Where I Left Off

Lyrics and Love Letters with Author Jessica Everly

• Kristen Bahls • Season 3 • Episode 15

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Welcome + Current Reads + WIP

SPEAKER_00

Welcome back. I'm Kristen Balls, and you're listening to Where I Love Dop, a bookish podcast. And today I'm joined by Jessica Everly, the author of Roses in Rome, and we are talking about her newest release, the first book in the Pearl Lake series, Lyrics and Love Letters. Thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yay! So the first question that I always ask everyone is what are you currently reading or watching?

SPEAKER_01

So I currently have on my nightstand. I haven't started it yet, but I'm so excited, is Dolly All the Time by Annabelle Monahan, her release from last week. Oh, I love her books. They're so funny and romantic and just like everything that I want in a romance. So I'm really excited to start that one. Do you remember how you first found her? Uh, I think a friend of mine recommended same time next summer. And so I that was the first one I read of hers. And then I went back and read Nora and then all her other ones. And I actually got to meet her when she was on tour in Dallas. Oh, cool. She is just, I mean, she's everything you'd think she would be. She's so funny and smart and just, you know, really witty. So I just loved getting to meet her.

SPEAKER_00

Is your favorite genre romance?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the half-price books in Dallas, they are going wild with all the interviews that they have this summer. I think I have tickets to like, I don't know, four.

unknown

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's amazing. Yes, they get some really great authors there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I was talking to um one of the cashiers. I was like, man, you guys are really bumping up the author events. And they were like, yeah, we just really want to get more readers in. And so we're we're making that our priority. And I'm like, okay, cool. This is great for us. Exactly. Yes, we'll take that. So, what can you tell us about your career work in progress right now?

SPEAKER_01

So I am currently very slowly working through book number two in the Pearl Like series. So it'll be the follow-up to Roses in Rome. And I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it may or may not include two very favorite characters from that book.

SPEAKER_00

And did you give yourself a little bit of a break before starting it? Um, so because I know some people they'll start like the second book. Well, the first one's in edits, and that's really intense, and that's a lot for a creative process. So do you find that like giving yourself a break kind of helps a little bit and slowing it down?

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Actually, when I released my first book, Roses in Rome, I wrote the first draft of lyrics and love letters. And I kind of did it that way for the first round. And then after all of this, I and two books out and all the things, I was like, I just need like a second. So kind of focused on our family and the things that the kids needed and took a break, took a step back from writing a little bit. And then, you know, slowly but surely, I've been here and there writing. I try to write like a thousand words a day if I can. So wow, um, that's that's kind of my target goal. Does that does not always happen? But um, but that's what I like to do because I feel like I get a lot more done when I write with a goal. But now summer has hit and it's just like, okay, well, we'll see where this is gonna fit in this summer. So I'm about maybe 12,000 words into the uh the new book. Nice. I was gonna say a thousand words a day is pretty good.

SPEAKER_00

I think that's pretty pretty quick. Um, do you use like a writing software?

SPEAKER_01

Do you use like Word or Google Docs? I do everything in pages because I have a Mac. So I do I do initially everything there and then I convert it to Atticus later.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, nice. Gotta find what works for you. That's right. So are there any romance tropes that you want to write in the future that you haven't gotten to quite yet?

SPEAKER_01

I would love to do an enemies to lovers. I think those make such fun. And it's a favorite, I feel like of a lot of people. So I would love to do one of those. I have in mind possibly uh um were there like close quarters? What's that? Uh forced proximity. Yes, forced proximity. That's it. All right, so I have in mind maybe one for that, which I would love to do. I am always such a sucker for second chance romance. I just love that one so much.

SPEAKER_00

Do you want to stick in contemporary romance or kind of branch out to a different niche kind of in romance?

SPEAKER_01

For the time being, I like contemporary romance. I feel like it's a good fit for what I like to read and what I like to write. I agree. It's my favorite.

SPEAKER_00

So I have to agree.

Lyrics and Love Letters by Jessica Everly

SPEAKER_00

So, whenever you started planning out this book, Lyrics and Love Letters, talking a little bit more about the book specifically, did you kind of start with the tropes or the characters or the conflict? Like what part of it came first?

