Jessica James: Know What Your Character Wants

Jessica James (she/her) is a writer who also loves watching musicals, baking family recipes, and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her spouse and two dogs. In addition to writing, Jessica has a passion for singing. She’s a mezzo-soprano with a BA in Music and a healthy Broadway obsession. Follow her on Instagram.

In this interview, Jessica discusses what she learned in the process of publishing her debut romance novel, For One Night Only, her advice for other writers, and more.

Name: Jessica James
Literary agent: Samantha Fabien, Root Literary
Book title: For One Night Only
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin Random House
Release date: January 7, 2025
Genre/category: Contemporary Romance
Elevator pitch: For One Night Only is a second-chance romance about Valerie Quinn, a bisexual actress with a bad reputation who reunites the pop punk band that made her famous as a teen to generate some positive press. But getting the Glitter Bats back together for one last show doesn’t just mean facing the found family she walked away from, but navigating feelings for her co-founder and first love Caleb Sloane, the anxious sweetheart whose heart she broke when she drove him from the industry.

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What prompted you to write this book?

My creative background is in classical voice, to the extent that I have a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music. At the start of the pandemic, I was really missing collaborative artistic spaces, and I inhaled any media I could about music, from picking up Daisy Jones and the Six to rewatching “Smash” to making “Julie and the Phantoms” my comfort show. As a result, I was struck all over again by the importance of the community that builds around art, and the idea for this project slowly evolved from there. I knew I wanted to write another romance novel, and I loved this idea about creatives finding their way back to each other over a shared love for music … they just happened to end up being sexy rock stars who got their start in Seattle.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

The idea sparked as a second-chance romance about child stars in early 2022, but I wasn’t super excited or ready to move forward with outlining it until I decided they needed to be rock stars! That framework made me really invested to see where the project might go, and I couldn’t get it out of my head until it was drafted. The concept largely stayed the same throughout the drafting process—except for the title. For One Night Only was titled When Our Stars Collided while it was on submission to editors, but we changed the title before we announced the sale. (I love the official title so much better!)

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I’m a debut author, so my life has been nonstop learning moments since we sold For One Night Only! But I think the biggest surprise has been just how many different people contribute to the book between sale and publication. It’s not just editors working on it, but copy editors and proofreaders and art directors and designers (and I’m sure I’m missing folks!) The final version of For One Night Only is absolutely stunning inside and out, and this process has given me so much appreciation for all of the work that has gone into my favorite books.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

As an author, I fully believe every book teaches me something. For One Night Only really challenged me to know the extensive backstory of my characters, because the nature of a second chance romance is that these people have a history. I had to know Valerie and Caleb incredibly well for their history to feel natural. And since the Glitter Bats are getting back together again, I also had to really understand their bandmates to make sure they felt real on the page. The other members of the band really started demanding more page time as I discovered their layers. Because of all of that developmental work, there are so many pieces that didn’t make it into this book … but I might get to share them in the future!

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

At its core, For One Night Only is about two people learning to love and be loved in a world heavy with expectation, even after making huge mistakes. I hope this book makes readers swoon and smile and believe in second chances.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Know what your character wants! So much of what drives a good plot comes from character motivation, so this is such an essential piece of your story. If we know what a character wants from the first page—and what they have to lose if they do or don’t get it—we can root for them throughout the entire novel. I’m a massive musical theater fan, and I like to think of it as making sure my characters get their “I Want” songs. Sometimes I’ll even listen to a bunch of those songs when I’m struggling with character motivation!