All The Way from Switzerland: Page Readers presents author Carolyn Moncel

What a treat!  Today author Carolyn Moncel joins us to talk about her book "Encounters in Paris."

Welcome Carolyn!  Please introduce yourself!
Currently, we are a family of expatriates! We moved overseas from Chicago, my hometown in 2002 and for exactly five years, I got to be “An American in Paris.” When my husband accepted a job offer in Paris, I packed up my two daughters (ages 5 and 2 weeks at the time), my business, a dog and a cat and joined him! I’ve been living in Lausanne, Switzerland since 2007 with my husband Philippe, two daughters Chloe and Jillian and a very, very old cat called Poeme.

When I am not writing fiction I’m a bit of “Jill of all trades.” I run two companies with offices in Chicago, Paris and Geneva: MotionTemps, LLC (www.motiontemps.com) a bilingual Digital Project and Web Content Management firm, and its subsidiary, Mondavé Communications (www.mondaveinc.com), a media relations training and now, publishing company.

Like the character in the book, Ellery, I had a pretty typical childhood growing up Catholic on Chicago’s southwest side. My dad was a factory worker and my mom a cashier in a department store. Unfortunately, my dad died when I was four years old, so most of my life, it was just my mom and my two other brothers.

I come from a family of story tellers – my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, etc. With my brother, Kirk’s help, I think I wrote my first story at age four or five. I could read some but I couldn’t write very well yet. It was a story about a snake named Sammy. My mother remembered it as being something pretty special; I just thought it would be cool to have a snake. I think I kept reading and writing out of boredom. In my neighborhood, there just weren’t very many girls around; and the boys didn’t want me around. Writing allowed me to create my own world and keep myself entertained.

I can’t remember when I started writing stories, but I do remember when and why I stopped. While in college I discovered what George Orwell meant by, “writing being “a horribly exhausting struggle.” So I put it aside briefly and concentrated more on journalism and public relations. Even then, my attraction to those disciplines had to be related to storytelling. I graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a BA in Communications; with a minor in political science in 1991. From there I bounced around from PR and Advertising agencies to dot.com companies, finally deciding to open my own company, MotionTemps. It wasn’t until we moved overseas that I started writing again seriously.

What is your story about?

Well, Encounters in Paris is a collection of short stories. There are five stories that all center around Ellery Roulet, a 35-year-old African-American who lives and works in Paris. Ellery thinks she has everything. She is married to handsome French guy, has twin daughters and runs a successful bilingual PR firm in one of Paris’ trendiest parts of town. Unfortunately, Ellery soon realizes that life isn’t always so perfect. In one story she loses her job, in another she finds out her husband is having an affair, and yet in another she deals with the death of her mother. She realizes that life can be quite messy; some problems can be solved while others can’t and that’s okay.

How did this story come to you?

The inspiration came from observing life in general while living and working in Paris. Expatriate life is hard, and I wanted to address some of the more common scenarios but through the eyes of this character, Ellery. Originally, I envisioned the project as a novel, but somehow, I just could never finish it. When a friend back in Chicago suggested that I break up the novel into shorter stories, the ideas really starting flowing.

What compelled you to write it?

I finally had something to say. It helped that I didn’t have any real expectations other than to just publish something.

Who is your favorite character?

The main character, Ellery without a doubt, is my favorite character. There is so much more to her personality waiting to be explored, and I am really looking forward to expanding her experiences in future projects. Once again, she is not me entirely, but definitely, there are aspects of my personality, along with others, reflected in her. But her actions are all her own.

Do you have a favorite story and why?

I love all of the stories but I think my favorite story to write was Some Birds of a Feather. I think I like it so much because it’s a tribute to my mother who passed away in 2006. She was a character in her own right and because of her life growing up on the Mississippi Delta, she could spin some yarns better than William Falkner or Flannery O’Connor. The pigeons are real. There are two of them that sit on my kitchen window sill right now. For me, losing both of my parents, it’s just comforting to imagine that these two pigeons are there to watch over me. It’s a feel- good story.

