Recently, a reader asked about the photos introducing the four “parts” in French Illusions, My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley. It was my publisher’s design team that came up with this fantastic idea.
As a new author, I was focused on the story and the cover. Until I received the first electronic galley for review, I had never considered the interior design of my memoir (other than the font, of course). Mesmerized, I scrolled through the first pages of my book’s interior galley on my computer. When I came to “Part One, The Dubois Family” and I saw the oval shape containing the photo of the chateau from my cover, I actually yelped with delight.
This photo of an unknown French Renaissance chateau in the Loire Valley was hand-chosen by me and I purchased a license to use it on the cover of my book. Although it’s larger than the chateau I lived in during my stint as an au pair in 1979, the architecture and style is very similar. I took several photos of both the interior and exterior of the Château de Montclair, but I couldn’t use any of these photographs. It was important to protect the family’s identity. If you read my book, you’ll understand why.
When I emailed the interior galley of French Illusions to my daughter, she suggested I place a different, relevant photo in each of the ovals introducing the rest of the parts in my book.
I loved her idea and decided to introduce “Part Two, Venturing Out of Songais” with a photo of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (Pont de Pierre). This bridge, which spans the Loire River into the city of Tours symbolized freedom from the confines of the Château de Montclair. It was a perfect fit for Part two of my memoir.
In my next blog, I’ll explain the photos that introduce Parts Three and Four in my book. If you would like to learn more about my experiences in France, you can purchase my eBook or paperback at Amazon by clicking on this link, French Illusions, My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley The audiobook is also available at Audible.com.
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