Julie tells us she lives, hikes, and drinks wine in Virginia. While she writes, Julie says she listens to music with her two rescue dogs. She considers herself blessed to have family nearby. Let's find out more about Julie and her featured book.
What do you find is the most challenging part of being an author?
Because I’m retired, theoretically I have all the time in the world to write books. This is not even close to true. I can find the most boring things to putter around doing instead of writing. In a nutshell, carving out the time and finding the motivation to create is the most challenging part of my author life.
How do you develop characters?
I like to start building my characters with a Character Biography document. This overview of each of my most important characters includes physical, emotional, and psychological characteristics. I like to sort out exactly what bothers my characters, what motivates them, and where they want to be in a year. Not only does this overview provide the foundation for my characters’ progress through the plot, but it also motivates me to love each character and create a great story for them.
Tell us about your road to publication.
To be honest, when I contemplated giving writing a go in 2019, I thought I’d write a memoir. Putting that aside, the overwhelming urge to write remained, so while working full time, I studied writing craft. Getting ready for work every morning, I’d watch YouTube authors. And it was motivating to think “I can do that” while I applied mascara.
I stumbled across Shut Up And Write when they were hosting a month of writing prompts. I was desperate for an outlet (and ideas), so I posted a creative response for five weeks. I shared them with my husband, who kindly said, Whatever you do, never stop writing. Wow! And just so you know, he wasn’t the type to offer hollow praise. I was doing something right. But did that mean I could actually finish a novel and get it published?
Was that even what I wanted at the time? Once I did finish She Danced Anyway, I knew I wanted to find a traditional publisher. I’ve been fortunate to discover a great team at The Wild Rose Press.
What is your book that you will feature today and how did you come up with the idea to write it?
My debut novel, She Danced Anyway, is a historical fiction story set in 1920s New York City. During that writing prompt event I mentioned earlier, a prompt suggested listening to a favorite piece of music. I chose Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which I fell in love with as a teenager. Yes, I was a total dork who didn’t always fit in. Surprise!
I wrote a scene featuring a young woman named Elizabeth in the 1920s in New York City.
I liked her so much; she stole into my slumber. Dreams about how to make Elizabeth come more alive took over some waking hours, too. So, I enrolled in an online Creative Writing course at the community college where I was an administrator. Elizabeth starred in the short story that was my final exam.
I finished my first draft of “She Danced Anyway” during NaNoWriMo in November 2020.
Blurb:
No one thinks Elizabeth Alter can manage independent living, and even she questions a future of eating only toast. She watches friends test society’s boundaries, desperate for similar courage to push back.
She loves dancing, but the city’s harridans and preachers want promiscuous dancing, wild jazz, and skimpy dresses ended and send the police often.
In 1920s New York City. Elizabeth works at the public library. She befriends co-worker James, to whom she introduces the delight of dancing. James imagines a traditional future, while Elizabeth dreams of dancing and living alone.
After a violent altercation with her mother, Elizabeth flees to her grandmother. She meets George, a piano player, and embarks on a tumultuous flirtation.
Caught in the crosshairs of society’s narrow expectations, will Elizabeth chase her dreams? Or will her own heart conspire against her?
How do you come up with your plots?
First of all, I think perhaps my writing is part perspiration and part art, or shall I say, inspiration. I actually use an Excel spreadsheet to line up natural story beats with my plot ideas. Though I’ve completed two novels, I can’t say that my technique is magic, but it does work for me. I am a planner, because I cannot just start a story without a somewhat detailed vision of where I am going. If I get stuck in the planning stage which takes me a few days before I start to write, I throw up my hands and start Chapter 1.
My characters sometimes put on the brakes and suggest I make a right turn and it’s then that I must return to the spreadsheet to ensure the rest of the outline gets “in line,” if you know what I mean. I’ve found that my plots require at least one major switch while I am writing a novel.
If you’re wondering where I get ideas for a story’s twists and turns, well… from my twisty brain, of course!
What’s your next project or what are you working on now?
The Wild Rose Press offered me a contract for my second novel, a contemporary Christmas romance called His Christmas Muse. It will be released on December 9, 2024. I’m now working on book 2 in the His and Hers Christmas series.
Thank you Julie for being my guest today. Check back with My Writing Corner the week of December 10, 2024 to read a book spotlight on Julie's His Christmas Muse.
In the meantime, She Danced Anyway in e-book and paperback can be found at many online retailers. Following are a few of their buy links:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/She-Danced-Anyway-J-J-Ranson-ebook/dp/B0CZS966N3/
Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/she-danced-anyway-jj-ranson/1145344323?ean=9781509254491
Website: www.juliejranson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556781356858
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjranson_writer/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliejranson/
LinkTree (all the links): https://linktr.ee/jjranson
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