A Writer's Journey: Inside the Making of Heart’s Gambit: Circus Magic, Time Travel, and the Real Truth About Publishing a Debut

The curtain lifts on circus magic, high-stakes romance, and the unfiltered reality of publishing a debut fantasy novel.

In this candid, behind-the-scenes conversation, we sit down with J.D. Myall, author of Heart’s Gambit, to unpack how the book grew from a proposal into a full-scale launch, complete with preorders, a regional book tour, library-hosted events, and an immersive audiobook cast that brings music and magic to the page. This is the kind of publishing conversation most writers crave and most readers never get to hear, equal parts celebration, strategy, and confession.

We dive into the emotional whiplash of the publishing process, from quiet stretches filled with doubt to the sudden rush of deadlines, finished copies arriving in boxes, and calendars packed with launch events. J.D. shares how a library-centered launch, a focused preorder campaign, and circus-themed influencer mailers helped keep the heart of the story front and center amid the noise.

Craft takes the spotlight as we talk revision decisions that changed everything, including how a sharper prologue reframed the stakes, why the ending evolved for the better, and how a plotter-pantser process allows execution to shift while the big beats stay true. We dig into favorite scenes like battle training, time-bending romance, and dates shaped by magic, and why time travel through a Black perspective transforms questions of risk, agency, history, and place.

There’s also a frank discussion of author life and visibility, from navigating social media without burnout to balancing a day job, family, and creative work while choosing connection over performative content.

 Featuring a special excerpt read by Khaya Fraites, narrator of Heart’s Gambit and the Fourth Wing series. 

If you love fantasy novels, time travel stories, Black historical fantasy, circus aesthetics, and romance with a bite, Heart’s Gambit belongs on your list. If you’re a writer, you’ll walk away with practical insight into editing, cover design, audiobooks, book marketing, and the courage it takes to put your work into the world.

Follow, share this episode with a friend who loves book craft and publishing real talk, and leave a review to help more listener

Transcript

Audiobook Teaser: Heart’s Gambit

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Hi, my name is Kaya Fratz, and I'm currently in the studio recording Heart's Gambit by J.D. Mile. Chapter 1. Emma Baldwin. Harlem, 1943. When the moonlight hits the circus tents, they bleed. Ruby drops turn to rose petals before raining down on the audience. A symbol. That's all anybody wants. Something that feels bigger than them. No matter the city, no matter the time. Mama always said this when we were fortifying the fabric together, using our hands to imbue the crimson silk with our gifts. Something magical. Something beautiful. And if we remind them that we're the best black circus on the circuit in the process, what's the harm? Ooos and ahs ripple as the crowd begins to file into the big top. They settle in their seats and prepare for the show as that bloody rain begins. Find Heart's Gambit wherever you get your audiobooks.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Hello, hello. So in this episode, we're going to be talking about JD and her book, Heart Scambit. Uh-oh. Can you see that? Yay! I got my advanced reader copy and I am reading through it. It is wonderful. It comes out in about what two weeks now? Or maybe I should, I don't know when it's when it's a dropping. February 3rd, 2026. Yes, February 3rd, 2026. So exciting. So in this episode, we're gonna talk about pretty much your publishing journey and especially this last. I don't know, is this the last leg or the second to last leg of it before? Actually, it's not really the last because then you have another leg after it's available. So this like last couple parts of your publishing journey. So how has it been so far? How are you feeling?

Emotions Of The Publishing Rollercoaster

SPEAKER_04 2:23

So far, like publishing puts you through literally all of the emotions. There are times when you feel like nothing's happening. So then you're like, ha, do they not love me? Is you know, are they not gonna put effort into it? And then there's times when like everything clicks and it all starts happening, and then you're like, ah, there's so much to do. There's so much is expected. I'm overwhelmed. Can we go back to the nothing days? You know what I mean? So you go back and forth and through all these different anxieties and emotions. Right now I'm in a place where I am thrilled but terrified because you know writing's personal. So you know, like you love your stories, and then you know, sometimes you put a little bit of yourself into the stories, and then you just have to put it out there for the world to judge and rip apart, right? So, like excited because it's a lifelong dream, but terrified now that you know I've been vulnerable in public and therefore can face public scorn if they don't like it.

