Happy Wednesday, fellow writing addicts! My second novel, romcom/drama A Change Would Do You good is up for pre-order! And it launches on Thursday, March 18th.
Want to read the first chapter? Go here.
Want to pre-order? Go here.
So, I created a fun FAQs post to tell you the important, entertaining, and interesting tidbits about my baby. (Yes, we are still talking about the book!)
A Change Would Do You Good in 15 Q&As:
- What’s the genre?
Romance/Comedy/Drama.
- What’s the setting?
California.
First Los Angeles, then San Diego. Vancouver, Canada gets an honorable mention.
- When’s the setting?
The present, but in a world without the pandemic.
- Who’s the protagonist?
Janie, a 35-year-old fashion designer desperate to change her life after the death of her boyfriend.
- Who are other important characters?
This is an ensemble piece. Most of the characters are directly or indirectly connected to Janie, but there are several main characters with their own storylines that might not include her.
Main Characters:
Kevin: A world-champion pro surfer with the looks of a Norse God and a casual look outlook on relationships.
Denise: Kevin’s biggest rival and one of the best surfers ever.
Greg: A handsome therapist with a good heart and an unlucky romantic who is more focused on solving his friends’ problems.
Linda: A marketing professional stuck at a thankless, low-paid job and in a relationship that ran its course. She’s just too broke and unmotivated to get out. She’s Greg’s best friend.
Ben: A part-time model/part-time fashion designer who lives his life to maximize the fun. He’s also Linda’s boyfriend.
Ashley: loves drugs, metal music, and driving her neighbors crazy with wild parties and stunts.
Michelle: is an accomplished freelance writer suffering from severe agoraphobia. She hasn’t left her house in six years.
Ian: Michelle’s 20-year-old son absolutely obsessed with curing his mom.
Tom and Sam: Tom and Sam
- Is this a series or a standalone?
It’s both.
It’s a standalone book without a cliffhanger. But I love these characters, and I’m planning to continue.
- That’s a lot of characters. How will we keep up?
They all have distinct personalities and roles in the book. I hope I’ve done a good job, but just in case, how about using this post as a cheat sheet?
- How did this story come about? Why this story? Why you? Why California? Just, why?
When I was 15,5, I stayed in Santa Barbara for a month. It was one of the best times of my life. I met a lot of interesting characters (though none of them made it to the book), attended a lot of parties (don’t worry, I didn’t drink – and the parties did make it to the book), and fell in love with the beauty of the place. People were also incredibly friendly and welcoming.
One day, I woke up with the idea of a woman dealing with a huge loss by making this huge change, and how she dealt with the challenge. Then came her second chance at romance, complete with a bunch of colorful new friends and neighbors.
- How long is it?
Less than 55K words. It’s short.
- Standalone or series?
It’s both.
This book contains no cliffhangers. There is one scene toward the end with two characters where you might wonder what will happen next – and that will be explored further in the second book. But all the main plotlines are resolved.
I love these characters. I originally created this as a TV series, so even if the second book took 5 years to write – which I’m hoping it won’t, I’ll be working on it.
However, this is a satisfactory and complete read on its own.
- What’s with the title?
It really encompasses the theme. It’s not just Janie who will go through massive changes.
- How was it writing so many characters?
It was so much fun! The possibilities were endless.
- If this was a TV series, who would play whom?
I’ve given the most thought to my male protagonist to Kevin. Because I know quite a few actors who would be perfect.
Chris Hemsworth with no beard/long hair. He’s only a few years older than Kevin.
If I was shooting it in the early 2000s, Jason Lewis! You might remember him as The Absolute Hunk from Sex and The City series.
And it’s not I said no to Charlie Hunnam.
Ben – William Levy (or someone who is a few years younger.)
Greg – Ricky Whittle.
However, I can’t wait to hear your suggestions after you’ve read the book.
- What are some of the positive reactions this thing received?
Olga Mecking says: “A Change Would Do You Good is a real page-turner, always leaving you wanting to know more about what will happen to the characters. And it won’t leave you alone until you’re done.”
And Carrie Lowrence says “A Change Will Do You Good will whisk you away to sunny California to join a cast of characters that feel like friends. Janie is trying to get over the death of her ex-boyfriend and cope with her eclectic neighbors, especially the slightly arrogant Kevin. Can she overcome the pain of her past and find love again? If you love stories about close-knit groups of friends that will make you laugh and cry, this book will do you good.”
You can also head on to Goodreads to read some early reviews.
- Can you give us the blurb already?
Janie desperately needs a change, and she needs it yesterday.
Ever since her boyfriend died and their mutual best friends moved to Canada, she’s been lost and unable to enjoy life.
So she gets a new wardrobe, job, car, and place. In another city.
The new job and apartment are great, but her colorful neighbors will be a challenge to get used to:
Agoraphobic Michelle and her car-crash happy son who is obsessed with curing his mom,
Part-time model/fashion designer Ben who seems to be competing for the worst boyfriend award and his miserable girlfriend Linda who hates her career,
Goth metal chick Ashley who loves drugs, guns, and weird parties,
Lackluster cops Sam and Tom who want a more exciting life.
Luckily Janie has met Greg, a handsome therapist who might be the best friend a person can have. And her downstairs neighbor Kevin, a pro surfer with the looks of a Norse god, seems fun and friendly enough.
With all the antics and chaos going on, only one thing seems certain: Her neighbors provide her with more distraction and change than she was ever ready for, including an epic romance…
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There you go! I hope that you have fun if you choose to read this book! If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments! And if you want to pre-order, you can do so now.
