Wednesday 11 May 2011

Champagne and chocolates


This post is for my blogger friends Isabelle, Muriel, Jennifer O, Kenya and Emily.

Blogging is all about making connections, and sometimes it may seem as if I lose sight of that, so intent am I on creating my own little world here. All of these five have given me awards in the past few weeks, and received not a word in return on these pages - though I hasten to add, I did thank them elsewhere.

This blog began very simply: it was a way of updating my website without involving my site manager, Judy. She made the link to the blog and I was going to post odd bits of news about my new novel – “Here’s the cover design!”, “Three weeks to publication!”, that kind of thing.

But it very quickly became something else. When I thought about the book blogs I enjoyed reading, they weren’t just about one book, or one person. The best are generous and outgoing; they feature the work of other writers, art, style, and life in general. So I looked and learned, and began to see how I could pull all those elements together.

Over the months since I started blogging last December, I’ve gradually built up an archive of posts that are relevant to my writing. Usually, I give the reference in a short extract from my book, but sometimes I just write about perfume, or a place, or other books that chime with an aspect of The Lantern.

So, yes, my blog is a marketing tool for the book, but I hope it’s a site that has broad appeal too. I’ve deliberately kept it very clean of all the add-ons (the stats, awards, link badges and other bits of fun most bloggers have) because I’m hoping it will work on two levels: one, to introduce potential readers to the setting in Provence and, with any luck, entice them to consider reading the book; and two, to stand retrospective reading as a source of visual background information after The Lantern is published, should anyone be interested to come and find it.


Excuses and explanations over, back to the business of the Kreative Blogger Award. Here’s where you can find my friends and their fine blogs, if you don’t already know them:

Isabelle is an actress with a wicked turn of phrase and some wonderful insider tales at As the Actress said to the Bishop. Click here.

Muriel is MuMuGB, a French wife, yummy mummy and enthusiastic - though occasionally bemused - inhabitant of London at 40blogSpot. Click here.

Jennifer O is a serious literature-lover, whose opinions are always a joy to read at Literary Endeavors. Click here.

Kenya is another actress, also a novelist and scriptwriter, who doesn’t sleep much. She’s based in Los Angeles and blogs at Sleep Deprivation and Me: A Love Story.  Click here.

Emily’s blog The French Hutch is full of gorgeous pictures and general joie de vivre. Click here.


I’m going to pass on the Kreativ Blogger Award to the following five bloggers I really enjoy reading. There’s something rather special about each one of them, whether verbally, visually, or a combination of the two to give a certain je ne sais quoi… Cheers!

Joanny at Live Dream Love. Click here.
Cathy Kozak at While the Dervish Dances… Click here.
Sarah at Snippets…of Thyme. Click here.
Olga at Artful Nuance. Click here. 
Charley Appenzellar at 365 Things That I Love about France.  Click here.

13 comments:

Olga said...

I find that writers need to promote their books through blogs. It's the contemporary way of communicating with and informing fans. Thank you for the award you have passed to me. I feel very honoured :)

Anonymous said...

Deborah,

What a lovely blog entry. Blogging does rather sneak up on you and then holds you captive in its charming embrace! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your interesting snippets and will continue to do so.

Thank you ever so much for the Kreativ Blogger Award!!! I am thrilled and happy to reach out to people to share the amazing things I discover on a daily basis in my adopted country, France.

La vie est belle!

Charley

Cathy K said...

Many thanks for the award Deborah. I'm thrilled!

Muriel said...

Thank you for mentioning my blog Deborah, it is very kind of you. Now every writer needs to promote his or her book with a blog. It is standard practice. But yours went clearly further and has become a very nice platform to interact...

Leovi said...

A good proposal, but I like combining champagne with caviar and chocolates with a good malt whiskey. First things salty and sweet after ...

Unknown said...

What a treat to receive your comment today and then to get a reward! Who doesn't like rewards? Thank you.

I really support the concept of author's blogs. My daughter is a huge reader. She wrote a full novel when she was a freshman because she had read so much in her favorite genre. She often talks about conversations she has had with authors about books. I love that reached out through e-mail and have noticed it has taught her some of the intricacies of publishing a book.

Thank you again, and I'll be checking back in to see and hear more in Provence.

Rebecca said...

Dear Deborah,
I love author's blogs! It's always so interesting and informative to get to know the writer behind the book. Keep up the good work! :)

Those chocolates look delicious by the way, lol.

Rebecca
www.readingwithrebecca.blogspot.com

Lisa Erin said...

Blogging is an interesting...entity. I haven't really put any of my writing on-line (except for a minor work I'm doing more for my own enjoyment than anything). When I first started mine I had a clear idea of what it was going to be about...that quickly changed. It just came to be about whatever I felt like writing about. I have also made some connections through the world of blogging, and I'm pleased to count you among them. :)

Anonymous said...

This is such a beautiful blog, so rich in sensuality and so informative too! There are lots of bloggers you list who are new to me, so it will be fun to explore some new sites.

Deborah Lawrenson said...

Blogger has been having some problems - well, this blog certainly has - over the past day or so, and 16 comments seem to have disappeared from this post. Rest assured I did receive your lovely replies and thank you all very much!

Anonymous said...

I am horribly behind. I have had awful computer problems which resulted in throwing in the towel and getting a new one. I am only just getting up and running again. However, I have caught up with your posts and, as always, they are colourful and redolent of Provence.

As for chocolates and champagne - I could live on them...

Kenya D. Williamson said...

I'm even further behind on my reading, Deborah. My apologies. I'm so glad you were able to pass the award to other deserving writers. I hope you're having a lovely morning.

joanna said...

Like Kenya I am behind on my reading & commenting on my fav blog(s)& Google hasn't been much help either. To my unexpected surprise you gave me this wonderful award, and coming from such a wonderful writer like yourself I am double honored.

I am thrilled you have this blog and share excerpts from your book, I believe it hasn't been released yet in the States, correct me if I am wrong here? I would love a copy when it does come out for sale or pre-sale.

joanny

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