SPEAKER_03 3:21

But yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

If there's any scorn, I haven't read the whole book yet, but I've read a good chunk of it. Those are just haters. Okay, thank you. Who are probably not your target audience anyway. And it's funny that you say putting yourself into it because I've already read some things like I'll just say like a red wig, and I was like, Oh, that's JD. Like little nuggets that I know that I know are just like parts of you in it, which was like a joy to like come across those.

SPEAKER_04 3:52

There's even a side character whose name is my great great grandfather's name and my great grandmother's and my grandmother's name mixed. Nice, like his first name is my great-great-grandfather's, and my grandmother has a unisex name. So her name is his middle name.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

Okay, I love that. Yep. So, in terms of like publishing, what are you doing right now? Or what is the what do they have you doing right now?

Personal Threads Woven Into Characters

SPEAKER_04 4:26

Well, I turned in book two, as I told you a while ago, so I haven't gotten my editorial notes on that yet. So I'm waiting for those so I can start the whole process again with the next one, doing all the revisions and stuff. With book one, it'll be in stores, as we mentioned, on February 3rd. So right now they're like tour planning and stuff like that. We're the publisher is doing a pre-order campaign. So they had some students from Warhouse enter contest to like create the art. And yeah, and then the people who pre-order from this specific store will get a copy of the prints along with their books. And so they're doing like pre-order campaign stuff now. They're mailing out finished copies. I want to say on like, well, I won't say a date because like you said, we don't know when in a lot, but soon they're mailing out these finished copies, and some people are gonna get the copy in the little box with like it has a couple of cute little flyers for each family's show, and then it'll have like a popcorn ball because of the circus theme and some cotta candy. So that's what we're looking to go inside of these little circus themed boxes that'll go out to help people with their copy, their finished copy. Uh, mostly that's like influencer types and then like author friends and stuff who are on the list. You're on the list, you already know that. But so you'll have two copies just because I wanted you to have the popcorn ball.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

I'll have three code, because I have of course I pre-ordered a copy too.

SPEAKER_04 5:56

Oh, yeah.

Preorders, Tour Plans, And Promo Boxes

SPEAKER_02 5:58

Yeah. So we know what you're giving people next Christmas. Well, look on those are mine. I actually I have some co-workers, like I've told them all about you, and um they're pre-ordering too. Yay!

SPEAKER_04 6:15

Exciting. So, so yeah, so next month is gonna be super busy for me because you know I still have the day job, and now my off days are gonna be like book events. Yeah, the launch party is gonna be at the library that I work at. Well, technically not my official library, they have seven branches, and I didn't want it my official library because I didn't want people just wandering in my library to give me their thoughts. Yeah, give them my their thoughts on the book whatever. Can you imagine I'm working and somebody gives me a bad review to my face? That would be stereo. I think this deserves this many stars.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

I'd be like, okay, Shelley, right now, if you don't mind. But at my day job now. Yeah. Thanks for reading. Well, that's cool that you like, you know, having the support of a library system, you know, books. That should be fun. That should be nice.

SPEAKER_04 7:11

Kim Jones, um, you remember Kim.

unknown 7:14

Oh.

SPEAKER_04 7:14

From doing the Drexel events, she's gonna host my lunch party. It's gonna be interesting to see how it goes because I don't know people. I'm a hermit and a homebody. I go to work, I come home, I don't really like socialize much. So I'm hoping the library advertises it since she's an author. I'm thinking she could bring in some people. But I don't know, since I work there, if they're planning it like an author event or if they're planning it like supporting an employee and just giving her a party.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

So yeah, two different things.