What was your favorite scene to write?

I have two favorite scenes. In the story, Pandora’s Box Revisited, I really enjoyed detailing the interaction between Ellery and her husband French husband, Julien. In the other, A Brief Indiscretion, I liked exploring Ellery’s relationship with a long-lost lover. In the passages involving Julien, it was really important for me not to portray him as a bad guy or jerk. Also, I wanted to prove that Ellery was just as flawed as any other character in the book or as any human being is in general. On the one hand, two wrongs never make a right but on the other hand, when you’ve been betrayed by a spouse, sometimes it really just sucks to always take the “high road.” I would imagine that you’d want some kind of revenge. We all make mistakes for any number of reasons, but the act may not make us bad people necessarily.

Is there a back story for A Haunting in Courbevoie?

Actually, there is a back story to A Haunting in Courbevoie. Of all of the stories written, A Haunting in Courbevoie and Some Birds of a Feather contain the most truthful information. While living in Paris in 2006, my mother did pass away suddenly, during the early morning hours. When one loses a parent, it’s very scary. It is especially so for expatriates because you live so far away and there is nothing you can do about it. You feel guilty for not being where you ought to be, so I could really relate to Ellery’s feelings. At the time, I did live in the town of Courbevoie, which is just two metro stops outside of Paris, near the business district, La Defense. There was an old Catholic Church in my neighborhood call Saint Pierre Saint Paul. On the morning that my mother died, I did visit the church and encounter a figure, much like the one described in the story. I cannot say for certain whether or not the woman was a ghost, but I can say that I had never seen her before that day, and I have never seen her since. So I let others draw their conclusions.

How long did it take you to write the story?

After nearly eight years of procrastination it only took me two months to write the book actually. I wrote on the weekends. Over the years, I had been writing snippets here and there – on napkins; on the inside cover of books, but nothing cohesive. Then one day, with a really big push from family and friends both overseas and back home, I realized that I needed to finish at least one story. But to do so, I had to admit that I wasn't really interested in writing a novel at all. I just wanted to tell some good stories. Once I made peace with that revelation, the pressure was off and I could concentrate on writing short stories with connecting characters and themes.

When was it released?
Encounters in Paris – A Collection of Short Stories was released on November 5, 2010.

Where can we find it? Online, book stories, your website?


Now, it is widely available on at many online bookstores in a variety of different formats. For example, the paperback version is available online directly at CarolynMoncel.com, as well as online book retailers, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and GoodReads.com and soon on Google Books and Borders.com. Customers can read excerpts. Encounters in Paris is also available in all digital formats as an e-book at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, GoodReads.com and Smashwords.com and soon iBook.com. On Amazon.com for instance, customers can even choose to download the entire eBook or purchase an individual story as flash fiction. In January 2011, some eBook sets will contain bonus stories and previews of the next book. Also in January 2011, a shorter, three-story audio book version of Encounters in Paris will be available on Amazon.com, Audible.com and also PodioBooks.com.

What was your publishing experience like?
The publishing experience so far has been awesome. It is has been an exciting experience and I learn something new every day. In my case, I didn’t bother sending out query letters to publishers or agents simply because through my research, I knew that most would not be interested in a collection of short stories. However, I also believe there is a huge disconnect between publishers and readers. There is a market for this type of work, especially in this increasingly mobile world in which we live, and that was enough for me to move forward anyway – despite the risks. I purposely decided to self publish because I wanted to have more control over my work. I had watched other friends and colleagues self publish with relative success. Each year it becomes easier and more affordable to self publish so I figured if I could create a high-quality work, it was worth a try.

Did your background in media help you with your decision to self publish?

