A True NaNoWriMo Story

November 14, 2014 by

Just a few thoughts about November and my various NaNoWriMo experiences.

evelyneholingue's avatarThe Write Stuff

photo-327

When I lived in France, November was a special month for me.

November was the literary season with awards and prizes.

November was the arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau, a young wine that you don’t keep in your cellar but drink in the weeks that follow.

November was also my birthday month.

When I moved to the United States I adapted and adopted new celebrations and traditions.

I was happy that Thanksgiving happened to be in November.

Many stores now carry also the French Beaujolais Nouveau.

And I could participate to the infamous NaNoWriMo.

I have mixed feelings about this crazy race.

  • Seriously, 50 000 words sound a lot.
  • Honestly, who writes every day?
  • Really, the idea of a new draft is tempting.
  • Definitely, pressure isn’t a bad thing for writers.

So, am I doing NaNoWriMo 2014?

I am and I am not.

I started a new YA story.

I…

View original post 152 more words

Filed Under: Uncategorized

What Can Happen When We Feel Strange, Stupid, Different

November 10, 2014 by

While I am working on promoting my Middle Grade novel Chronicles From Château Moines, I re-read Wonder, which is in my opinion one of the best Middle Grade novels of the last two years.

photo-332

Wonder by R.J Palacio is the kind of book that has the power to turn any reader into a better person. I guarantee you.

The main character August Pullman, nicknamed Auggie, was born with a very rare genetic defect that affects his face. Although his parents have regular faces, they both carry a mutant gene that gave Auggie a bad number in the genetic lottery. Even after countless surgeries, ten-year-old Auggie has a face that turns heads and makes people gasp.

Few of us experience with such dramatic life challenges. However most of us have been, at least once, in a situation where we’ve felt out of place. The feeling is unsettling, and we’re relieved to return to our familiar.

In Chronicles From Château Moines Scott is the new kid in town. He’s American, wears different clothes, and speaks French with an accent, putting him under an involuntary spotlight.

photo-331

Sylvie, the French local girl, reacts to his arrival in the seventh grade class:

“Despite his smile, he looks confused, and I wonder how it feels to be the new kid in a school and to be a foreigner.”

This is how Scott, the freshly arrived American boy, feels:

“My brain feels like a big bag stuffed with names, words, and sentences, all in French. Thanks to Mom, I knew enough French to fool the kids, yet they watched me as if I were an alien that Neil Armstrong brought back from the moon. My clothes and roller skates gave me away before I opened my mouth.”

I always feel bad for anyone who is in a place where he or she feels strange, stupid, and just different.

Throughout Wonder, we follow Auggie as he goes through a quiet yet extraordinary transformation. By the end of the school year, the kids from his fifth grade class and his family will also have changed.

It is not unusual for the new kid, disliked or just misunderstood, to bring change.

In Chronicles From Château Moines this is Scott who decides to organize a peace walk to oppose the Vietnam War, ultimately changing the dynamics at school and in the small town of Château Moines.

Obstacles or challenges, even less dramatic than Auggie’s, can make us terribly anxious but can also trigger bold moves, leading to real change.

HPIM4807

 

Now your turn.

What’s your favorite Middle Grade novel based on the topic of change?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt different from the people around you?

Do you think that challenging situations can bring good things?

 

P.S. Just a friendly reminder that my novel is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and can also be ordered from your favorite independent bookstore.

Filed Under: Latest Post, Writing for Children, Writing in a foreign language Tagged With: , ,

Favorite Children Books: Part 4

November 7, 2014 by

Elizabeth, who blogs at Breaking the Circle has opened her home to a series of interviews about favorite children’s books. She kindly invited me over and I gladly accepted.

If you have a little bit of time, stop by Elizabeth’s blog to read what others have to say about their favorite children’s books.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for having me over. It was a real pleasure.

Elizabeth's avatarBreaking the Cycle 716

The next installment of Favorite Children’s Books is hosted by Evelyne Holingue, a published author who grew up in France and raised her children in America.  Like Aunty Uta, Evelyne’s multicultural experience lends an interesting perspective to this topic.

Tell us about yourself, Evelyne!

I had never been to the USA when the young man I met in Paris told me that he would love to live there one day. Unlike me he had been there many times, visiting both coasts extensively. Honestly, I didn’t really think about his American dreams until one night, shortly after we got married, he told me that we should go. I remember excitement and anxiety stirring inside me, working at the making of a totally foreign stew.

