Ask the Author: Julianna Keyes
Answered Questions (13)
Julianna Keyes
Sorry for the delayed response! Never say never, it just depends on which idea comes to me and how excited I am to write it. As you can see from my catalogue, I seem to write stories of any variety, based on my inspiration. If the right idea hits, I'll definitely write it. No plans for the moment, however. (I write thrillers under the name Elaine Murphy, but there's no romantic element.) :)
Julianna Keyes
Omg - I love this!! Puns are not my forte, but you obviously excel at them. Thanks for making me laugh. :)
Julianna Keyes
Sorry for the delayed reply! I'm not currently working on another Thrashers story. I thought I might do a third one (they have to get to the World Series, right?), but at this point, time has not been on my side. Never say never, though. I *do* love baseball. :)
Julianna Keyes
You'll know in just a few short weeks...
Julianna Keyes
Hey Mimisha, sorry for the delayed reply! I didn't intend to go so long between books, but I hit some writing blocks this year and stalled out. That said, I've got something wonderful in the works, and I'll have more details in January. In the meantime, you can pencil in March 28, 2019 as the next release date. You heard it here first! :)
Julianna Keyes
Thank you, Clau! My intent is to continue writing contemporary romance, not specifically New Adult. But if the right story came along, I wouldn't say no... ;)
Julianna Keyes
Hi Gabriella,
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply - I totally missed this question! The cover debate for "Undecided" started on day one. I really loved the original cover and felt like it had better tone and feel than the new one. Unfortunately, I couldn't disagree with the fairly non-stop criticism that it suggested a love triangle. I understood how people might get that impression, but I really hadn't realized that it would be such an issue. It was. The response was fairly unanimous - and relentless - and I didn't want to hurt the chance of my book's success by being stubborn and holding onto a cover just because I loved it. As it so often goes, the response has been divided even after changing the cover. Some people like it, and some people feel like it's now too generic. I agree with that, too. But no one thinks it's a love triangle, so that's a plus. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for asking! :)
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply - I totally missed this question! The cover debate for "Undecided" started on day one. I really loved the original cover and felt like it had better tone and feel than the new one. Unfortunately, I couldn't disagree with the fairly non-stop criticism that it suggested a love triangle. I understood how people might get that impression, but I really hadn't realized that it would be such an issue. It was. The response was fairly unanimous - and relentless - and I didn't want to hurt the chance of my book's success by being stubborn and holding onto a cover just because I loved it. As it so often goes, the response has been divided even after changing the cover. Some people like it, and some people feel like it's now too generic. I agree with that, too. But no one thinks it's a love triangle, so that's a plus. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for asking! :)
Julianna Keyes
Hi Linda,
Rachel's ethnicity is ambiguous because she never knew her father. Her mother is white, though, and she spoke English at home. Dean's (absent) father was American and his mother Colombian, so I imagined Rachel mostly learned Spanish from hanging out at their home, and growing up in a diverse neighbourhood. I had included some of these details in my original drafts of the story, but it's been so long that I can't remember what made the cut and what didn't!
Thanks :)
Julianna
Rachel's ethnicity is ambiguous because she never knew her father. Her mother is white, though, and she spoke English at home. Dean's (absent) father was American and his mother Colombian, so I imagined Rachel mostly learned Spanish from hanging out at their home, and growing up in a diverse neighbourhood. I had included some of these details in my original drafts of the story, but it's been so long that I can't remember what made the cut and what didn't!
Thanks :)
Julianna
Julianna Keyes
Hey Mariam! I started work on "Undeclared" (aka Kellan's story) on July 1. I'm aiming for a release date around Christmas this year. So far so good! :)
Julianna Keyes
I'm so happy to hear you want more Kellan - I want more, too! I'm hoping to get Kellan his HEA by Christmas, I just have to finish up another project before I can get started on tormenting him on his way to true love. :)
As for Marcela... I don't know. I kind of like the idea of continuing that subplot (Nate & Marcela) through Kellan's book, but I haven't gotten far enough in my plotting to make any promises! I don't think that story is fully resolved, but I do feel like it's *happened,* even if it was mostly off-page.
And with respect to the follow up... interesting idea! Has that been done before? I can't think of any examples (beyond that last chapter in Harry Potter - haha) but it's definitely something to think about. :)
As for Marcela... I don't know. I kind of like the idea of continuing that subplot (Nate & Marcela) through Kellan's book, but I haven't gotten far enough in my plotting to make any promises! I don't think that story is fully resolved, but I do feel like it's *happened,* even if it was mostly off-page.
And with respect to the follow up... interesting idea! Has that been done before? I can't think of any examples (beyond that last chapter in Harry Potter - haha) but it's definitely something to think about. :)
Julianna Keyes
Thanks for the question! The "easiest" book to write was "Going the Distance." I'd had Jarek's character in my head for a while and several of the scenes had been floating around in my brain as I tried to find a home for them. Combined with the fact that I'd lived in China for a year and a half and really wanted to capture the feeling of being abroad and being there, specifically, the writing came quite easily. With the exception of hacking out a few unnecessary chunks (and one tedious chapter), the finished product looks remarkably similar to the first draft. (A feat I have yet to repeat!) And some of those scenes I'd been wanting to write and finally found a place for are among my all-time favorites, the break-up in particular.
The book I found most difficult to write (and actually published - there are plenty that will never see the light of day) was "In Her Defense." It was my first time writing with a deadline and something I "had" to write. The book was contracted when I sold "Time Served" (it's the second in the series) and I'd never even considered writing it, so I had to write about a certain character, in a certain world, by a certain time. The deadline was very generous and I had a lot of freedom, but the combination of trying to write a challenging heroine without veering into stereotypical "mean girl" territory and a hero that would complement (not just compliment) her and provide his own challenges, was a struggle for me. It took about 9 months to get a polished draft, when normally it takes me 3 or 4. That said, I love that book, so even though I lost a bunch of hair in the process, it was totally worth it.
Love your profile picture, btw!
The book I found most difficult to write (and actually published - there are plenty that will never see the light of day) was "In Her Defense." It was my first time writing with a deadline and something I "had" to write. The book was contracted when I sold "Time Served" (it's the second in the series) and I'd never even considered writing it, so I had to write about a certain character, in a certain world, by a certain time. The deadline was very generous and I had a lot of freedom, but the combination of trying to write a challenging heroine without veering into stereotypical "mean girl" territory and a hero that would complement (not just compliment) her and provide his own challenges, was a struggle for me. It took about 9 months to get a polished draft, when normally it takes me 3 or 4. That said, I love that book, so even though I lost a bunch of hair in the process, it was totally worth it.
Love your profile picture, btw!
Julianna Keyes
It's pretty random. I'm more character driven than concept, so I don't necessarily think of big ideas so much as characters that get in my head and stay there. Eventually another character will come along and I'll think, these two are horribly mismatched - and absolutely perfect together - and do my best to come up with a story. The hero in the story I'm currently editing was inspired by a very messed up guy I saw on TV once. He'd done so many things wrong but he was so hot - I was conflicted. Who could love him? Who would he love? And a story was born. :)
Julianna Keyes
I can call daydreaming research. If I want to write about a hero who works out a lot, then I'll *obviously* have to ogle the men at the gym. And really, it's a dream come true. The best thing is the absolutely insane idea that someone out there might come across something I've written and choose to read it - sometimes it feels like the possibility of that happening is very unlikely, and I'm blown away each time someone tells me they've read my work.
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