SPEAKER_04 7:46

That's what I'm saying. So I'll I'll I'll let you know how it turns out.

SPEAKER_02 7:51

I wish I could be there, but I get to come to the the Philly event.

SPEAKER_03 7:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:57

Yep, yep, yep. So, like I said, nervous and excited about that. That's the only really far event, the Philly event. Most of it is in Georgia and Alabama and a regional tour, but because of my connection, yeah, for now. But because of my connection for direct, so they're gonna fly me up for that.

SPEAKER_03 8:16

That'd be cool.

SPEAKER_04 8:18

Yep. So we'll get to run around and misbehave and be silly.

SPEAKER_02 8:23

Do you know if the bookshop? I don't know if I should be the bookshop whose owner we know if that'll be carrying copies as well, or you're you don't know about that process.

SPEAKER_04 8:36

I don't know. I probably should have reached out because while we're in Philly, we could have probably did something at her shop too. I mean, that's not a bad idea though. I'll shoot her an email and let her know the date I'll be up there. She might want to do something too.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Oh, that'd be interesting.

SPEAKER_04 8:51

Yeah.

Launch Parties And Library Support

SPEAKER_02 8:53

I um okay, so book one is just like it's in the bag. We're just waiting for it to get out there, people to buy copies. You've already got pre-sales. And yeah, it's everywhere you can buy books, everyone. Anywhere you can think of to buy a book. And there's going to be an audiobook as well. I've seen that on Spotify. I was showing you the they have like a countdown to uh when it's ready to go. So I've got that saved and we're listening to that as well.

SPEAKER_04 9:31

I got to talk to the audiobook narrators. That was fun. The one who plays Emma also did the audiobook for Fourth Wing. So I talked to her a little bit about that one too and how that process went. So that was kind of fun. And then the gentleman who played Malcolm, he sings, which is cool because the character sings, and I wasn't expecting that. That was a big surprise when I was listening and he sang my lyrics. And I was like, oh my god, this like sounds like a song. How'd that happen? I'm not a songwriter. I, you know, but it it was really cool. Like I said, I'm not a songwriter specifically, so I I didn't expect that, but I liked it. I can't wait to hear that.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

Are you are you able to have you done already? Have them on your crap track chronicles? Yes. Podcast. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:28

I did. That's when I was also recording.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

Oh, okay, okay. I didn't know if you like we allowed to like talk about book two at all? Yeah. I can't give away plot much. Oh, yeah, yeah, of course. Because we don't want to get the current book I think. Yeah. In terms of like I guess like writing, like writing process, publishing process, that that type of okay.

unknown 10:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:57

Book one was easier because for the first half of book one, I didn't know it was gonna sell. It sold on proposal. So that was kind of like having fun, free writing, trying to create characters and world and all the enjoyable parts of writing. Yeah. And then it sells, and then that's when the nerves settle in because then it's like, oh, people are gonna see this. You know what I mean? So then you just it's not just sitting on your computer anymore. Yeah, so then it's like, you know, you get into the trying to perfect it as much as you can and stuff like that, and become more hyper-aware of your writing. But still, it was a lot more, or it felt a lot in retrospect, a lot less pressure while I was doing it, probably felt like pressure. But book two, to me, was like really, really hard. Like I was very much in my head with book two because I knew people would read it. I knew they'd have people who had read book one, and it's like if if they read book one, you don't want them to think the next one sucks. So you wanted to be at better than or at least as good, so they don't walk away mad at you like I've invested two books worth of time and you've let me down. Yeah, so I was very much in my head for that one. That one took much longer, I think, to create. I was past my deadline, and then I asked for an extension, and then I was past that. And you remember, I was embarrassed to tell you how far I was past the extension.

Audiobook Casting And Musical Surprises

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Why won't tell me, like, that's fine. I'm not working for the company. But I mean, but I think that's indicative and a typical situation for a second book for many writers, for most writers, it's not like, oh, I gotta do this again type thing, and I hope it's as good or better than the first one.