Retrospectively, I’m glad I agreed. Saying no to the dreams of the man I love would have been hard.  Now that we have been living in the…

View original post 1,110 more words

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Post Publication Feelings

October 28, 2014 by

photo-313

Two feelings battled inside me as soon as Chronicles From Château Moines was released.

Relief: Regardless of the outcome, I did it.

Anxiety: Now that the story is no longer mine only, what will others say about it?

But when the first reviews appeared on Amazon, that Marcia invited me on her blog, that many friends congratulated me through e-mail and texts, and that Claire and Trinity posted reviews on their blogs, two new feelings replaced them.

Gratitude: Thank you, thank you, thank you, readers and bloggers, for your support and generosity.

Hope: Maybe more and more people will read my novel and like it enough to get it or recommend it to a child they know.

 

How do you feel when something you’ve created is out in the world?

photo-327

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Latest Post, Writing for Children, Writing in a foreign language, Writing life Tagged With: , ,

Just Groovy!

October 16, 2014 by

photo-317

In my new middle grade novel Chronicles From Château Moines Scott has moved from Santa Monica, California, to Château Moines, Normandy.

He has lost his mom, doesn’t speak fluent French, and doesn’t know anyone in town. His guitar, a gift from his beloved mom, is gathering dust in his new room, above an empty store.

When he plays the record Feelin’ Groovy, he admits not feeling groovy at all.

Unlike Scott, I feel groovy today.

Marcia has posted an interview about little me on her blog Bookin’ It.

Eight-year old Stacey, Scott’s sister, would say that it is far out.

Thank you so much, Marcia, for having me over.

If you stop by my blog, pay a visit to Marcia’s.

Among many other great things, her first novel Wake-Robin Ridge made the Amazon Top 100 Best Sellers list in Fiction/Ghosts category. Bravo, Marcia!

This afternoon, I also visited the middle school kids I met last week. This time we played a word game that I had prepared for them and we wrote around some prompts that I linked to my new novel’s topics.

And they taught me to play Apples to Apples, a fun word game I didn’t know.

Again, you always learn something when you spend time with new people.

Just Groovy!

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Latest Post, Uncategorized, Writing for Children, Writing in a foreign language, Writing life Tagged With: ,

“Be Awesome, Be a Book Nut.”

October 11, 2014 by

Libraries have been my home away from home since a very long time.

biblio.flersIn one aisle of this castle used to be the library where I spent so much time in middle and high school. In my new novel Chronicles From Château Moines a library and its librarian play a significant role.

 

Yesterday afternoon, I spent a few hours with a delightful group of middle school students in a beautiful library. The kids were curious, funny, lively, and kind toward each other. A dream.

The librarian had set a table in the sunny yard. She had bought cookies and filled water pitchers. It was a perfect fall day.

photo1

The kids’ laughter and after school conversations reached me inside while I was checking my power point presentation. Excitement and a little bit of apprehension churned inside me. It’s not bad, I’ve found out, to be a little nervous before speaking in public. This unsettling combo forces me to concentrate.

If you ever met me in person you would quickly understand that I need an additional introduction to any presentation I do. I wear my French accent like a tattoo. I mean permanent, of course.

So, before questions flood the room, I always use a few slides about France, my native Normandy, and Paris where I lived before moving to the US.

Picture 4

Kids, unlike many adults, have no issue with accents. As long as I agree to translate for them a variety of words and expressions – the sillier, the better – we are in business. Yesterday was no different.

After complying with their request and even agreeing to say anything in French, I went back to my slide show. Hands popped up as I spoke about writing in another language and about my published stories and novels.

photo-318

I had prepared five copies of my first novel Trapped in Paris and highlighted short passages to illustrate my presentation. Having children or teens read excerpts of your book is a good idea as long as the group isn’t too large and you get some volunteers. Yesterday I was lucky, everyone wanted to read.

  • Listening to students read your story aloud is a great experience.
  • They are active and you don’t feel like being a talking head.
  • You can finally let go of the anxiety to fully enjoy the excitement part.

When I visit a library I always end on a slide with a quote from Dr. Seuss:

“Be Awesome, Be a Book Nut.”

Before I know it, I’m finished and always a little sad that it is over. Fortunately, there are questions and comments. And the nicest part is compliments. Kids are like that. They thank you for the chance you gave them to meet you. Really, I thank them for the opportunity.

What I like most when I have guests for dinner is when they linger and that conversations go on and on…

The same is true when I get to meet young readers.

