Julianna Keyes's Blog - Posts Tagged "undecided"
"UNDECIDED" RELEASE DAY!
It’s heeeeere!! FINALLY! After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, “Undecided” is available pretty much everywhere, eagerly anticipating your download. (Okay, fine – that’s mostly just me anticipating things.)
In any case, as I have done with my previous books, I’ve prepared a week of non-spoilery posts about all things “Undecided.” Today’s post will appear in just a moment.
Tomorrow’s post talks about one of the most enraging moments of my entire life, and includes photographic evidence. (Yes, that’s right: I hold onto grudges AND proof.)
On Wednesday I’ll talk about instalove, Thursday discusses pacing (see if you recognized my plot scheme before you read this post!), and on Friday there’s a post about character arcs and a giveaway. You’ll want to read carefully, since there’s also a quiz. (I’m mean!)
As always, thanks for reading. :)
Paperbacks available on Amazon.
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B01BXZMCEW/
Kobo: https://goo.gl/jQFgRX
Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/OyAvqm
Apple: https://goo.gl/gZ3yWW
In any case, as I have done with my previous books, I’ve prepared a week of non-spoilery posts about all things “Undecided.” Today’s post will appear in just a moment.
Tomorrow’s post talks about one of the most enraging moments of my entire life, and includes photographic evidence. (Yes, that’s right: I hold onto grudges AND proof.)
On Wednesday I’ll talk about instalove, Thursday discusses pacing (see if you recognized my plot scheme before you read this post!), and on Friday there’s a post about character arcs and a giveaway. You’ll want to read carefully, since there’s also a quiz. (I’m mean!)
As always, thanks for reading. :)
Paperbacks available on Amazon.
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B01BXZMCEW/
Kobo: https://goo.gl/jQFgRX
Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/OyAvqm
Apple: https://goo.gl/gZ3yWW
"UNDECIDED" RELEASE WEEK - POST ONE
NAME CALLING
The working title for “Undecided” was “Love the One You’re With.” That’s actually still what the Word file is called. I used it mostly because it was the first thing that came to me and stuck. But I had my doubts, chief among them being that I’d read an Emily Giffin book by the same title and even though these stories had nothing in common, it still felt like copying. A search on Goodreads showed several more books with that name, and when choosing a title, one of the concerns is finding something that is both appropriate for the story, and not likely to be confused with others. (Especially when those “others” are huge authors whose search results are going to bump yours down to page 117.)
I don’t actually remember when “Undecided” occurred to me, but when it did, I knew I had a battle on my hands. I really liked “Love the One You’re With.” I’d been calling the book that for months, and every time I thought about it I sang the chorus to the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song of the same name. I wished someone would do a mashup of that song and Van Halen’s “Crazy Love.” How great would that be? Why aren’t I more musical? What else can I do to procrastinate?
What ultimately tipped the scales in favour of “Undecided” was theme. The entire New Adult genre is about people at an age and time in their life when they’re discovering who they’re meant to be. They don’t have to make a decision—they have to make choices. Mistakes. They try things, some work, some don’t. Some find what they’re looking for right away, some take a bit longer. And since the “Undecided” of the title isn’t expressly a statement of Nora’s romantic choices but rather her life choices—or lack thereof, as it may be—it ended up winning by a landslide. (And by landslide I mean my one vote.)
Some people have criticized the cover/title combination of giving the impression of a love triangle (there isn’t one), and I see their point. But the story is also about not judging a book by its cover. (I’m, like, super meta.) Nora assumes Kellan is one thing, Crosbie another, and they view her as something else altogether. But given time, they learn about each other and themselves, and grow up. Sorta.
The biggest “downside” to this title choice is not the love triangle assumption, but the fact that whenever people ask me what my book is called and I say “Undecided,” they think I mean that I haven’t chosen a title yet. So when I say the title out loud, it sounds more like, “The title of my book is ‘Undecided.’ Like, that’s the actual title. ‘Undecided.’ Not the status. I have a name. It’s ‘Undecided.’ That’s—Oh, dammit.”
Are you a title wizard? What would you have called this book? Feel free to pitch in in the comments. :)
The working title for “Undecided” was “Love the One You’re With.” That’s actually still what the Word file is called. I used it mostly because it was the first thing that came to me and stuck. But I had my doubts, chief among them being that I’d read an Emily Giffin book by the same title and even though these stories had nothing in common, it still felt like copying. A search on Goodreads showed several more books with that name, and when choosing a title, one of the concerns is finding something that is both appropriate for the story, and not likely to be confused with others. (Especially when those “others” are huge authors whose search results are going to bump yours down to page 117.)
I don’t actually remember when “Undecided” occurred to me, but when it did, I knew I had a battle on my hands. I really liked “Love the One You’re With.” I’d been calling the book that for months, and every time I thought about it I sang the chorus to the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song of the same name. I wished someone would do a mashup of that song and Van Halen’s “Crazy Love.” How great would that be? Why aren’t I more musical? What else can I do to procrastinate?