SPEAKER_04 12:42

So and I could have turned it in on time and it's not been as good, but I was committed to trying to make it the best I could, you know what I mean? So I was just like, I need more time, I need more time. Hope they're not mad at me.

SPEAKER_02 12:58

Okay. No, now it's in and waiting, waiting for the notes. See, that's not always the notes part of the process and writing in general just always gives me so much anxiety. I'm just like, oh, like I know, like even in class when I'd get notes, I wouldn't read them right away. Um because they would just make me sick just that I I had notes. It's just like, well, this is part of the process, boo. Like exactly.

SPEAKER_04 13:27

And my biggest worry, I would say, with book two is that I'm a plotter pancer. So with book two, you brought it. Um, it was purchased pretty much on like an outline and like a little synopsis of what the next book would be. And I'm a platter pancer, so it's not beat by beat the outline. So then I'm like, oh dear, I hope she likes it.

unknown 13:51

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 13:52

I hope she doesn't go in and be like, nah, change all of this, this, this, this, and this.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

So for for the listeners and viewers, when you say, okay, you're a plotter pancer, and so that's just you're just saying you're going off going off script, as I would say, in the in a sense, in terms of what's been plotted. And so you might add some elements that they don't know about yet.

Writing Book Two Under Pressure

SPEAKER_04 14:18

Exactly. And like it's never horrifically, in my view, off script. But the execution is is sometimes different. For example, if I have a character who, and this is not this book, so don't think you're getting any insight. Anyone listening? I'm just being big. Like, let's say I had a character in an outline that were to die in a car crash, right? And then I start writing, and as the story progresses, they'll still die, but it could likely be in a different way. She might be at her family at the beach with her family and drown, or something different could happen. You know what I mean? Like the major beats are usually there, but the execution of them and the road to them sometimes changes. Or with me liking fantasy, sometimes it might be the setting can get different or more elaborate. If I, you know, let's say I originally had this scene planned to be in a classroom, and then, you know, my imagination takes over, and they're somewhere that I think is more fun to have the same dialogue and experience happen. So, and then with my ADD, it's hard to beat by beat for me. I I tend to make the same sandwich 50 different ways.

SPEAKER_02 15:30

So that's the creativity part of it. You want to keep finding creative, so that makes sense. Did um you did that with the first book as well?

SPEAKER_04 15:41

Yeah, yeah. There weren't any like if you've read the first book, I'm not gonna spoil it for those who haven't, so I'm not gonna say what the particular power is, but like Malcolm's sister, none of her powers and stuff were like in my original outline. That was just, oh, this would be fun. You know what I mean? Let me try that. What if she could do this? You know what I mean? So, you know.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

That's a good thing. I mean, that's you wanna if it's heightening the story and everything, I think that's great.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

And her musical taste are very much my musical taste.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

I appreciate especially when you're going into like different time periods. That's cool.

SPEAKER_04 17:41

Not the historical pieces. Well, the musical. Well, I take that back. I didn't listen to music from the 20s, and I don't currently like, but I will say that when I was going into those time periods periods, I did research and find songs and listen to songs to see what song I felt like fit the scene. So I liked it for the scene as I was creating it, but it's not like I was just sitting around, you know, nodding my head to music from the 1920s. So I would say more the modern music is my music taste than the retro. But the retro I did like. I didn't pick songs that I, you know, didn't like and didn't think fit the moment.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

Yeah. And I'm guessing maybe in your mind, where at least this is what I do, if you're thinking about if this is on screen, doesn't yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:30

That's true. Yeah, that's very true. Shamefully true. I'm like, oh yeah, that would be cool.

Plotter-Pantser Process And Revisions

SPEAKER_02 18:45

So let's talk a bit about craft and you know, your journey with both as much as you can get into both books. What was kind of the most difficult thing? Because I know like fantasy is your jam and you can get going. But were there moments where you're just like, I don't know. I don't know what this is.