This is when I’m finished that the real fun part starts. I can talk with them, ask them what kind of stories they like, who their favorite authors are, how they pick a book in a bookstore or a library.

You want to know too, right?

This bunch of mostly sixth and seventh grade girls favored fantasy, mystery, action, and graphic novels. They like real life stories too.

Some of their favorite authors are Rick Riordan, Veronica Roth, James Dasher, Gayle Forman.

Pretty impressive list, I know. They also told me that they pick a book based on its title, cover, and back cover, regardless of the author’s popularity. If these elements trigger their interest they will read the first pages and get the book or … not.  The fact that they aren’t only into big names is encouraging. The fact that their choice is made so quickly is not that different from the way adults pick one book versus another one.

They all wanted my book. Sweet. The library copy of Trapped in Paris had been checked out and I hadn’t brought enough copies with me.

“Can you come back next week?” a girl asked.

How do you say no to a pair of big brown eyes? The librarian smiled and nodded. Yes!!!

By 4:30 p.m. some kids were picked up. Some decided to go get a book upstairs. I stayed behind with a group of four girls and we continued our conversation.  About books, of course.

That’s what they said:

  • They don’t care if the main character of the book is a girl or a boy. They don’t care either if the author is a woman or a man.
  • They said that the boys they know read less than they do and favor boy characters. I couldn’t ask, the boys had left for sport practice, but it is a fact that the majority of kids who were at the library were girls.
  • They haven’t read each Harry Potter book (all were born after 2002) but devoured each and every book from the Percy Jackson and Olympians series.
  • They love characters who appear to be regular people – like me, said a girl – but who have special powers.
  • As for books made into movies, most see the movie before reading the book.

On my way out, under very nice thank yous and mercis, goodbyes and au revoirs, one of the youngest called me.

“There’s that book I just read,” she said. “I loved it and I think you’ll love it too. It’s called Drita My Homegirl. Maybe you can check it out?”

I went to the kids’ floor and got the book. It’s author Jenny Lombard’s first novel.

Like these kids, I always read the back cover of a book before buying it or checking it out.

“…a story that presents in alternating first-person chapters the evolution of an unlikely and difficult friendship – that of a African-American girl from the neighborhood and the unwelcome new kid in class: a girl from Kosovo who speaks no English.”

I smiled to myself. The sixth grader had noticed that Chronicles From Château Moines is also told from Scott and Sylvie’s perspectives. She had also compared the two plots. Scott moves from the US to France and has to adjust to a foreign country, while Sylvie has to accept that this new boy is changing life the way she knew it. The sixth grader had also understood my own challenges when I moved from France to the US.

She’s right, I thought. It’s definitely a book for me.

I always knew that I learn more during a library visit than anywhere else.

 

 

P.S. Chronicles From Château Moines will be released very soon. Stay with me!

photo-317

Filed Under: Latest Post, Uncategorized, Writing for Children, Writing in a foreign language, Writing life Tagged With: , , ,

Look! My New Book Got a Cover!

October 5, 2014 by

When my first story was published in a children’s magazine, I knew that an illustrator would put a face on my set of characters. I was curious, of course, but hadn’t realized the importance of the illustrator’s personal interpretation of the writer’s story.

I was amazed to see how someone I had never met had been able to see so many details just by reading my story. The illustrations did more than compliment the story: They were necessary to trigger a young reader’s interest and add depth to my words. I loved the combo of writing and visual art.

The work of a book cover designer is different from a magazine illustrator. There are many elements to a novel. It’s impossible to depict all of them on a cover. Based on the detailed synopsis and the author’s questionnaire that I provided to Jennifer, she came up with several design options for my middle grade novel Chronicles From Château Moines.

Making the first selection was difficult for me since I liked several options from the twenty Jennifer sent me. I had to go through them many times before selecting the ones that gave, in my opinion, the best representation of the story. In fact, I had to say no to a few that I liked very much. Maybe for another book…

September was a busy family month for me, and not the easiest way to work, but thanks to our fabulous technology tools, I was able to follow Jennifer through her creative process and progress while helping my son moved into college, visiting my daughters, and seeing friends all over California. Jennifer and I were working and living on Eastern and Pacific Times but we did it!

Look!

Chateau_FC_FNL_Lo

 

What do you say?

The publication is approaching…

Stay tuned for more news coming up soon!

 

Filed Under: Latest Post, Writing for Children, Writing in a foreign language, Writing life Tagged With: , ,

L’Espoir de l’Automne

September 28, 2014 by

Le petit frère. The little brother. Le bébé. The baby.

