I want to thank all of my readers who have posted positive reviews of French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley. I’ve received so many delightful, positive comments over the last few years, but this wasn’t always the case. Early on I received a consistent criticism, gulp…about my abrupt ending. At first, I didn’t get it. I thought my readers wanted the story to continue until all of the remaining questions were answered, no matter how long the book became. The truth is that after I outlined my first diary, I realized that I had too much story left in my second diary for only one book. I agonized over where to end my first memoir and came to the conclusion that a natural place to break the story occurs after my au pair experience. Questions like, “What happens to Linda and Adam,” “Does Linda ever learn French” and “Does she ever become a flight attendant” are not answered until my second book, French Illusions: From Tours to Paris.
Linda Kovic-Skow, author of French Illusions
Enhanced Ending for French Illusions
How to Make Homemade Yogurt
When I worked as an au pair in the Loire Valley in 1979, baking and cooking chores appealed to me more than any of the others. Unfortunately, I seldom got the opportunity because my employer, Madame Dubois, felt the same way. One of the more unusual food-related tasks I performed at the Château de Montclair was making yogurt. Here is an excerpt from my book:
A Gift to Remember
In 1979, while I worked as an au pair for a family in the Loire Valley in France, I spent a few Saturdays at the local middle school helping the teacher, Madame Bernard, teach English to her students. During the holidays, I visited the school and the children surprised me with box filled with Christmas presents. The doll in this photograph was one of those gifts. I’m so pleased that I kept it safely tucked away all these years. Here is an excerpt from my book detailing this special event:
Foreshadowing in “French Illusions”
Foreshadowing is a great way to hint to a reader that a future event will occur in your story. According to Wikipedia, “It is also sometimes used to arouse the reader.” The writer can do this with dialog or an action, and the “hint” often occurs at the end of a chapter or scene. You don’t want the reader to put the book down. You want the reader to turn the page because they “have” to find out what happens next.
Hairdresser Hazards for Authors
The summer of 2015 was the first summer my husband, Alan, and I spent four months aboard our boat in the Pacific Northwest Waters of Washington and Canada. We made Bellingham our home port and this is where I found my new “summer hairdresser.” During my initial appointment with young Ellie (not her real name), we covered the basic “how do you dos,” and then we moved on to the subject of my books.
From Tours to Paris: The Pictures that Introduce Parts One, Two and Three
Back on February 6, 2013, after I published my first memoir — French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley — I wrote a blog that revealed the “story” behind the photographs introducing the four parts in my book. As I said before, it was my publisher’s design team that came up with this fantastic idea and I carried it forward to my sequel, From Tours to Paris.
The French Illusions Box Set
Bargain priced at Amazon for $4.99! Thank you, Laurie, for your fantastic review. My heart is full.
Cover Reveal for French Illusions: From Tours to Paris!
Drum roll please! Here’s my new cover for Book 2 in the French Illusions Series, scheduled for release in April 2015. My head’s in the clouds!!!
Grand Chateaux Of The Loire Valley – Angers
This will be the third of three posts centering on chateaux from the Loire Valley in France. The final chateau on my list is Château d’Angers.
Grand Chateaux Of The Loire Valley – Chenonceau
This will be the second of three posts centering on chateaux from the Loire Valley in France. Next on my list is the magnificent Château de Chenonceau.
