I want to thank all of my readers for their reviews of French Illusions at Amazon. Although most of your comments are positive, I’ve received a consistent criticism, gulp, my abrupt ending. I didn’t get it right away. At first, I thought the reader was left with too many unanswered questions. What happens to Adam? Does Linda ever learn French? Does she ever become a flight attendant? These questions are not only understandable, there’re expected. Where to end this memoir was a difficult decision for me. After I outlined my first diary, I realized that I had too much story left in my second diary for only one book. A natural place to break the story occurs after my au pair experience.
Linda Kovic-Skow, author of French Illusions
Fun French Facts
August 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
My first French fact is a personal favorite. The bikini was invented by two different French designers in 1946. Jacques Heim invented his suit first, calling it “l’Atome.” At about the same time, his rival, Louis Reard, created a two-piece bathing suit, the “Bikini.” Reard used skywriting over the Riviera to promote his “Bikini,” and the name stuck like glue.
Indie Author? Here are my Tips for Increasing Book Sales, Gaining Twitter Followers and Acquiring “Likes” on Facebook.
August 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There are so many unknowns and so much to learn after you self-publish a book. Constant questions come up and answers are illusive in the beginning, especially if it’s your first attempt. What are the best sites for book promotion? How do I get more followers to my Facebook Fan Page? How can I find the best connections on Twitter? Authors want to write, but we have to understand that marketing is just as important. Fortunately, there is a wealth of information on the internet. After I published my book last fall, I searched these topics, clicked on links to blogs or discussions, read and followed their advice. Slowly, over time, I gained knowledge and my frustrations faded. Here are my best tips for indie authors when it comes to book promotion, gaining Twitter followers and acquiring Facebook FanPage “Likes.”
A Typical Day For Linda Kovic-Skow
July 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
My day begins at about eight thirty in the morning. I find my way to the kitchen, pour a generous cup of coffee, plop down on the couch and watch the news on TV. My husband, who gets up earlier than me, greets me , but he avoids chit-chat until I return for a second cup of coffee. An hour or so later, I sit down at the computer and research something to post on my Facebook Fan Page and Twitter. Since French Illusions is set in France, I tie many of these posts to this subject, throwing in quotes or a recent life experience to break it up a bit. Next, I check sales ranking and reviews on Amazon. Often this is the most stressful part of my day. Most of my reviews are four and five stars, but occasionally I get a real clunker that makes my heart ache. Now that I’m writing my sequel, French Encore, I dedicate a few hours each morning to this project. I can’t sit for long periods of time without my neck hurting, so I switch back and forth between my desk and a standing computer station. Often, my husband has to remind me to get up and move around. Once I get the creative juices going, it’s hard to lay my manuscript aside and walk away.