SPEAKER_04 19:08

Um the hardest moments, like I said, were in book two. There were moments in book two where it was like I don't know what this is in the sense of I left you in a challenging place at the end of book one. So then I had to like pick up from there, which means like I had to start book two basically running, you know what I mean? So when I was first getting started, it was it took me a minute to figure out how to navigate that scene. I think I have it really good, and hopefully you guys like it when you can when you read it, you know what I mean? But I left you at a point which was not of my doing, mind you, for those of you who are already completed book one. I had a vision that would make you smile a lot more. But I still hope you found the whole experience enjoyable.

SPEAKER_02 20:18

So it was that's something that's like a note or a publisher's decision. It's just like, why don't we do this instead?

SPEAKER_04 20:26

Or yeah, and that's why to be honest with you, too, even when I like reflect on book two, I because I just turned in like draft one, I haven't got any editorial notes. So the things that I'm like commenting on by the time you read them might not even be in the story anymore because they might be like, eh, kill that, replace this, you know what I mean. But yeah. But I love the ending of Heart's Gambit now much more to be if I'm honest than my original ending. But I know, but that was not my original ending. My editor had a different. Different vision, and then I I tried it, and then I was like, oh, that's sick. She's she she knows story. This is good.

SPEAKER_02 21:07

That's awesome. Like I've in this journey, I know I've been on this journey with you for it's been like some years now. And I totally forgot my question. Oh, right. I know at some point we were talking about the end, the beginning. Because I know you had a similar situation with the beginning of book one. Do you wanna talk about that a bit?

Craft Notes: Beginnings, Endings, And Hooks

SPEAKER_04 21:30

So the beginning of book one was originally supposed to be the circus scene with Emma. And um, and that's now like there's prologue basically is like a chapter zero. So that's still chapter one, but they added the prologue because they wanted to show the root of how they got their powers and stuff like that. And that wasn't my original vision. And to be honest with you, originally I wanted to start with the circus and start with the that scene and work back. But again, in retrospect, I do like that intro because it's a hook. You know what I mean? You already know the big bad in a sense, you already know what's at risk, and it kind of like introduces you into the world. And I kind of in retrospect, I kind of like that better because before we were bent, we were building up to a villain, like in a chapter one, but you hadn't really seen it, so you kind of didn't really get full scope of everything. And when we talk about writing and craft and stuff, I kind of like having a scene or a few scenes in the beginning of a book that kind of encapsulate a little bit of the journey. That way, readers who the story's not for can move on and not continue and give you bad reviews because this wasn't what this isn't for them. And then the readers who it is for and who will enjoy it can be like, oh, this is the kind of shit I like. Let me read on, you know what I mean? So so it worked out, but like I said, that wasn't my original vision. And you know how we are sometimes like as writers, sometimes you you love your darlings, yeah. So sometimes you don't want to let go of that original vision, and then you do, and you're challenged to do something different, and then you do it, and then you you like it. And even if you didn't initially like the idea, you can take it and make it your own and make it something that you love, right?

SPEAKER_02 23:20

And make it fit to what what you already have envisioned, and it works beautifully.

SPEAKER_04 23:26

Thank you. But yeah, at first that was not what it I was dead set on. I wanted to start at the circus, but then it changed, and then I think the story is better for it now. But it was one of those take it, make it my own, make it something I love.

SPEAKER_02 23:43

And that's something I had to learn in terms of like notes, where it's just like, okay, you get a note, and it's just like I'm not sure I really agree with this, but just like you're saying, you can take that and make it your own. In the end, you can feel more comfortable with it, or even like it more than your original thoughts. Like I said, in your story, it works really well. So don't always feel upset when you're getting certain notes because you can make it fit what your vision is. Very true.

