Paradise Lust? What?
Romance novels get a bad rap. Predictable plots, flat characters, words like "member" and "honeypot" (really). Paradise Lust is my small attempt to take that on, through a story with three-dimensional characters, a healthy dose of humor, zero instances of "heaving bosoms," and a firm belief that the romance reader is just as intelligent as any other reader. After all, we all like sex, right?
Not this--> ![]()
Though I've completed NaNoWriMo twice, Paradise Lust is the first novel I will publish, and my first romance. It has been a tremendously fun and educational undertaking, and something that I'd love to do again. Your contribution to this campaign will be a huge step toward making my debut novel a success.
Note: Jocelyn Kates is a nom de plume. "Real" me is a gal in Brooklyn who has spent ~7 years working in various aspects of the publishing industry and also happens to be a certified yoga instructor.
Where Do Contributions Go?
Though the manuscript itself is nearly complete, the last leg of the publication process entails a whole lot of stuff--and requires a bit of ca$h. Specifically:
- Book cover and interior designs
- Website design and domain cost
- Formatting e-book files
- Promotion and fees on digital publishing platforms (BN, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Smashwords)
- Targeted ads and social media marketing campaigns
- Business cards, posters, and other physical materials
- Print or audio copies, if demand and funding is sufficient
- Launch party and gifts for you generous folk!
In the case that Paradise Lust gets picked up by a publisher who foots the bill for some of the above, all remaining funds will go toward marketing and promotion...and maybe getting started on a sequel.
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<--Us at the launch party.
So What's This Book About?
It's about Bali, and meditation, and fickle tropical weather patterns, as well as proper alignment for standing half-moon pose and best practices for maintaining a laptop in humid weather. There's also sex, a bunch of sex. Because, well, it's a romance novel.
To find out more about the story, read an excerpt, and stay up-to-date on happenings on the blog, check out the
Paradise Lust website.
Are There Perks for Contributions?
Yes. Yes, there are. Take a gander to the right.
Double Your Help by Sharing with a Friend!
Indiegogo has great tools for sharing. If you could pass this along and convince just one person in your network to contribute too, that would be enough to ensure that this campaign is a success!
<--Us at the launch party.