Yes, I think my background in media and web consulting has been very helpful but it hasn’t made the journey that much easier. Breaking into the publishing world is tough. I am still learning so much about that world, and well, self publishing is its own animal. At first, I was a really overwhelmed by the entire project. Then one day, I decided to calm down and do one thing at a time. As I worked through the project, I realized that everything that I’ve needed done with this project, I have already done at some point in my career. I have prepared layouts for client manuscripts; I have edited books and other documents; I have written and assembled media kits; I have built and coded websites and last I have pitched stories to the media. I figured if I could do these things for my clients, then I could do it for myself. That has been a huge comfort as I continue to progress and learn. For other authors who find themselves in the same situation, they should learn to trust their instincts because they have way more skills than they ever imagined and that’s exciting. The only thing that I would have done differently is I would have planned the release. Out of sheet excitement, I violated my own rules of PR!  Once I started writing and finished the collection, I forgot to plan out some of the marketing, like acquiring reviews in advance. Now that I know what is expected, I will take what I’ve learned and do a better job with my second work.

Are you working on any new projects?

Yes, I am working on a new collection of short stories called Five Reasons to Leave a Lover. It will be out in fall 2011. One day recently, I was walking down the street and heard Paul Simon’s song, “50 Ways to Leave a Lover.” I thought, well that song is only half right. The ways in which to leave a lover are infinite, but the reasons are pretty finite. At the end of the day, it usually boils down to death, divorce, cheating, deception, and ambivalence. So I decided to write a fresh batch of stories surrounding these themes and Ellery and Julien Roulet from Encounters in Paris return in this series, providing further explanation into their story, but there are new characters as well.

Where we can we find you online?
Follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolyn.moncel;
Join the Encounters in Paris Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Encounters-in-Paris-A-Collection
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/motiontemps;
and on Twitter: http://twitter.com/carolynmoncel

What other publicity events are in your future?

I have some book signings planned in both Paris and Geneva, Switzerland in January 2011. The exact dates will be available soon so please check http://www.carolynmoncel.com/ for more details.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with Page Readers! Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to share my story with your readers. It was such a treat and continued success!

Keeping in Touch: Feed Burner or Feed Blitz?

Hello to all my wonderful authors, guests, fans and followers!

As with anything that happens on the web, change is inevitable.  Same goes for Page Readers.

I've been doing a lot of research into the best way to get the word out, keep you informed and of course, promote the authors who honor me with their appearance on Page Readers.

For some time now I've been using Feed Blitz to send out weekly blog updates to everyone who subscribes.  In some ways it has worked well, in others not so well.

During the course of my reading and research to keep up with the changes that seem to occur daily online, I've read that Feed Burner is a better way to go. 

The point of this post?  I would love to get some feed back from any of you who use Feed Blitz or Feed Burner to promote your sites.  What do you use? What do you like, and what don't you like, about either of them?

Do you like getting the once a week update, or would you prefer to get updates sent to your RSS Reader as they happen?

I welcome your emails and/or comments left here on the blog.  Comments could help others with their own RSS/Promotion issues.  If you have done your own research, please share!  I also welcome links to other information out there - books, articles other blogs!

Nikki Leigh talks about Book Promotion on Page Readers

This was one interview that could have gone on a lot longer.  Because Page Readers is all about promoting the work of our guests, having publicist Nikki Leigh bring her experience as a publicist to our listeners was definitely a treat.

Nikki Leigh of Book Promotion Services discussed the importance of using the internet to gain market share and awareness of your work.  She also stressed that it takes diligence to make it happen.  If you think that you can just create a website and a Fan Page on Facebook and think that people will come flocking to see what it's all about, your are so wrong.  Promoting your work takes work, every day, to keep your name climbing the search engine ladders.

Working with a publicist helps authors by saving them time and money. Why go and try to recreate the wheel when it's all been done before - and is being done very well by professionals like Nikki.  With her team  of talent combining their efforts to promote your work, why would you want to go it alone?

Hear what Nikki has to say about Book Promotion Services.

