Taking Humor Seriously:Applying Comedy to Your Novel

Have you ever asked yourself is this funny? Or a beta reader read your novel or screenplay and drew a frowny face on it with the note, “is this supposed to be funny?”

You are not alone. Tapping into your natural sense of humor takes work and creating individual comedic voices for your characters can be grueling.

I can help.

I will read your work and aid you in adjusting, adding, or enhancing funny bits to your novel or screenplay.

Please note, I do not provide a rewriting service.

Kerry Knows:

Joke structure
Comedy tools
Comedy rules & how to break them

Book a session with me by hitting the Consultation button below. Please note consults will be vetted via email.

Consultation

Kerry Lockhart
Writer

I’m a queer writer & screenwriter specializing in romantic comedy. I aim for my work to be naturally hilarious without trying and for my characters to be genuine. My passion is to share my knowledge with clients’ struggling to find the funny in their writing and help them sell more books. I’m based in Texas. Currently I’m working on a workshop geared toward incorporating humor into romances.

Silly and fun. A rom-com with heavy emphasis on the comedy. Julia Shaw is a successful novelist who has had writers block since becoming engaged to her agent. Bobbi Yoshida-Barnes is a race car driver. The two meet for a week of wedding festivities for their sibblings who are getting married to each other. Julia is trying to stop the wedding as she doesn’t think her sister is in love with the the groom. Bobbi on the other hand is being told by her father to make the wedding happen or face the consequences of him no longer sponsoring her race car. It puts these two women together often with cross purposes.(3.5 Stars) This is silly and fun. There is a bit more depth with complex family relationships and Julia having a fiancé. The story includes witty banter, flirting, lots of pop culture references and some hijinks. Julia’s assistant Sandy gets off some zinger comments. Most are funny but some are too over the top. I disliked Sandy's involvement with the photos near the end. It was a breach of trust to me but of course got laughed off. And evidently the next book is about Sandy as there is is a bonus preview chapter from Fast Holiday.

kwc

September 5, 2023

Fun rom-com romp! This is a fun, rom-com romp, whether you regularly read lesbian rom-com or straight. The characters are quirky and entertaining, the plot is madcap, and, of course, it has a feel-good ending. Escapist fun, which is just what I was looking for.

Philippa

September 4, 2023

It's a Scream! Fast Love combines the "Stop the Wedding" trope with the zing of "Instant Attraction” and is packed full of laughs and capers. It’s brimming with humor and offers just enough insight into serious family dynamics to make the characters and story both likeable and compelling without taking away from the pure delightful absurdity of the rest of it.Julia and Bobbi often hurl genuinely irritated but good-natured verbal jabs at each other, yet neither stoop to the level of hurtful punches—beneath the banter it’s clear each woman respects the other.Without sounding preachy, the author touches on the infuriating condescension and oppression caused by sexism, racism, and homophobia. Since I despise being preached to, I’ll reiterate for those who need to hear it again—the author didn’t overdo it. The mentions were appropriate for the story and the genre. Just a touch added to the realism and complexity of Bobbi and Julia’s world, and Lockhart lightened it by adding dry sarcasm. Very well done.The story has an emotionally satisfying ending, but Lockhart leaves a couple of threads open for potential spin-offs for secondary characters. (Even though Mack, Bobbi’s passionately loyal crew chief, isn’t what many would consider a classic rom-com hero, I'd love to read his story, so I hope he'll have one.)The romance: Opposites do indeed attract, and Julia and Bobbi couldn’t be more different. When Bobbi suggests that Julia, bodice-ripping romance writer, goes for a ride with Bobbi in her racecar sometime, Julia’s reaction is priceless.The chemistry: Woo! Julia and Bobbi have an instant, scorching attraction that culminates in a couple of very satisfying, uh… situations.The humor: Lockhart skillfully laces together different kinds of humor and the combination of them is sure to appeal to rom-com lovers. There is slapstick and dry sarcasm. There's character-based: Julia is a klutz, which results in some embarrassing but hysterical goofs. Situational: licorice and rhubarb, anyone? Visual: A particularly striking mental image of a wedding bouquet for sale in the Flower District will likely stay with me for a millennium. And from my favorite scene in the book—absurdist: Kitty and Betty, the drag queens, play memorable bit parts, and the story simply wouldn’t be the same without them.The writing: Lockhart's clever and witty wordplay is delightful to read: “…the flop sweat from her guilty conscience…”. Lol—can’t say I’ve ever read *that* line anywhere before.In conclusion: Fast Love is a scream, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I can totally see this as a hilariously zany movie someday too. Highly recommend.

