I'm a TV news producer. That means I'm constantly writing for work. I can proudly say I've never had writer's block in my professional life, but that's hardly surprising. That world is deadline heavy, and there are no opportunities to dither. If you don't write, you don't get paid, and momma needs new shoes.
Fiction writing has not always been so kind to me. I used to fall victim to writer's block just like most people. I would sit in front of the dreaded blinking cursor, stressing and stressing that I couldn't figure out what part of my story came next. It was awful.
Then I realized this made no sense. If I can avoid writer's block when I'm cranking out news copy each and every day, why can't I do avoid it when I'm writing romance? The content might be different, but the process? Not really.
Last week I felt writer's block trying to sneak up on me as I typed away at the kitchen table. Immediately I deployed the two weapons I've learned work best for me.
1) Get over linear writing and write through the block.
I used to feel that if I wasn't pushing the story forward by churning out pages and pages of chronological action I was doing it wrong. Now I sometimes set my timeline aside and work on whatever scene is knocking around in my head. If that scene jumps to the very end of the novel, so be it. The point is that I'm still writing. My novel is still growing.
2) Change how you physically write.
A couple of years ago I learned that the most powerful thing that I can do to kick-start my writing is change how I put down words on the page. I can't explain why, but for some reason moving from the computer to good old pen and paper is like magic. I can't write as quickly as I type, and slowing down seems to really help.
Here's the one catch: I only use one kind of pen. The Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine Rollerball Pen in black is my weapon of choice. For editing I use the red version of this pen. The architect in my life says that everyone in his industry uses these for work because they create a fine line with rapid drying ink. I use them because they feel right. To each her own.
What tools to do you use to fight off writer's block?
I'm not a terribly impatient person, but travel gods willing I will be at my very first Romance Writers of America conference in less than 24 hours. 24 very long hours.
You see, Atlanta will be my very first RWA. I'm a little nervous, but the thought of meeting other romance writers and becoming part of this community is really exciting. Writing can be a very solitary thing. Hopefully after this weekend can help make it a little less lonely when the words just won't flow.
When I'm not writing I work as a TV news producer. This means I'm hardwired to love lists. I'm prone to backtime every event in my life so I know exactly where I should be when. I also research everything. It makes sense then that when I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea of going to RWA for the first time I turned to the internet for info.
I will, of course, be writing about RWA after I come back home to NYC, but I thought I would touch on a few things I was told I should know before heading to Atlanta:
1) Pack like a pro
Erin Knightley seems to be the reigning queen of conference packing. I've traveled all my life so I'm pretty efficient, but Erin's videos take it to the next level. One of the most helpful things about her posts, however, weren't the tips about making your clothes fit into that tiny TSA-approved bag. She gave me some perspective about what to wear. I've packed for a business casual dress code along with something pretty for the RITAs. And shoes. I love my stilettos (and yes, in case you were wondering, I can wear them 12 hours non-stop).
2) Prep for the swag
Books. This conference is all about books. Wonderful, romantic books. From what I can tell you're also given plenty of books to dive into when you get home. I thought I was a good little romance reader before I started to seriously get involved in the community on Twitter. Some of these ladies put me to shame. I can't wait to learn about authors I've never heard of before and read across subgenres when I get home.
Someone very clever told me I should pack a couple of USPS flat rate boxes with pre-printed postage into my suitcase. Those boxes are lining the top of my luggage and keeping me from bringing my entire wardrobe. There is a post office right near the conference hotel, so I hope to be able to just drop those boxes off and go along my merry way.
3) Pull my reporter cap on
Once upon a time a long time ago, I thought I wanted to be a reporter. Turns out I really didn't care about being on TV, and I wanted to be in charge of the newscast behind the scenes. I became a producer but not before putting some time in reporting for print, radio and TV. RWA is going to mean dusting off my old "Reporter Julia" personality.
When you're a reporter you're forced to walk up to total strangers, strike up a conversation and figure out if there's a story there. From what I've been told RWA is similar. I'm a newbie, and I know so few people that I'm going to have to be my friendliest. The good news? Everyone attending loves romance. Instant icebreaker.
So look for me. I'll be the blonde first-timer rocking the ridiculous high heels all conference long. I'd love to say hi!