SPEAKER_04 24:16

I learned that in another piece that I have never showed my agent, but I will at some point from Drexel that I was writing when Sadika was um Sadika Johnson was mentoring me. There was a character that was missing in scene one that everybody was looking for. And she was like, This would be way more effective if you had her vanished on the page. And I did not want that at all because that would require overhauling the first half of the book. And I was dead set against it. Uh, I was like, you know, I, you know, I that was like one note I did not want to take. Now, of course, I didn't respond that way to her. You know, I mean, of course I was gracious and all that stuff. But again, she's the one with the experience, she's the one with the years in the game. So after I got past my initial bratdiness, and like I said, I didn't show her the bratdiness, I was just bratty in my head. But once I got past that, and then I revised according to that, same thing. The story was so much stronger to me. It was like, damn, she's right. It required a lot of structural change, but it was like, damn, she she was right. It's a much better story to have that happen on the page. But that's not heart scambit. So if you guys think you've got a nibble, you do.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

That was a different story. Yeah, that's the different story. So in writing Heart Scambit, excuse me, and even book two, where what did you like? Were there certain scenes that you you just really relished in? Yes. Without like ruining anything.

SPEAKER_04 25:45

I really like the scene where Emma is battle training. There was lots to love for me writing that. I was giggling as I typed. Like I said, a lot of times when people like observed me writing, they probably think I was a psychopath. They would probably think I had all kinds of mental health stuff going on. Which possibly I do, but not to this degree that they like. We all because like I like literally was chuckling while I was writing the scene.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

That's a fun scene. I in reading that I went through so many emotions. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_04 26:25

That was a good one. That one I enjoyed. I kind of enjoyed Malcolm's training scene too, but not as much as I enjoyed writing M List. I don't know why. That was um definitely a fun one. I loved writing. Oh I loved writing their date. All their dates were fun to write.

SPEAKER_02 26:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 26:52

Probably if I had to pick a favorite date, it would be the more futuristic one.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Okay.

Favorite Scenes: Training, Dates, Time Travel

SPEAKER_04 26:58

Dating through the ages, however. And I liked time travel. I like writing time travels. Time travels.

SPEAKER_02 27:07

Yeah, it's handled really well. Sometimes with time travel, it can get confusing and stuff like that. But this is I like I like how you learn about it. So I never felt lost. I know where everybody's at.

SPEAKER_04 27:21

And you don't often see time travel from a black perspective. Yeah. Which made it fun because it's definitely a different lens than it would be from another lens, you know what I mean? From another perspective.

SPEAKER_02 27:36

I remember there's a show called was it called Timeless? I think. And there was a black guy who was a one of the characters, and like he even mentioned that, like, okay, going back to this certain time period is not okay for me. Like, yeah, okay, but like there'll be problems for me. So, so that is, I like, you know, we all different cultures have different experiences and things. So being able to explore that is great in the story. True.

SPEAKER_04 28:07

Even if you think like Back to the Future, if Marty McFly McFly had been a black kid and he went back to the 60s, his experience would have been different. The way he would have been treated by the world would have been different.

SPEAKER_02 28:18

It would have been a whole different movie. Very different movie. Yeah, he wouldn't have been able to move the way that he can.

SPEAKER_04 28:26

Um there's that who's to say that the the little soda shop wouldn't have been like whites only, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 28:36

Like there's that controversy of that scene of him like inventing rock and roll. Oh yeah. But yeah, so we got time travel, fantasy, romance, all the good stuff. So publishing-wise, is there anything like in that journey that you haven't been a fan of? Because I know like there are just things that you just have to do that maybe you don't want to.

Black Lens On Time Travel Tropes

SPEAKER_04 29:07

Social media is harder for me. Not a huge social media girl. And if I'm completely honest. Well, I won't say I'm not a huge I'm a huge, I'm not a huge social media girl, because we all scroll. And because, you know, nosiness, human nature, you kind of want to see what people are going doing. So we all scroll. But like making content takes time. Which when you have a deadline for the next book, and you're supposed to be working on the next book, and you have a job and you have children and you have like real life stuff going on, you know what I mean? It it seems like a time stuck that makes that takes up space where you should be writing and creating. So that was a little challenging for me to balance. Some people are great at it. I've seen some writers who have like they're posting a video of themselves talking and doing cute little TikTok dances all the time. That was more challenging for me because time and then also like regular human insecurity. I, you know, this, I had lost a lot of weight months ago, thinking I was going to look so adorable with my books and launches and I'm doing events. And then, you know, the natural disaster when the tree fell in the house and stuff. I'm a stress eater and I gained it back. So now they're like record videos, and I'm like, but I feel fluffy. Can we give me a month or two to kind of like starve this off and died a little? No, no, sorry.

SPEAKER_02 30:43

We are we love curves, curves are good. This is true.

SPEAKER_04 30:52

So that part, you know, is not my favorite part, but I'm working on it.

SPEAKER_02 30:57

I understand though, because like social media isn't for me. Even like when we were you were talking about doing this, and like I'm thinking, okay, podcast, no one's going to see me. And then there is like this, oh, but we're doing YouTube, and I'm like, oh, it's gonna like back out off again. Like, you know, it is what it is. There we're all different kinds of people, and that's great. Very true, very true.

SPEAKER_04 31:26

But yeah, I'm working on it. They gave me like a social media calendar, and they were like, could you please like post three times a week at least, and stuff like that. So I've been trying to post more. Like I said, I still haven't done enough of the video content. I'm trying to siphon myself up to do it. I think that's a good idea. And what's crazy, but what's crazy is like I'm I'm cool with interviews. Like, I I would go on TV if they booked something and sit and talk. But for some reason, just holding a camera up to myself and dancing around the house. I don't think that would be more scary. Like I don't know, like I'm weird, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 32:06

Yeah, but that I think there's something where like that three times a week is like the least amount of frequency that it can really pick up with the algorithms and all that kind of stuff. Oh, okay. Okay, maybe I could be wrong. I could just be making up shit, but I'm pretty sure somewhere today.

The Tough Parts Of Author Marketing

SPEAKER_04 32:21

I did like three times today, and then I don't know if I did anything else all week. So that's not the same, it doesn't count.

SPEAKER_02 32:29

You can like do them, but then you have to like post them like at a sporadically.

SPEAKER_04 32:34

Yeah, I'll do better next week. I wasn't aware. I just made three posts and dropped them all this morning. One was it snowed, and you know it doesn't usually snow in the south. Oh, did it snow down there too? Yep. Oh it's gone already. It snowed overnight. I woke up, everything was white.

SPEAKER_02 32:53

By two o'clock, it's all melted. I'm jealous because when we're done, I have to go out and like shovel the sidewalk, and I don't want to.

SPEAKER_04 33:03

So I went on my Instagram taking pictures where you're like holding the book up so you can see the snow behind it. Oh nice. I was like, see, I did my posting. I hope they're watching. They probably are being a good student, doing my assignments.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

I'm excited. I wasn't expecting it's funny because like I came home from work one day and I'm like, Where's this in the mailbox? And then it was like this, like so I'm like, this feels like a book. And like the cover is beautiful, it's even like more beautiful in person. Oh, I can't but get the lighting right.

SPEAKER_04 33:42

And that was my concept. It's much better looking than I imagined it. But they gave me for both book one and book two, they gave me a form where you can um, well, with book one, my editor, not my editor, excuse me, my agent, before they even started having conversations about the cover, had me type up this form that she had, which is like a cover concept form. And you know, like you could take covers that you liked and take ideas that you had and jot them down. And she said, I like to present them to the publisher early before they ever start talking covers so they have time to consider yours before they're married to another idea. And so she did that. My original thought was Blood at the Roots and Legend Born, because those books did really well, and I thought their covers were cute. Yeah, but they said that they don't see books with people on the cover selling as much. So they wanted to lean away from that. So then they asked me for some other ideas, and then I came up with the idea of like a crystal heart with a circus pen in it. And from that is where they came up with the cover, which like I said, looks way better than anything I imagined. So that was cool. Nice, it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 35:01

I have to say it's better looking than those other two covers you mentioned.

SPEAKER_04 35:05

But yay!

SPEAKER_02 35:08

Great book, so check out.

SPEAKER_04 35:09

No offense to them, but yay, I'm glad you liked it.

SPEAKER_02 35:16

Oh so I'm I'm still in the middle of reading it. I think the language is beautiful, like the imagery. I'm like, this is so JD, like we're getting in the imagery and the word. It's just like so beautifully written. Yeah, and it's nice to read another book that centers you know, black characters and experiences throughout different timelines, which is interesting. The seeing them going back and forth and everything in the in the different way they do it. I love that. I was like, oh, this is very creative. Each family has their own way of doing it. That was cool. Thank you, thank you. That's been exciting.

SPEAKER_04 36:08

Who's your favorite character so far?

Cover Concepts And Visual Identity

SPEAKER_02 36:10

So far? I think Emma is my favorite character so far. I'm really getting into Graham though. She's a she's a boss bitch.

SPEAKER_04 36:22

A lot of people liked her a lot.

SPEAKER_02 36:26

Yeah. And I think you've got great characters all around. And I'm interested to keep reading, because I know we had mentioned before for me to try and get through most of it before we recorded, you know, beginning, middle, end type thing, like writers do for like contests and stuff. But I was just like, no, I need to like I need this to unfold naturally for me. So I'm just gonna read it through, which is why I haven't gotten to the ending yet. But it's unraveling beautifully. The characters are just great and well-rounded, like they're all distinct. And like I'm yeah, waiting to see where this Heather thing goes. And those of you who read know what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_04 37:15

As someone who knows me, what character do you see the most of me in?

SPEAKER_03 37:29

Probably Emma.

SPEAKER_02 37:32

Cause like I'm thinking about all those moments where I'm just like, oh, I know that's a JD thing, like we you talk about this, whatever, and they all connect to Emma.

SPEAKER_04 37:41

But I could be wrong, but which which one is I don't know because honestly, I think I put a little bit of myself in all of them. They're not like self-inserts, those are not fully me, but I think like, you know, when you create anything you create, I think has a little bit of your fingerprint on it. Yeah. I was surprised by how many of my early readers liked Malcolm the most. And the reason I was surprised by that, I like him too. So I'm not saying it like I didn't like the character, but it surprised me because I've never written a male POV before. I've always had males with significant chunks of the story, but they were always never the POV character. So that was my first time writing through that lens. And I was like, who knew that I was like intellectually a teenage boy. I'm just kidding. But yeah, it just surprised me that you know so many people identify with that. So I was like, Yay, okay, I guess I did pretty good then.

Character Favorites And Family Dynamics

SPEAKER_02 38:42

And there are a lot of different characters that people can identify with. I think and the family dynamics are like wonderful. Like yeah, well, I can't, I don't want to say too much, but I I I identify with someone who has lost a sibling. And so, like those things and like the family dynamics around that is done.

SPEAKER_03 39:13

Very well, my friend.

SPEAKER_02 39:15

Thank you, thank you. Alright, everybody. February 3rd, heart scambit drops. Get your pre-sale on, buy it, you will enjoy it. And once book two comes out and we can talk a bit a bit more about it, we'll get on the podcast and talk about that as well. And by then, you would have finished reading book one and ready for the next one.

SPEAKER_04 39:44

All right, thank you, Jay Marie, and thank you everybody for being a part of the journey with me. It's been really fun sharing these moments with you, and I'm excited to share more as they unravel by the book, February 3rd, 2026. And I will forever appreciate you. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

Keep writing. That wraps up today's Crab Chat Chronicles with JD Myall. Thanks for joining us. If you like the episode, please comment, subscribe, and share. For show notes, writing workshops, and tips, head to jdmyer.com. That's jdmyer.com. While you're there, join jd's mailing list for updates, giveaways, and more.