Falon Ballard: On Reuniting High School Sweethearts in Romance
Author Falon Ballard discusses the challenges she faced that were different from her debut novel when writing her new novel, Just My Type.
Falon Ballard is the author of Lease on Love. When she’s not writing fictional love stories, she’s helping real-life couples celebrate, working as a wedding planner in Southern California. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
In this post, Falon discusses the challenges she faced that were different from her debut novel when writing her new novel, Just My Type, her hopes for readers, and more!
Name: Falon Ballard
Literary agent: Kimberly Whalen
Book title: Just My Type
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons
Release date: February 7, 2023
Genre/category: Romance
Previous titles: Lease on Love
Elevator pitch for the book: Two high school sweethearts who broke up when they went to college on opposite sides of the country reunite 12 years later only to find out they will be competing for the same job.
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What prompted you to write this book?
After watching the final movie in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series and realizing it was extremely unlikely that Lara Jean and Peter would stay together once they went away to college (with him going to California and her going to New York), I wanted to explore what would happen if high school sweethearts were reunited much later on in life.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I started writing Just My Type in May of 2021 and at first I was working on it in bits and pieces as I was still going through some of the editing process for Lease on Love. From an editing/production standpoint, it was finished around October of 2022 and will release in February of 2023.
The idea itself for the book didn’t change much from the beginning to the final product, but the events of the book definitely changed multiple times as I went through the process, figuring out which scenes worked and which didn’t.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
This was my first time writing a book under contract and it was a whole new experience for me. I am definitely a pantser, so having to turn in an outline and write a synopsis before the book was written was really challenging for me.
I sometimes struggled with feeling tied to the outline, which was really tough because a lot of times my characters just like to go off and do their own thing! I learned a lot about how I work best, and I think I will be able to implement some different strategies for future books.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
How hard it was! I’ve heard a lot of authors talk about the second book slump and boy were they right! It was really difficult to go from writing a book solely for myself (even if I did hope it would be published one day) to writing a book under contract. The expectations and the (mostly self-imposed) pressure were challenging to say the least.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers walk away from Just My Type with a smile on their faces. I think this is a feel-good rom com and I hope that resonates, but I also hope people take away the importance of taking time for yourself. And therapy! It’s the best!
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
It’s easier said than done, of course, but always look for the joy in the writing process. And don’t be afraid to ask for what you need, whether that be support or an extended deadline, let your team know what you need and let them be there for you.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