Mon fils sera toujours cela pour ses sœurs et ses parents.

Alors qu’il vient de vivre sa première semaine à l’université je sais qu’il n’est pas seulement le petit dernier derrière trois grandes sœurs.

Il est le dernier à quitter la maison familiale pour vivre sa vie d’adulte. Son départ est une porte qui se ferme sur les chapitres paisibles de l’enfance et ceux plus turbulents de l’adolescence.

Le départ de mon fils pour l’université en ce début d’automne marque aussi l’automne de ma vie.

Cette saison, ma préférée de toutes, rassemble cette année les essences d’un parfum évoquant la pluie, avec la mélancolie mais aussi l’espoir qui l’accompagnent.

Comme les écureuils qui se préparent pendant l’automne, cachant avec soin les glands qui leur seront si précieux pendant l’hiver, je fais le plein des moments de bonheur de ce dernier été alors que j’étais encore une maman à plein temps.

Au milieu des souvenirs familiaux de déjeuners en plein air, de ballades sur la plage, de livres lus et relus, de promenades en canoë, de diners aux chandelles, me reviennent aussi des instants fugitifs, vécus avec des gens de passage.

 

L’homme conduit un énorme pick-up et traine une tout aussi grande remorque. A la station service il bloque l’accès aux pompes. Sans un mot, mais avec précision, il guide mon mari qui parvient à glisser notre véhicule vers la pompe du milieu. Un hochement de tête conclut le deal. Quand nous partons il n’a pas encore fini de faire le plein et lève la main en signe d’adieu.

Nous sommes à Natchitoches. Etablie par Louis Juchereau en 1714, c’est la ville la ville la plus ancienne de Louisiane.

 

« Pour votre frigo, » me dit le chef du restaurant chinois en me glissant une carte de visite magnétique. «  Et revenez vite, » ajoute-t-il avec un sourire immense.

Nous sommes à Tyler, dans une petite ville à l’est du Texas.

 

«C’est mon sapin d’automne, » me dit le propriétaire du petit restaurant mexicain.

Dans l’entrée se tient en effet un sapin artificiel décoré de guirlandes orange, de boules en forme de citrouilles et de petits épouvantails.

« Je change les décorations pour chaque saison et les grandes fêtes, » ajoute-t-il avec un sourire. « Et les petites entre deux. »

« C’est sympa, » lui dis-je.

« Je le fais pour les gens, » dit-il. «  Tout le monde aime ça. »

Nous sommes à Santa Rosa, au Nouveau Mexique.

 

Tous ces moments ordinaires qui ne font que passer sont pourtant restés dans ma mémoire. Au milieu du tumulte généré par les news, de tout ce que l’on dit et écrit de négatif sur le comportement des autres, je trouve ces rencontres à peine ébauchées porteuses d’espoir.

 

Pendant les trois mois d’été j’ai aussi pris beaucoup de photos. Je remarque en les triant de nombreuses petites allées qui symbolisent pour moi les possibilités pleines d’espoir qui s’ouvrent en ce début automne.

photo-309

Au bout de ma petite allée personnelle, il y a l’arrivée prochaine de Chronicles From Château Moines, mon roman pour enfants.

photo-311

J’espère que vous m’accompagnerez sur le chemin de sa sortie.

photo-310

En attendant, où que vous soyez, je vous souhaite un très bel automne.

 

photo-312

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Chez Moi aux USA, Latest Post, Uncategorized, Writing for Children, Writing in a foreign language, Writing life Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Talk with Australian Author Stella Tarakson

September 23, 2014 by

In Paris, where I lived before I moved to the United States, several cafés are famous for the renowned writers who spent hours there writing but also exchanging ideas with other writers and artists. This one for example.

cafedeflore#2

 

Our blogs have in a way become the new cafés where we meet, comment, and also support each other along our artistic and creative journeys.

Today in my small café, I am very happy to welcome and introduce you to Stella Tarakson who lives and writes in Sydney, Australia.

Hi, Stella, and thank you for sharing a little bit of you and your writing journey through the following questions.

Stella

Your junior fiction book Mike the Spike has just been released. But if it is your first fiction book for children it is not your first book at all. Can you tell us about your early writing days?

My first books were law-for-the-layperson type books. I’ve got a law degree and that was a natural first step! I then started writing books for the educational market on all sorts of topics. Obesity, terrorism, euthanasia. All challenging to research and write, but highly rewarding. I’ve had 35 non-fiction books published, but when it comes to fiction I’m still a beginner.

