Broken Records has been out for six months now, so I thought I’d have a little fun. Time to answer some questions that I’ve received in one form or another!
Where the heck is Eli and Nico’s story? It’s coming, I promise. Like Broken Records, there are some sensitive topics that I want to thoroughly vet and treat with the utmost care. It is a lifelong writer’s goal of mine to work against harmful stereotypes, especially when it comes to mental health. This was one of the reasons I eventually took Lucy’s diagnosis out. Many times a diagnosis is not cut and dry, and in the end, the story wasn’t about that - it was about Jack and Lucy.
Why didn’t Jack and Lucy go to therapy? They needed it! This is an interesting one that I’ve seen proposed by readers not just of mine but many books, and with other scenarios as well. Just because it wasn’t on page doesn’t mean that they did or did not. It just wasn’t conducive to the plot. I promise, I am pro-therapy.
There wasn’t a lot of steam. Where’s the sex? Earlier drafts had a lot more explicit scenes, but in the end, it didn’t feel right for this specific couple. Jack’s had more than enough crazy sex scenes in his life, and I wanted the whole thing to feel more like Lucy’s perception of the world.
Future books though? (smiles evilly while looking at a drafted shower scene)
What really happened between Jack and Prince Harry? Oh you know, just that one thing that happened one that one time.
Are all those rock history stories true? Anything regarding rock history outside of Jack’s personal experience is true. However, I cannot attest to the Osmond family’s love of karaoke, nor Josh Groban’s need for a scuba suit. That’s all Jack.
Are we going to hear more from the rest of the family? Of course! Nico and Eli’s story is coming, and I have plotted out Ariana’s, Matteo’s, Elena’s, and Lettie’s already. Lettie’s is next. Just wait till you meet Andre.
Can’t I just have more Jack and Lucy instead? I want to see Jack living on a farm. Jack and Lucy will always be there and part of the stories. That’s what family–blood or found–is all about. However, their dedicated love story has been told and I have no plans to make them main characters going forward.
Your writing is quirky and there are too many big words. What’s up with that? These are valid points. I’ll touch on the easiest first. I use big words because I love words. It has nothing to do with intellect or trying to make a book seem highbrow. And sometimes, the right word can be just so scrumptious. (see: verisimilitude in Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material).
My writing is quirky because, when compared to the status quo, I am quirky. But so many people that are considered quirky are just individuals who just want to see themselves in what they read or watch. This isn’t a “Not Like Other Girls” trope (which, by the way, I’ll have to write an entire post about sometime). Romance is a genre that has growing representation not just of different races, genders, and sexualities, but of different personalities. Everyone deserves contentment in their life. I’m never going to relate to a heroine who is excited about Manolo Blahniks, and a reader that does may not relate to Lucy. And that’s okay. We can both exist and celebrate each other as readers.
Do you have any other series that you are working on? Ah. This is a scary question. As a new indie author, I have been inundated with advice on the correct way to do this. That means building a brand, focusing on a specific sub-genre, and other ways to market myself. Going beyond that? Pick a different pen name and then market THAT brand.
The problem is….I like reading everything and I like writing everything. I’ve struggled with focusing on one genre, and I realized it just isn’t going to happen. I’m going to have books that some readers like, and some that they don’t but others will. If that affects sales, I’m okay with it, and I’ll be having so much fun that it won’t matter.
What I’m trying to say is…I’ve got a alien/pioneer standalone romance and a polyamorous paranormal four-part series in the hopper. Surprise!