Interview With Linda Kovic-Skow

 

What was the turning point when you realized you wanted to write and share your voice with the world?

Fun French Facts

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.

A Typical Day For Linda Kovic-Skow

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.

Another Favorite Character and Chapter in French Illusions

Another one of my favorite characters in French Illusions is Madame Dubois. Given her arrogant, unforgiving attitude, she is the natural protagonist in my story.  As I worked my way through my diary, I recounted many heartbreaking interactions with my patron. Here is a sample of one of them:

Book Endings Can be a Challenge

“I would love to have known more about her future successes and how long she remained in France, her friends, her French instruction, etc. I would also like to have known the outcome of her leaving. I felt like there were missing pieces. I do hope for a sequel.” -Amazon reviewer on June 3, 2013.

Rapid-Fire Questions and Answers with Linda Kovic-Skow

Favorite ice cream flavor? 

Dulce de Leche – caramel ice cream swirled together with ribbons of caramel, Mmmm. It’s not French, but it’s delicious.

Early bird or night owl? 

Night owl. After years of trying to change this, I’ve finally raised my hands in the air and surrendered.

My Favorite Character and Chapter in French Illusions

While I worked my way through my diary, I particularly enjoyed recounting interactions with Antoine, my four-year-old ward at the Château de Montclair. He was such a sweet, goofy kid and he often voiced his affections for me with exuberant enthusiasm. Here is an excerpt from my book:

Self-Publishing Report: Interview with Linda Kovic-Skow – Broowaha

Thank you for this interview, Linda. You self-published your latest book, French Illusions. Would you please tell us why you chose the self-publishing route?

A: I chose to self-publish my paperback through Dog Ear Publishing. They gave me control over design, editing, pricing and allowed me to retain all the rights to my book. All of these elements were important to me. Then, I contracted with BookBaby to create my eBook, which I published using my own Limited Liability Corporation called Dreamland Press. They charge a fee to create the eBook, but they don’t take a percentage of the royalties.