Publicity 101, By Publicists Sabrina Sumsion

Visit Sabrina Sumsion at her website

What are you doing to gain publicity for your book? If you are a smart author, you are engaged in many activities that will inform the general public that your book exists. Since publicity is a term many people have heard but don’t really understand, here is a short introduction.

Publicity is free coverage of your book or yourself in the media. Anything that will increase the public’s awareness is considered publicity. Advertising in a media outlet such as a newspaper ad or television commercial is a good way to gain public awareness as well but I always encourage authors to pursue free routes first.

You want publicity to gain the public awareness but as you gain awareness, you need to overcome the “who cares?” factor. The public in general has so much information coming at them all the time, many people develop filters to block out the extra noise. As you strive for publicity, keep in mind that you need to deliver information the general public wants.

To overcome the “who care?” factor, you must either educate, entertain or enlighten your audience. Education benefits your audience by giving them tools or information to improve their lives. Everyone wants a break from time to time so provide that for your audience by entertaining them. Enlighten your audience by giving them information of which they were not aware. Content that educates, entertains of enlightens will get attention and gain you public awareness.

The main outlets of publicity include physical print, broadcast, internet, face-to-face and word of mouth. Each form of publicity has its benefits and draw backs. As you pursue publicity, take into consideration what you are comfortable with and have the required skills to pursue.

Physical print includes newspapers, magazines, postcards and printed newsletters. Newspapers have editorial line-ups that vary from a lead time of one week up to one month. They typically keep a few spaces open for breaking news. Before contacting a print publication, have a high resolution headshot and cover shot available. I find the best way to gain coverage is to offer an article free of charge. Make sure the content is valuable and matches a topic the publication’s audience would be interested in.

Broadcast media includes radio and television. It is a signal sent out to everyone in the reception range. The audiences can range from a few thousands to millions of people. For these two media, you need to have a reasonable gift of gab. If you have speech impediments, radio coverage certainly should not be seriously pursued. Television has the ability to write subtitles but they still need a really compelling hook to consider you if you have a speech impediment.

Radio wants information that people can hear and understand. If you have a visual message like how to ice a cake fancily, it is difficult to explain on the radio. Choose information that is easy to convey through words alone. To help radio be interested in you, have a sample radio interview posted somewhere online that you can refer radio hosts to hear some of your message and how you deliver your message.

Television loves information that is visual. They prefer information that can be conveyed in pictures and graphs. They like a pleasant appearance as well. If you want television coverage, you want to have a tape of you doing an interview as well as a high resolution headshot ready.

Internet publicity has many varied facets. You can post articles, build a website, join a social networking site, post videos and link audio files. All of these options are good for everyone seeking publicity. For the very beginner, build a website first. It is a vital part of online publicity. You need somewhere to direct all of your fans and this should be the place. Once you have that, look into social networking sites like linkedin.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, squidoo.com and myspace.com. After that, consider a book trailer or a video of yourself posted to youtube.com. When you are working on the more advanced social media, remember to direct people back to your website. If you are not technologically talented, you can hire people to help you handle this side of publicity.

Face-to-face publicity includes book signings, book festivals and any other event that you attend. In fact, you can garner face-to-face publicity standing in line at the grocery store. Anytime you are interacting with people in person, you are gaining publicity. Join clubs, attend sports events and whatever you can think of that gets you out and talking to people. If you are shy or afraid of groups this might be difficult for you.

Word of mouth publicity is the much sought after grand prize in publicity. When you offer value to people above and beyond what others are doing, they will talk about you. I call word of mouth publicity developing personal ambassadors. You want to please people enough that they send other people to you. My mother is a Stephenie Meyers personal ambassador. Everyone she interacts with will end up hearing how they MUST read the Twilight series.

You have many options for publicity so decide what you are comfortable doing and start there. If you need help or guidance, le me know. I love helping authors!

Sabrina Sumsion is a seasoned literary publicist who has worked with a broad range of authors and genres. Her goal is to educate all authors about how to give their books the best chance possible by creating a marketing plan and gaining publicity. For more information and to contact Sabrina Sumsion, please visit her website at www.sabrinasumsion.com.