Amzn Cstmr

August 29, 2023

Great Debut ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️💒📚🏎️🐕🚿Fast Love is about a romance author and a race car driver meeting at their respective siblings' wedding. Julia, the romance author, and sister to the bride-to-be, has writer's block and relationship issues with her own fiancee (and agent), Nicole. Bobbi, half-sister to the groom, is a race car driver, who's going through a breakup with her ex-girlfriend Taylor.The plot of the story is great. Basically, Julia sees her sister do something that makes her believe that the marriage should happen. She does everything she can to try and stop it. Meanwhile, Bobbi is tasked by her father to make sure the wedding goes through, or else his sponsorship will be pulled. (her father is awful by the way). It was funny the way things were done, and how Bobbi seemed to always be present to try and stop Julia's plans.It meant that they were constantly together, and the wit/flirting between the two were great. Julia had to make a big decision about her loveless relationship with Nicole, and Bobbi had to deal with the drama of her ex.The characters were great; the humor, the flirting, the wit, the characters themselves. The rep was great, two lesbians (Julia and Bobbi), a gay best friend (Sandy), two sapphic side characters (Taylor is either bi or pan, not sure about Nicole), and a trouple (FFM). Bobbi is a Japanese-American.This was a great debut from the author.Thank you to Netgalley and Kerry Lockhart for the cope of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

JessReadsWithPride

August 27, 2023

Fun Sapphic Rom-Com Debut! Queer romance author Julia wants to stop her sister’s wedding because she’s convinced it’s not a happy union. Stock car racer Bobbi needs the wedding to go off without a hitch or else she’ll lose her racing sponsorship. This opposites attract rom-com is full of laugh out loud funny moments. Great snarky tone. A fun end of summer read. Looking forward to more books from this debut author.Thank you to the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Reviewer

August 24, 2023

Love in the Fast Lane! Fun read with quirky and warm characters. Julia's impulsive decision to stop her sister's arranged marriage clashes with her flirty new companion's need to see her brother's union take place. They both know the other is absolutely positively not for them, but that doesn't stop the sparks flying between the two.Fun time, great characters and a dog who likes riding shotgun. I enjoyed the glimpse into the world of professional race car driving as well. Highly recommend!

Janet Burnett

Buckle up for this fast and fun debut novel! Fabulous debut novel! This entertaining rom-com is fun and funny with a madcap pace, an unconventional cast of characters, and a whirlwind scheme to break-up a lavish California wedding. The main characters are everything you could want with wacky romance novelist Julia's struggle with writer's block and determined race-car driver Bobbi's stress over her recent losing streak at the track. And of course, they've both had horrible luck with love and relationships.After meeting in an airport bar, their immediate attraction defies explanation and appears doomed as they discover their diametrically opposed weekend goals. Julia intends to break up her sister's ill-advised wedding to Bobbi's brother, but Bobbi has promised her father she'd make sure the wedding goes forward as planned. Their journey includes a bevy of shenanigans. Other family members, career issues, and a kidnapped dog interfere with the eventual HEA, but it's a wild ride getting there. Buckle up and enjoy!I received an advanced reader's copy of this book.

Ohio Reader

Quote of The Month

Fast Love News

Writing Tips & Tricks

Services

Taking Humor Seriously:Applying Comedy to Your Novel

Kerry Knows: