"What year is it?"
I made no explicit references to the exact year Julian takes place, reason being I was afraid readers would be picky about things I got wrong.
Not anymore.
It's 1969.
Hard and Soft Drinks
In early drafts, Calvin's nickname was "Ovaltine", a chocolate malt beverage (similar to Nesquik) popular in the 1950's and 60's in the United States. Upon rewrite, the name didn't strike me as affectionate.
I was unaware of the adult implications behind the word "Tang" until after I published the first few chapters, but needless to say I was using it in the powdered-beverage context.
The nickname serves as a reminder that, despite his conservative thoughts and behaviors, Calvin is still, in many ways, just a child.
Genevieve's fascination with wine is a reference to her maturity ("age like fine wine"), and her desire for extravagance.
However, all references to wine are those to white wines. This is not only a reference to "Leblanc", but it's important to note that unlike red wines, most white wines do not benefit from long-term aging, and the phrase "age like fine wine" no longer applies.
While some readers might take that to mean that Genevieve is "rotten", I invite readers to consider the following:
Sauvignon Blanc, referenced in I. January and II. February, is said to have poor aging potential due to its high acidity.
Early in III. March, Genevieve switches to Chardonnay, a white wine that ages better than Sauvignon Blanc, but not for very long.
Finally, by the last chapter in III. March, Genevieve is drinking Riesling, arguably the best white wine to age.
This progression marks Genevieve's transition to be more in touch with her maturity, just as Calvin reconnects with his youth.
Most importantly, this symbolizes that like white wine, Genevieve refuses to "age in a dark cellar."
Months as Stages
Julian is broken down into five sections, each one named after the months of the year in a typical high school spring semester (in the United States).
This can be interpreted two ways. The first is into stages in Calvin's feelings for Genevieve, beginning with I. January(Like), followed by II. February(Lust), III. March(Love), IV. April(Heartbreak), and V. May(Renewal).
The second is in Calvin's personal growth. He starts off "cold like winter" (January-February), but slowly transitions to spring(beginning in March, in the Northern Hemisphere) as he falls in love. By the time May rolls around, he has embraced his youth and truly become the "May" in a "May-December" romance.
III. March, Ch. 29 - "The Blindfolded Jazz"
The song used for "The Blindfolded Jazz" is a real song (my favorite jazz piece of all time): Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Composed in 1959, Take Five is considered a one-hit wonder, and arguably the most popular song by the quartet. It was also the opening theme to NBC's Today in the 1960's, as Calvin vaguely referenced.
Dave Brubeck and Take Five composer Paul Desmond shared a similar friendship to that of Calvin and Genevieve. While Brubeck was a family man known for his reserved nature, Desmond was remembered as witty, commitment-phobic, and fond of drinking.
Brubeck and Desmond's friendship lasted all the way into Desmond's death in 1977.
San Kolbe, California
Earlier drafts focused more on the political corruption within the school district and the city at large. Plot threads dove into the consequences of Marlo's whistleblowing, as well as discrimination against women in business.
Given Julian's themes of guilt and penance, as well as California cities being named after saints (San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, etc.), I named the city after Maximilian Kolbe, the patron saint of journalists and political prisoners.
Many elements of San Kolbe, such as the perfect weather, proximity to the beach, and the tech boom, come from my city of residence, a coastal city in Southern California.
***
Final thoughts:
I still remember the exact moment I was inspired to write Julian.
I was at Chipotle during my lunch break, with a mouth full of Sofritas when the idea came to me. I wiped my hand on a paper napkin and typed Julian's first words (the "Kaleidoscope" line from II. February, Ch. 28) on my iPhone Notes.
It was painful birthing this spawn, and once it was out, it demanded all of my time, energy, and attention.
I was expected to brush away its plot hole knots, cook and clean for its characters, and stay up all night with its themes if they got a fever.
Soon, I realize that the only way to bring my beloved characters to life was if other people knew about them. They wouldn't make a sound unless someone was in the forest to hear them.
I waiting in the operation room that was Wattpad, my characters at the mercy of other people's reads, votes, and comments.
I've come a long way since I started, but I want to thank everyone who had a part it in.
I'd mention names, but most people would gloss over them without giving these people the love and respect they deserve.
I will take it upon myself to make sure these people are properly celebrated.
But if you read Julian all the way to the end, you're one of them.
Thanks for the love and support. I am not the same person I was before I met you.
-L.D.
P.S. Spanish novelist Javier Marias once wrote, "Unlike movie directors or painters or musicians, who can actually see an audience's reaction to their works and even hear their applause, the novelist never sees readers reading his book and is never there to witness their approval, excitement or pleasure."
This is why votes and especially comments are so valuable to us writers.
Now, I understand that Julian isn't super sexy Wattpad material. It's more "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" than "Nick Bateman".
But if you think Julian has the stuff to compete against the arrogant playboy/bad boy/CEO/billionaire novels with washboard abs or expensive suits on the covers, then all I ask is that you consider voting and commenting on the chapters.
Yes, I waited until now to ask, but the truth is I really dislike asking for votes/comments/shares, so I'd rather ask once at the end of the whole thing than annoyingly at the end of every single chapter.
I'm not selling copies of Julian on Amazon or anything. I don't have fancy corporate sponsors. I don't make money when you vote.
But every time you make that white star orange, put your thoughts (good and/or bad) in a comment, or add Julian to a Reading List, you're letting Wattpad know that Julian is at least worth checking out.
Bringing male protagonists to New Adult fiction has been a challenging endeavor, for me and other Wattpad authors. Any support helps.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to write for you.
Happy reading/writing.
***
Lastly, if you enjoyed Julian, check out my other works, including:
Fighting Animals, a "neo-noir"-style, multimedia thriller set in post-9/11 Hollywood and, as of May 2018, my most recent project.
I'll Never Write Fiction Again, a collection of humorous and surreal short stories about my year-and-a-half-long journey writing Julian.
Stranger Arms, an action-thriller short story.