What ultimately tipped the scales in favour of “Undecided” was theme. The entire New Adult genre is about people at an age and time in their life when they’re discovering who they’re meant to be. They don’t have to make a decision—they have to make choices. Mistakes. They try things, some work, some don’t. Some find what they’re looking for right away, some take a bit longer. And since the “Undecided” of the title isn’t expressly a statement of Nora’s romantic choices but rather her life choices—or lack thereof, as it may be—it ended up winning by a landslide. (And by landslide I mean my one vote.)
Some people have criticized the cover/title combination of giving the impression of a love triangle (there isn’t one), and I see their point. But the story is also about not judging a book by its cover. (I’m, like, super meta.) Nora assumes Kellan is one thing, Crosbie another, and they view her as something else altogether. But given time, they learn about each other and themselves, and grow up. Sorta.
The biggest “downside” to this title choice is not the love triangle assumption, but the fact that whenever people ask me what my book is called and I say “Undecided,” they think I mean that I haven’t chosen a title yet. So when I say the title out loud, it sounds more like, “The title of my book is ‘Undecided.’ Like, that’s the actual title. ‘Undecided.’ Not the status. I have a name. It’s ‘Undecided.’ That’s—Oh, dammit.”
Are you a title wizard? What would you have called this book? Feel free to pitch in in the comments. :)
"UNDECIDED" RELEASE WEEK POST THREE
SHOW YOUR WORK
Remember when you were first learning to do long division and the teacher made you “show your work” so you couldn’t just cheat and write the final answer? This is a pretty apt analogy for how I feel about instalove in romance novels. I know a lot of people are willing and able to overlook it, but it drives me insane. That’s why there are zero instances of instalove in any of my books. Insta-lust? Sure. I can buy that. But instalove is a firm no.
My favourite part of reading romance is seeing the characters fall in love. Being told on page nine that they can’t live without each other feels like a cheat. I think the reason instalove is so prevalent in modern love stories is because of the pressure to “get your story started” right away. You have to “hook” a reader/agent/publisher immediately, so characters simply lock eyes and begin drowning in their desire for one another on page two.
I’d much rather come to the conclusion that a couple is meant to be 2-gether 4-ever on my own. And I like to come to this conclusion by reading about the progression of their relationship, by seeing their interactions (and not just the sexytimes), reading the dialogue, and *feeling* something.
I want to see couples be real, be funny, be foolish, be frisky. Trying to find the balance between showing these things and keeping up the pace so the reader/agent/publisher is invested is not always easy, but when a writer takes the time to do this, I give them an A+ for effort. (*ahem* I’m saying give me an A+.)
What do you think? Do you find instalove irritating or is it a non-issue?
Remember when you were first learning to do long division and the teacher made you “show your work” so you couldn’t just cheat and write the final answer? This is a pretty apt analogy for how I feel about instalove in romance novels. I know a lot of people are willing and able to overlook it, but it drives me insane. That’s why there are zero instances of instalove in any of my books. Insta-lust? Sure. I can buy that. But instalove is a firm no.
My favourite part of reading romance is seeing the characters fall in love. Being told on page nine that they can’t live without each other feels like a cheat. I think the reason instalove is so prevalent in modern love stories is because of the pressure to “get your story started” right away. You have to “hook” a reader/agent/publisher immediately, so characters simply lock eyes and begin drowning in their desire for one another on page two.
I’d much rather come to the conclusion that a couple is meant to be 2-gether 4-ever on my own. And I like to come to this conclusion by reading about the progression of their relationship, by seeing their interactions (and not just the sexytimes), reading the dialogue, and *feeling* something.
I want to see couples be real, be funny, be foolish, be frisky. Trying to find the balance between showing these things and keeping up the pace so the reader/agent/publisher is invested is not always easy, but when a writer takes the time to do this, I give them an A+ for effort. (*ahem* I’m saying give me an A+.)
What do you think? Do you find instalove irritating or is it a non-issue?
New "Undecided" Cover Coming July 18!
As you may know, I've been trying (and failing) to come up with a new cover design for "Undecided." There's really only so many times you can hear the same comments ("Is this a love triangle?" "That cover is very misleading!" "I HATE THAT COVER!") before you start to think that maybe the thing you love is hurting the other thing you love.
So.
There's a new cover. I tried to redo it maybe six or seven weeks ago, but I'm not a designer and the things we were coming up with looked like YA ghost stories for some reason. I bailed on the attempt, and then a short while ago I got a message from none other than Kristen Callihan kindly pointing out that maybe my cover was hurting my book. (Cue jaw drop. KRISTEN CALLIHAN??!) This was not offensive because it was not new information, but it was extremely motivating. I went back to the drawing board (which means staring blankly at stock photo sites and pondering what to have for dinner) and eventually spotted a picture I thought could work. I fiddled with it, mocked up something I kinda sorta liked, and sent it to Kristen and another author friend, Jenna Sutton (who was one of the first people to kindly suggest that I needed a new cover), who gave it their stamp of approval. One more thumbs up from a very well-read blogger with impeccable taste, and I sent it off to my friend for polishing.
