New here? I write fast-paced, slow-burn paranormal romance where strong women, good men, and impossible pressure push love to its limits. 💜

The Front Page

Hello from the post-signing trenches!

I'm back from Seattle... and what an incredible weekend it was!

My first book signing event was everything I'd hoped it would be. I met so many wonderful readers, had some amazing conversations, and—for the first time ever—signed and sold my books in person. That was a pretty special milestone.

The hand-stamped metal bag charms were a huge hit, and so were the custom metal bookmarks I made for the VIP attendees. After spending weeks stamping, polishing, and packaging them, it was wonderful to see people so excited to receive them.

And speaking of those bookmarks... this is your last week to enter this month's giveaway! I'll be drawing two winners, so if you haven't entered yet, now's the time.

I'll keep this week's newsletter short so you can enjoy the photos below, but keep checking in—there's still plenty to come. Next week I'll tell you about meeting my favourite author, and over the coming weeks I'll share more about my two brand-new series, begin releasing books on my YouTube channel, and kick off a new month with a new giveaway.

But first... here are a few pics from Seattle...

Top/First Two Images: Me with some fabulous readers who were the first to buy my books in-person.
Bottom/ Second Two Images: In front of my table with my 'assistant' (my hubby), and us with another author's 'assistant' who we had a blast with.

Now... onto this week's question...

✨ The 52-Week Journey — Week 30/52 ✨

Last week I asked: Would you rather forgive someone who hurt you… or walk away before they can do it again?

You said: Walk Away with 65% of the votes.

This week: If protecting yourself hurt someone else, could you still do it?

Yes

Full Rules, Deadline, & Details Here.

That's it for now, but I'll have more for you next week. 💜 /KJ

Behind The Pages

The Story Behind the Story

Part 2: The Decisions You'll Never Notice

Two weeks ago, I shared how Hidden in Magic changed so much that it eventually became a completely different book than the one I'd originally planned. If you missed it, here’s the link.

Even after I know exactly what story I'm writing, there are still hundreds of decisions readers will never notice. Most of them happen one scene at a time.

One thing you should know about my writing process is that every scene has a structure, just like the novel itself. Before I write it, I ask myself six questions: What's the character's goal? What's the conflict?

How does the scene end? How does the character react to what has happened? What dilemma was created because of the conflict and reaction? What decision will the character now make?

Every scene has a job to do, and if I can't clearly answer those questions, chances are the scene isn't ready to be written.

And the reason is surprisingly simple. A scene can be beautifully written. It can have witty dialogue, interesting characters, and lovely descriptions, but if nothing changes between the beginning and the end of it, the story stalls. Readers probably won't stop and think, This scene doesn't have a clear goal or enough conflict. They'll simply feel that something is missing. They may even describe the book as "slow" or "boring," when the real problem isn't the writing at all. The scene just isn't doing the job it was meant to do.

Most of the time, my scene works exactly as I'd planned it. But every now and then, those six questions expose a weakness I hadn't noticed.

Maybe the conflict isn't strong enough. Maybe the characters agree too easily. Maybe I've written a perfectly pleasant conversation that doesn't actually change anything. Sometimes I realize I've made things too easy for my characters, and if they're not being challenged, neither are my readers.

The solution isn't usually to throw the whole scene away, although it has happened more than I’d like.

The majority of the time, I go back to those six questions and see if any of the answers are weak. If they are, I rewrite the answers first, then rewrite the scene to match.

Readers never see those decisions.

They don't know a conversation almost happened in a coffee shop instead of a hospital room, or that one line of dialogue was rewritten five times before it finally sounded right. They don't know a chapter changed places, a character reacted differently, or a quiet moment became something much more emotionally charged. Or that the murderer became someone else.

Readers simply turn the page.

I think life works in much the same way. Most of us make plans, we think things through, choose the path that makes the most sense, and move forward with the information we have at the time. Then we learn something new.

Maybe we discover a challenge we hadn't expected. Maybe an opportunity appears that wasn't there before. Or maybe we realize the plan that looked perfect on paper isn't producing the result we'd hoped for. That doesn't necessarily mean we planned badly. It simply means we know more now than we did when we started.

So we make another decision, and then another.

Looking back, it's easy to think our lives were shaped by the big moments—the new job, the move to another city, the relationship that changed everything. But I suspect those milestones were really built on dozens of smaller decisions that hardly seemed important at the time.

Just like a novel isn't made memorable by one spectacular chapter, our lives usually aren't shaped by one spectacular decision.

They're built one small decision at a time… which no one else will ever notice. 💜/ KJ

Off The Page

Here's a bit about what's happening with me outside of writing...

Top/Left Image: While driving to Seattle, I assembled the bag charms I was going to give away to readers. No, I'm not driving. 😆

Middle Image: We stopped in Vancouver on the way to seattle and I spent time with my family. I taught my sister how to stamp metal.

Bottom/Right Image: Solo was super happy to see us when we got home from the trip. He didn't want to be very far from me. Preferrably in my lap. 🤣

The Next Pages...

New books are coming!

Until next time.... Wishing you a little hope, love, & magic every day! 💜

Get in touch

kj@kjwarawa.com

https://kjwarawa.com

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So much is about to happen... 💜