What triggered your desire to write fiction?

I guess it’s the usual reason. I’m fulfilling a childhood dream! Like most writers, I’ve always loved reading. I was a complete bookworm when I was a child (I still am) and this is my chance to give something back.

Now who is this Mike the Spike?

He’s a cool little boy who is very vain about his hair. To his horror, he discovers he has head lice. He can’t bear the thought of anyone finding out, and tries to get rid of them himself. His attempts are imaginative, to say the least!

What about the title? Did you find it as soon as you got the idea of the story? Or did you have the idea of the character before the idea of the plot?

The title came last, after I’d written the whole story. I chose it to be in keeping with the other books in the ‘Little Rockets’ series. The idea for the story came first, then I needed a character to carry the story. I needed someone who’d be utterly horrified and embarrassed by the discovery of a louse. Not a girl – they’re too used to it!

Some writers stick to an outline while others write by the seat of their pants. What kind of writer are you?

Gosh, definitely an outliner! I find the idea of being a ‘seatser’ quite frightening. I’m sure I’d waste lots of time if I didn’t know where I was going. I create an outline first, but it does tend to change once I start writing.

Do you think that being already published was an asset when you sought publication for Mike the Spike?

It didn’t help me get a fiction publisher; the markets are quite separate. I’d tried several times before and it hadn’t helped at all! Once I sent a story to a publisher who ignored it entirely and asked me to write some business case studies! Still, I enjoyed the work and went on to write several. Being already published helped in other ways, though. I understood the publishing process and felt confident negotiating the contract.

With so many books published do you have an agent?

No, but I’d love one! We have very few agents in Australia – about a dozen. Of those, many have reached capacity and aren’t taking new authors. Of those that are, most don’t take kids’ writers. On the plus side, we still have several publishers who are willing to take unsolicited manuscripts. Mike the Spike was picked up off the slush pile. I think, though, if I’m going to continue with fiction, I’m really going to need an agent.

A traditional publishing house is publishing Mike the Spike. What part of marketing and promotion is left to you?

Quite a lot of it! Publishers – especially small ones like mine – expect authors to be very active in promoting their work. So thank you for helping!

You are regularly welcoming a mix of traditionally and independently published authors on your blog. Here, in the USA, the stigma that was once attached to the self-published writer is fading, mostly due to the better quality of tools that writers can use to publish their own work but also to a few exceptional success stories. How is it in Australia?

I think the issue here isn’t so much about stigma – but about whether it’s financially worthwhile. Self-publishing seems to be far more expensive here and we’ve got a tiny market. Many people who self-publish spend thousands of dollars and only make a fraction back. The situation is better with e-books, but it’s hard to make much money – if any – by self-publishing hard copy, especially fiction.

Now that Mike the Spike is in the hands of young readers, what are your next writing projects?

I’ve written another junior fiction novel that will hopefully become the springboard for a series. It deals with Greek mythology – and rightly so, as I’m Greek! Well … Greek-Australian. That’s still under consideration. In the meantime, I’ve been commissioned to write a non-fiction series about dangerous Aussie animals. No shortage of material there!

Evelyne, I’d like to thank you for having me on your blog. It’s writers like you that make the blogsphere such a warm and welcoming place!

 

The pleasure is all mine, Stella.

I encourage any writer and reader to visit Stella’s website: a mine of concrete information for writers and readers alike.

Of course, I also encourage you to get a copy of Mike the Spike available through the publisher and various online stores.

mike the spike

Now I only wish I could offer everyone a cup of coffee or tea so we can keep talking about writing and maybe even reading Mike the Spike together.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Latest Post, Writing for Children, Writing life Tagged With: , ,

People Behind the Story of a Book

August 27, 2014 by

Still in Maine.

photo-290

Still canoeing.

photo-292

Still reading and writing.

image(7)

 

A few years ago I entered one of my manuscripts in the annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award – ABNA for short.

I figured that it would be a good way to get a reality check. Even brutal, the competition would position my work in comparison to other manuscripts.

Initially I had written the story for middle graders, but ABNA doesn’t have a children’s fiction category.

No problem, I thought, I will boost my characters’ age to fit the YA fiction category.

I didn’t win the jackpot but made it far enough through the competition to receive valuable feedback from the team of reviewers.

Not surprisingly the recurrent negative comment was related to the age of my characters.