All this is to say...I have a new cover and it's coming July 18. I'm going to swap the cover on the print version on that day, so if you've been thinking about buying one, you have three weeks until it's replaced everywhere but my heart.
Three weeks is a long time, isn't it? I've told myself July 1 is the day to start working on Kellan's story (that's also Canada Day, for those who don't know - I'll pretend those fireworks are all meant for me), and I'll share the title of the new book then. ;)
If you're interested in being part of the new cover reveal tour, you can sign up here: http://bit.ly/28XeFtt
Thanks for reading!
So.
There's a new cover. I tried to redo it maybe six or seven weeks ago, but I'm not a designer and the things we were coming up with looked like YA ghost stories for some reason. I bailed on the attempt, and then a short while ago I got a message from none other than Kristen Callihan kindly pointing out that maybe my cover was hurting my book. (Cue jaw drop. KRISTEN CALLIHAN??!) This was not offensive because it was not new information, but it was extremely motivating. I went back to the drawing board (which means staring blankly at stock photo sites and pondering what to have for dinner) and eventually spotted a picture I thought could work. I fiddled with it, mocked up something I kinda sorta liked, and sent it to Kristen and another author friend, Jenna Sutton (who was one of the first people to kindly suggest that I needed a new cover), who gave it their stamp of approval. One more thumbs up from a very well-read blogger with impeccable taste, and I sent it off to my friend for polishing.
All this is to say...I have a new cover and it's coming July 18. I'm going to swap the cover on the print version on that day, so if you've been thinking about buying one, you have three weeks until it's replaced everywhere but my heart.
Three weeks is a long time, isn't it? I've told myself July 1 is the day to start working on Kellan's story (that's also Canada Day, for those who don't know - I'll pretend those fireworks are all meant for me), and I'll share the title of the new book then. ;)
If you're interested in being part of the new cover reveal tour, you can sign up here: http://bit.ly/28XeFtt
Thanks for reading!
"Undeclared" Now Available for Pre-Order!
I have officially (and finally) declared (see what I did there?) February 27, 2017 as the release day for “Undeclared,” book two in the Burnham College series. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re nearly there.
The pre-order price for “Undeclared” will be $2.99USD, rising to $3.99USD (regular price) on release day. Paperbacks will be available as well, but not for pre-order, mostly because they’re not ready yet, and also because the last time I made one it went live immediately, about a week and a half too soon. Lesson learned, Createspace. Lesson learned.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know this has been a long road for me. I’ve tried to keep the complaining and panicking to a minimum, but I can honestly say that without those #WednesdayWIPReports and the responses to keep me motivated, I might have given up long ago. I could try to put a spin on things and say how it’s life imitating art, how Kellan’s struggles mirror mine, but that’s annoying. This book was hard! But it was worth it. As someone who has read it approximately 100 million times and is not at all biased—it’s good. Honest. If you can laugh at a joke 99 million times, you’re onto something. And if your cold, dead heart resumes a hopeful beating when you read the last page—you’re really onto something. Or on something. Let’s not look too closely.
You can check out the excerpt I’ve added to my website, you can pre-order and save yourself a buck, or you can wait until the reviews come in and decide for yourself. And if you’re a reviewer, the book should be up on NetGalley by the weekend.
Thank you all in advance (and after the fact) for your support!
Amazon US: https://www.amzn.com/dp/B01MUKDJIF/
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/unde...
**Buy links for B&N and iBooks should be live soon!
The pre-order price for “Undeclared” will be $2.99USD, rising to $3.99USD (regular price) on release day. Paperbacks will be available as well, but not for pre-order, mostly because they’re not ready yet, and also because the last time I made one it went live immediately, about a week and a half too soon. Lesson learned, Createspace. Lesson learned.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know this has been a long road for me. I’ve tried to keep the complaining and panicking to a minimum, but I can honestly say that without those #WednesdayWIPReports and the responses to keep me motivated, I might have given up long ago. I could try to put a spin on things and say how it’s life imitating art, how Kellan’s struggles mirror mine, but that’s annoying. This book was hard! But it was worth it. As someone who has read it approximately 100 million times and is not at all biased—it’s good. Honest. If you can laugh at a joke 99 million times, you’re onto something. And if your cold, dead heart resumes a hopeful beating when you read the last page—you’re really onto something. Or on something. Let’s not look too closely.
You can check out the excerpt I’ve added to my website, you can pre-order and save yourself a buck, or you can wait until the reviews come in and decide for yourself. And if you’re a reviewer, the book should be up on NetGalley by the weekend.
Thank you all in advance (and after the fact) for your support!
Amazon US: https://www.amzn.com/dp/B01MUKDJIF/
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/unde...
**Buy links for B&N and iBooks should be live soon!