Has Your Blog Helped Your Book or Business?

By Guest Blogger Yvonne Perry of Writers In The Sky

As authors trying to promote books on a shoestring budget, many of us have come up with some pretty creative ways to get the most bang for our buck. From social networking to online contests, from Amazon book launch parties to search engine optimization of Web sites, a lot of time, energy, and expense is involved in gaining good exposure for a book or business.

While nothing guarantees that your book will sell, having a good Web site, regular blogging, and cross promotion can give you credibility and a good chance for a sale.

This is not only true for book promotion but also for promoting a business online. My books are only part of what I have to offer and want to advertize. Most of the marketing for Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services—my freelance writing business—is conducted online. About 80 percent of my customers find me through my online promotion efforts. In order for a blog to be effective, it needs to have a theme or focus and it needs to have fresh relevant content added on a regular basis.

Web site

I have a Web site and a three blogs for my business. My Web site features the writing, editing, and marketing services we offer to clients. While only twelve navigation tabs are seen on the home page, there are about fifty back pages—each focusing on one topic. In my book, I demonstrate what a Web site needs to compete in the digital age (available at http://onlinepromotionmadeeasy.blogspot.com/ ).

Blogging

Focusing on one theme/topic, my blogs have a distinct purpose that is easily discoverable when someone visits the site.

I started my first business blog as a place for people to listen to Writers in the Sky (WITS) Podcast—my weekly show about the craft and business of writing. The hosts of the podcast interview authors who want to promote their book and share their experience with writing, publishing, and marketing their book. We have also interviewed publishers, publicists, book reviewers, editors, book designers, and other experts in the field. All WITS Podcast shows are archived on that blog.

My second business blog is where I post segments of Writers in the Sky Newsletter—a free electronic publication that contains book reviews, articles, networking opportunities, announcements from our e-zine subscribers, a list of the month’s podcast guests, resources for writers and authors. The full issue comes out the first Tuesday of the month, but when I learned that many of our subscribers preferred to get the information in smaller bites, I started http://writersinthesky.blogspot.com where people can subscribe to the RSS feed in a reader or via email.

I maintain a blog for each of my books and use the blogs to feature more information on the topic of the book and gain feedback from readers. The third business blog came about in 2008 as a result of my publishing an e-book titled Book Marketing in the Digital Age, Online Promotion Made Easy. With the most hits and subscribers, this is by far our most popular blog.

Cross Promotion

All my online marketing efforts interface with one another.

I mention my blogs and books in WITS Newsletter each month. I use the newsletter material as posts for my blog. This type of cross promotion and interaction draws people to one site and once they see how much valuable material is being offered, they want to visit my other blogs. I use social networking to lead folks to my blogs or to read my articles on an online directory.

Every page of my Web site is linked to another page on the site or to one of my blogs where more information can be found. For example on the home page, I have links to read bios of our team members and view writing samples. My “About Yvonne” page mentions that I am a public speaker and links to my speaking engagements page. Yet, none of these pages are found on the navigation menu tabs.

Online marketing is truly like a web with many crossovers in promotion.

Marketing Tips

Here are a few simple things to remember about online marketing.

• If you want to sell a product or service by using a blog or Web site, be sure to offer quality content rather than using hype to sell something. If the visitor wants what you are selling, they will purchase it without your having to get in their face.

• Make your product or service visible and easy for a customer to make a purchase.

• Develop a networking relationship with your target market, and be willing to help them as they help you. That is what being online is all about.

I wish you much success with your book promotion and business marketing.

Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (WITS). She and her team of professionals are ready to assist with writing and editing for books, Web text, bios, articles, and media releases. For more information about writing, networking, publishing, and book promotion, sign up for free email delivery of WITS newsletter by visiting http://writersinthesky.com/ . New subscribers receive a free e-book Tips for Freelance Writing.