SPEAKER_01

So, funny enough, um, kind of the little seed that was planted, I would say, leans more towards the character side of things. I was scrolling through Instagram, as we do, and I came across a video that this guy had posted, and he's at a concert, and he's like, this huge crowd is singing along. It was a Jordan Davis concert, and they were all singing to um Next Thing You Know, if you're familiar with country music. And his he wrote on the post, it's so funny, all these people are singing this song. They have no idea that I'm the one who wrote it. And I thought that was such a a cool concept. Like you kind of think the person who sings it wrote the song and they wrote it for, you know, whoever their husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend is, but it really isn't that way. Someone else writes the songs. And so I thought that would be cool to write about a songwriter. And so I started studying music and songwriting and all the whole industry. I was fortunate enough to get to talk to a real singer-songwriter in Nashville. She's an indie artist. Name her stage name is Exolex, Alexis Curran. She's incredible, such an amazing singer and so knowledgeable about the industry. So that's kind of where it all started for me was discovering the character, Boone's character, mostly, and then kind of going from there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because you can tell that he has a real love for it. So it makes sense that, you know, you had to research and talk to people and do all of that like prep work to even get to his point of view. Yes. Yeah. Absolutely. Um, so how did you know? Like, how do you know whenever a couple has enough chemistry to carry an entire book versus just, you know, maybe them being side characters that don't get their own story?

SPEAKER_01

You know, I would say after having written two books, the first book I wrote, my characters were instant chemistry. Like they were just, it was it, they're Joey and Sienna were their names. And and that was easy. And that was not the way with lyrics and love liars. So I started with Boone and someone else. Oh wow, I didn't okay. And um, she wasn't working, she was just honestly, she was kind of boring. She just didn't have a lot of personality. She was kind of this perfectly put together person and just too perfect. And it was just not fun and it wasn't a match for Boone. I needed somebody who was a little bit messier, somebody who he could like take out of their shell and like really help them light up because he's just that kind of person who wants to like see the best in everyone. And so when I rewrote, gosh, it was honestly almost a final draft. Like I had written it, well, I had written a draft and I was getting ready to send to my editor, and I was like, I'm gonna change this girl's name and I'm gonna spruce up her personality. And I so I changed her name to Liz, Felicity, and they I call her Liz in the book, and she was it. She was exactly who I was thinking of, but didn't have in the book. So it's funny how those characters, you know, you're a writer, how they just come along and they're all of a sudden they're they're like, no, I'm part of this book, and they tell you what they're gonna do.

SPEAKER_00

And like you said, sometimes you almost just have to write it out and pretty much get to that final draft stage and then realize, okay, this is not quite what I want it. Yeah. Yeah. That's really funny that uh Liz, a bookish, quiet writer, nurse was the perfect compliment to Boone. I can see it. Yeah. So if you can tell me a little bit more about your decision to kind of split the book into, it has different parts for listeners that have not read it yet. The book is actually split into different parts of time. Um, and so I wanted to know more about why you decided to write it that way instead of like alternating dual timeline chapters.

SPEAKER_01

So the real honest answer is I thought if I can write a book in like 10,000 words here, 10,000 words there, that's an easy way to kind of create a book and then I'll go from there and see what I want it to do. And how it turned out was I was like, well, this is kind of that timeline and this is that time. So each part, there's four parts, and each one is a timeline of a different place in their lives, and they grow a little bit more each time, and the relationship grows a little bit more each time, which I felt like is very natural for a second chance romance because they are 100% the right person at the wrong time in all the parts of the book. So it really worked out. It was for me, it was more of like a writing exercise. And then it turned into how the book took form and it really worked.

SPEAKER_00

I can agree. And as a reader, dual timeline chapters are not my favorite. I don't like jumping back and forth. It drives me crazy because you know, you get hooked in on one specific time and you just want to read that. And then when it constantly jumps back and forth sometimes, it can be frustrating because you're like, I just want to stay where we are.

SPEAKER_01

I know, I know, I hear you. I feel that way too. And in my first book, it is dual timeline, but it was so hard. I have no idea why I decided my first book was gonna be that because it's like the hardest thing that you can write. I don't know why I did that. So I also wanted to kind of stay away from that because I had done it before and I knew how hard it was. And I just kind of wanted like a straightforward, simple timeline this time.

SPEAKER_00

When you did dual timeline in your first book, did you have to like really, really outline that to see what information was being given away in each time so that way it didn't collide? Yes. Oh yes.

SPEAKER_01

It was a lot of planning and plotting, and okay, this has to happen this many months before that. And you know, it was a lot of like writing out on calendars and things to really figure out where the timeline was going. Um, so yes, it takes a ton of planning and double triple checking everything to make sure all matches up.

SPEAKER_00

That makes sense. And how do Liz and Boone really challenge each other to grow?

SPEAKER_01

So I think that they really challenge each other in both personal lives and their professional lives. If you read the story, you'll find that Liz is a wants to be a writer and Boone um wants to be a professional singer. And they both really encourage each other to go for those dreams, which is I think so amazing that they they recognize in each other that they have something special and they want to encourage them to like really live out that dream. And then also I think they help each other grow um on the personal level in their relationship because Boone really takes Liz out of this quiet, introverted, just wants to read books all day, kind of a person to go and do things and try new things and have fun. And Liz also helps him to kind of scale it back a little bit, also. You know, she's like, especially when fame starts to get to his head a little bit. Yes. She knows her limits and she knows where he needs to go and she knows she can't go there. And so I felt like that was good for him to recognize that not everybody wants to be a famous singer, you know? So there are other, there are the rest of us who just want to live a normal life. And so I really love that they challenged each other in those ways too.

SPEAKER_00

They definitely um have a lot of different personality traits that really complement each other. But what's something that they have in common that kind of surprises them that they maybe didn't see coming?

SPEAKER_01

I think the writing is something that they have in common, even though it's a different type of writing. Like as an author, I don't think I could ever write a song. I don't know how people who are talented do that, but I can see, but it compliments. Where like Liz compliments Boone a lot, and she's like, well, you could use some more colorful words, some more imaginative words, as opposed to the the simple ones that he was using when he first starts out uh writing songs. Anyway, I think that that is that's a good way for them to challenge each other and then to also like compliment each other.

SPEAKER_00

I know. I the writing is totally different, but at the end of the day, like you said, it's still writing and it's a creative form of art, and they get to kind of explore that with each other and know what the other one is going through, trying to like pull that from your brain and put it out there for people to see or hear. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And who is your favorite side character and why?

SPEAKER_01

I loved writing Bree's character, she was so fun, and honestly, she's so different from me. I feel like I could never be the crazy, outrageous, like just live life by the C dear pants kind of person. I'm a little bit more like type A, probably a little bit more like Liz. She is just was so fun because I would like never do the things she does. And so it was fun to kind of like live vicariously through her and just let her be like the fun flirty character. And she's a great friend to Liz. And uh even though they're very much opposites attract, I really loved writing about their friendship.

SPEAKER_00

And we get to see more of her on book two. You might. Okay. Um, and then what scene really best captures the heart of the relationship between Liz and Boone?

SPEAKER_01

I think the fishing scene where it's in part one where they have first just kind of met, they're on their first little date, and he takes her fishing. And I love that scene because it so captures the songwriting because they're talking about songwriting, but also books. They're discussing books that they both have read when they were younger. And um, and then the scene, which is Pearl Lake, which is their place. It's just it's that is booninless as Pearl Lake. And so I just I love that scene. That was one of my favorites to write. I can't give any spoilers, so I can't comment anymore about that.

SPEAKER_00

I feel like I'm gonna start spoiling if I we can talk about it later. Um, so as okay, so I know that the dual timeline you ended up going with the um with the parts after doing dual in the first one, but was there anything else from the first book that you learned that you said, okay, now I'm gonna apply that to my second novel in this new series?

SPEAKER_01

Definitely how to write. I so my first one I wrote like long hand because I was like, oh, that's what Stephen King does or something. And so I was like, and I think by the time I finished it, it was like maybe 15,000 words, like my finished draft. I was like, oh, this is not how you do this. So uh I I learned don't long hand didn't work for me. So um I I type now and I shoot, like I said, shoot for a thousand words a day. So the process of writing, I learned a ton writing that first book and applied to the second. So I felt like um the first book took me almost three years to get from writing to publication, and the second one took me like maybe a year and a half. So I significantly reduced it because you just learn all the things that you have to do and you don't have to relearn those things when you're writing a second book. But I'm trying to think if I saved anything for that book. I don't think I did. I think Lyrics and Love Letters was totally different from Roses and Drum. I mean, it it's similar in that they're both contemporary romances, they're both closed door, they're both, you know, kind of have similar aspects, but but it was just like a whole new brand new project for me. And what made you decide to do closed door versus open door? So I personally prefer to read closed door, or I mean, I love all books. So I'll read kind of anything, but if there is, if it gets really spicy and hot and heavy, I'd kind of just like skip it because it's just not something I really care to read. So um I knew as a reader, if that's what I was thinking, that there are probably other people like me who didn't really want to read that either. And so that's why I chose in part to write closed door. And I I really just wanted to prove too, because I think people have kind of like a stigma around closed door that, oh, it's it's not as good. But I I really wanted to prove people wrong that no, like books can there, it's about the chemistry, it's about the buildup, it's about the characters and the falling in love, you know, it doesn't have to always just be about that part. So um, so hopefully, hopefully I convince some people that, you know, closed door is just as good or or better sometimes than um than the other books.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and sometimes not being able to rely on the physicality of open door romance means you do have to put a lot more like meat of that tension and banter and all of that kind of stuff, which can really um shape it too. Yeah, oh yeah, definitely. So um saying that you're writing about a thousand words a day, do you have any tips for that if someone was stuck and they're kind of sitting at that like 500 mark and they just want to get to a thousand that day?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. Um, well, partly it is just sitting down and doing it, right? It's doing the thing you don't want to do. So that that is unfortunately like kind of the only way through it is just to sit down and do it. But I do find that when you finally start, it kind of just flows. You just like get into this like mindset and you're like, it just takes off usually. But when I'm stuck with like writer's block or something like that, it does help me to read other books because they might have something. I you know, obviously you don't copy what the other person is writing, but you they might have they might use a device that you're like, oh, I didn't think about that, like a dual timeline. Like, oh, maybe I could do a dual timeline and it would work better for this book. That has helped me sometimes when I get stuck is to just kind of draw some inspiration from other writers and the styles they use. Actually, with this one with Lyrics and Love Letters, I was really struggling with how to make part one work. It was it was kind of boring. It was kind of just like they're at a lake. I was like, this needs to be so much more interesting. And um, I read a book that had fake dating, and I was like, oh, fake dating. That's what they can do. So um, so you know, you know, you can draw inspiration from a lot of different places, but I think definitely from some of the authors and books that that you like to read, it's helpful.

SPEAKER_00

I agree. And sometimes kind of as you're just reading something that you like, it makes you think, okay, wait, why do I like this? Why is this so good? And then and then it kind of gives you an idea of, okay, it's the way their banter flows, or it's the way that they're always in these fun situations or whatever that you can, you know, take those big ideas without obviously like copying someone else's work, but it can just kind of help give you a little creative boost when you need it. Right.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I think too, when you become an author, you become a critical reader because you learn what it takes to go through everything and to write it. And so you you pick up on what works, what doesn't work, and why. And like you said, you can apply it to your own work. Is there anything else that you would like readers to know? Lyrics and Lovers is out and available. People would like to pick it up. Um, it's at Amazon. You can get the paperback. It's also available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. So if you're a member of that, you can read it there for free. And um, Roses and Rome is also available on all those mediums too. So I would love for people to check it out. Oh, and it's something that I'm doing that's kind of fun if people are interested in the future is um I do book clubs. Like I do like once a month, I'll have a book club. Yeah. And I send them a free signed copy and some book swag for all their members. So they get like bookmarks and stickers and fun stuff like that. And then I do a Zoom with them so they can ask me questions after they've read the book at their book club and can discuss more details about you know how the books work. So if you are interested or in your listener listeners are interested, they can email me for my website, Jessica Rowleybooks at gmail.com, and I can set that up for them. And I will have that information down in the show notes so you can just click it.

SPEAKER_00

Make it a little bit easier.

unknown

Great.

SPEAKER_00

And that's it for today. Thanks for listening to Where I Left Off, a bookish podcast. You can visit Jessica's site, add her books on Goodreads, follow her on social media, and purchase her novels anywhere books are sold. Lyrics and love letters is available now, and you can always read it on Kindle Unlimited.