 

Advice #1

Never, ever, think that writing fifteen instead of twelve will instantly morph your pre teens into teens.

 

Advice #2

They say to never take it personally but everything is personal, isn’t it?

So when I read this: “I wish you well and hope to complete this by buying this novel one day,” I thought that: One day I should give this story another chance.

Don’t turn a completed manuscript into an eternal Sleeping Beauty.

 

Over the last year, among other projects, I revised and edited this manuscript. For various reasons, I also changed the title and the name of my female protagonist (Sylvie instead of Françoise).

Today, I’m happy to give you a snippet of Chronicles From Château Moines, my novel for middle graders.

When the mother of twelve-year-old Scott dies, his father gets the crazy idea to move his family from California to Normandy. Now Scott must come to terms with his mother’s recent death while adjusting to life in France. He has no clue that his arrival is also a challenge to the locals, particularly to Sylvie. She doesn’t like this boy who turns her life upside down and threatens peace at school and through small town Château Moines.

Yet Scott’s intriguing and cute, and when the two of them share their love for music they slowly become friends. Their paths ultimately merge when Sylvie’s sister Elle momentarily disappears at the peace walk that Sylvie and Scott organize to protest the Vietnam War.

Set in 1970 and told from the perspectives of Scott and Sylvie, Chronicles From Château Moines is a middle-grade story about loss and friendship, about music and peace, and also about parents’ secrets.

 

I don’t want to brag, but in case you decide to read my book or suggest it to a child when it’s out,  here are some additional comments I received from ABNA Reviewers:

“I really enjoyed the relationships between Scott and his sister and Françoise and her sister. Most siblings don’t seem to have much of a role in books so I was glad to see some nice close families here.  
I was also anticipating what was to come with Scott and Françoise or Scott and Annie.”

“I really enjoyed what I read. I couldn’t wait to see what relationships were going to transpire. There were some really nice family relationships here as well. I would really enjoy reading the rest of this book. It seemed very well written.”

“This entry has some lovely prose that divides into two languages. I found this entertaining as I was learning French slowly while enjoying a tale. 
I believed the relationship between siblings as well the parental/child connection rang true. It seems the loss of a parent is germane to children’s writing; I am sure it sets the emotional tone for the story.
Good sentence structure. Dialogue was flowing, not stilted. 
The plot is charming and piques interest. I’d like to see what happens with both families.”
“This is a gentle story of culture shock, coming to terms with loss, and feeling the outcast. Françoise feels it as acutely as Scott though she has lived in France all her life. There are many forms of alienation in a teenager’s life and that is studied here. 
Warm story, worth reading.” 

photo-245

Words of encouragement, like the gentle nudge of a friend on a steep hiking trail, go a long way. Thanks to the reviewer who wrote that he hoped to buy my book one day, I was able to give my story a second chance.

The copy-editor I hired provided much more than line editing. Isabel Stein was my partner for my first novel Trapped in Paris. She has worked for many years with renowned publishers; she knows what she’s doing.

Writers who share their publishing adventure through their successes and challenges, and share their referrals are generous. Katie Cross not only published the excellent Miss Mabel’s School For Girls, the first book in the Network Series, she also created a special tab on her blog, just in case people like me searched for editors, copy editors, book designers, cover book designers, etc.  Thanks to Katie, I selected Jennifer to design the book cover of Chronicles From Château Moines. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with!

Anyone who believes in your writing deserves special recognition.

My husband was at the front line and backstage for Trapped in Paris. He did it again for my new book. It’s great that he favors technology to fiction writing. We don’t fight about who is more creative or less technical. I owe my husband countless hours of work and a few occasional funny French bad words that I had forgotten. Formatting a manuscript for a printed version and an e-version can be a real pain. I want to add that Chronicles From Château Moines and Trapped in Paris are printed by Createspace but not designed by the company. The choice of font and paper as well as the interior design are solely my husband’s work. I am really happy to share the life of a French man turned into an American entrepreneur. A keeper, I’m telling you.

Of course, you are also crucial to my writing journey. When you read one of my posts, either in French or in English (some brave ones do both!), when you like one of my posts, when you comment on one of my posts, you push me to write yet another post and moreover to improve my writing skills.

Thank you for being part of my journey.

IMG_0094

I will share more of my book as the launching date approaches, so stayed tuned and bear with me.

Meanwhile, here is the song that plays when Scott and Sylvie dance together for the first time.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Latest Post, Writing for Children, Writing in a foreign language, Writing life Tagged With: ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»