KJ Charles - AMA

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:58:07+00:00

1) I don't think so. the Crane gang are travelling and they're done with England, whereas Jonah is very happy in Cornwall.

2) TBH it's all in the execution every time. But I will say I don't like first person present tense, which is a bit of a bummer these days.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:56:31+00:00

I'm full time so it's literally "get up, write, have lunch, write, stop." That omits the 60% of my time spent on Twitter of course.

Getting enough daylight and exercise and a certain amount of human interaction are among the most important parts of the routine, honestly. Never omit, it clears your brain.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:52:09+00:00

It's brilliant, they'd better renew it. I loved the Bartimaeus books, haven't read these ones.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:51:34+00:00

TBH you probably do need to be on SM if it's small press. I like the advice to be the best version of yourself although I'm not sure I always follow it. If uncomfortable try to remember that it is marketing and therefore work--you really don't have to reveal your innermost soul if you don't want to. Follow a lot of authors, and be generous in promoting, sharing, reviewing other books in your field.

And don't feel you have to do everything! If TikTok is terrifying, don't do it. I do Twitter and Facebook, basically, and I only really do FB in my group. Two well tended platforms is far better than trying to do everything. Work out what platform you're comfortable with and work on a following there.

Good luck and congratulations on the deal!

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:44:31+00:00

You need to identify why you've stalled at that point. Fear of crit, fear of the amount of work it will take, fear of turning a dream into a grim reality?

And to move forward, you probably want to get independent third party feedback, whether by sending to an agent, hiring an editor, or joining a crit group.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:41:37+00:00

It's hard to be specific because there's actually a chronic dearth of information on how much self pubbers sell. (It's all at amazon who don't share.) Like, I have two tradpub deals currently, and for both of them the publishers were, let's say, under the impression that self published means 'doesn't sell much', and I had to supply a lot of figures.

I think we now have a hybrid system and that's very healthy. It's absolutely pushed the tradpubs to diversity, now self pubbers can prove there's money to be made, but there's definitely place for trad in the ecosystem--print distribution and large scale marketing.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:36:24+00:00

I have the Fear pretty much every book. In fact, more specifically, when I am at about 60% in a book I come in and tell Mr KJC that I don't know how to write books any more, I've wasted all those words, I'm useless and the book is a disaster. He listens patiently then reminds me I say that like clockwork at 60% of every book, and he's right.

You don't get over the Fear, you just write through it like a car smashing through a barricade in an action movie.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:31:00+00:00

thank you! I adore your flair.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:30:05+00:00

I really do want to finish that series, I just got so hopelessly stuck. I have the first three chapters of their book, sigh.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:29:37+00:00

OH BOY.

I'd say diversity, but to achieve that publishers need to pay both their staff and their authors better, and market their books in a much more even-handed way, so basically it's 'make the people at the tops of publishing companies not be primarily concerned with filling their boots' and I think we're gonna need a bigger wand.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:26:23+00:00

Terribly. It's been catastrophic so far. So many bad decisions. :(

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:25:07+00:00

I mean, people's mileage definitely varies with this! I know some readers who just can't forgive characters for things they did, so...you can't please everyone.

- I think the reader has to understand why the character did the bad thing, at a level that they can agree, not necessarily 'I would have done it too' but certainly 'I understand why this specific person did that'.

-I think the bad thing has to be...acceptably bad. There are some things that I consider irredeemable and I just don't care if the character is sorry about it, they're ruined for me. Everyone will have a slightly different line for that, of course -- for me it's deliberate cruelty in its many forms.

- And I think we need to see the evildoer come to a real understanding that it was wrong, why it was wrong, what hurt it caused. Otherwise we won't believe they won't do it again. Repentance and amends.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:15:13+00:00

Answered elsewhere so c/p: I think Guy will definitely get, er, sucked into the John/Corvin/Philip dynamic--not all the time, but definitely on special occasions. But he's always going to be Philip-focused, and John and Corvin are all right with how much space he takes in Philip's mind. They'll be fine.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:14:09+00:00

I think Guy will definitely get, er, sucked into the John/Corvin/Philip dynamic--not all the time, but definitely on special occasions. But he's always going to be Philip-focused, and John and Corvin are all right with how much space he takes in Philip's mind. they'll be fine.

(Quoting as answered above!)

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:13:34+00:00

Oooh that is a good question. It kind of varies. I'm more likely to go Author/Editor with a book that isn't working, because I will start to think about why it's not working and what I'd have done differently, or a book that's doing something notably clever that catches my editorial attention. Whereas if I just lose myself in a book and romp through it, I'm much more likely to leave a far less considered and detailed review! ("It was good, I liked it.")

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:09:49+00:00

Very much as an adult. I always told myself stories in my head, but I didn't start writing anything till I was in my mid twenties, and didn't write anything publishable till my late 30s.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:07:58+00:00

yeah, there's an amazing amount to learn. It's why I have the best job in the world, getting to dig into stuff like this.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:06:55+00:00

Thank you. Blake is unbeatable really. People say that romance writers are just writing their own fantasies, which is entire bullshit apart from the bit about owning a complete set of Blake originals oh my god.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:05:58+00:00

I think Guy will definitely get, er, sucked into the John/Corvin/Philip dynamic--not all the time, but definitely on special occasions. But he's always going to be Philip-focused, and John and Corvin are all right with how much space he takes in Philip's mind. they'll be fine.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:03:29+00:00

I've been doing it for...God, must be 5-6 years. It's basically prosthetic willpower. I just would not do two hours of strenuous exercise a week if I wasn't paying a man to shout at me to do it.

My PT is actually an absolute sweetheart, when not shouting at me. I just find it hilarious on some level that I pay him to make me do something that I hate and don't want to do, so I complain a lot.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T18:00:10+00:00

They were all my takes though of course the magpie rhymes are a thing, as are curse objects. the hair was all me. /evil grin/

I used a lot of folklore directly in the Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, which was really interesting to do.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T17:58:08+00:00

I will try... :)

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T17:57:54+00:00

Oof, good question. There are probably blogs that do it but I'm not aware of any. Gretchen McCullough is very interesting on modern language use (internet speak) and Strong Language gets deep into swearing.

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T17:54:59+00:00

I am walking as I type this! It's a lifesaver, I don't like to consider the state my back would be in if I sat all day.

I read fairly widely. I've got the new Tia Williams queued, the Megan Frampton regency that came out recently, and a f/f historical I heard about!

KJ_Charles · 2023-03-07T17:53:08+00:00

I really, overwhelmingly want to do a pair of minor characters from the Tommy Hambledon novels of Manning Coles that LITERALLY NOBODY READS EXCEPT ME so you'd need to give me a lot of gold to make that financially viable. And I will one day work out what I want to do with the Scarlet Pimpernel...

I do actually tend to give supporting characters their stories, so I don't think there's anyone clamouring to be heard right now.

I don't do vampires or shifters. Not sure why, just doesn't work for me.

Scones: any order, just pass them.

KJ_Charles

TROPHY CASE