My name is Carolyn Moncel. Currently,
we are a family of expatriates! We moved overseas from Chicago, my hometown in
2002 and for exactly five years, I got to be “An American in Paris.” When my
husband accepted a job offer in Paris, I packed up my two daughters (ages 5 and
2 weeks at the time), my business, a dog and a cat and joined him! I’ve been
living in Lausanne, Switzerland since 2007 with my family.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I come from a family of story tellers. As a child
writing gave me a way to entertain myself and expand my imagination. I can’t
remember when I started writing stories, but I do remember when and why I
stopped. While in college I discovered what George Orwell meant by, “writing
being “a horribly exhausting struggle.” So I put it aside briefly and
concentrated more on journalism and public relations. Even then, my attraction
to those disciplines had to be related to storytelling. I graduated from Loyola
University Chicago with a BA in Communications; with a minor in political
science in 1991 and that is when my career in public relations began. From
there I bounced around from PR and Advertising agencies, to public affairs
organizations to dot.com companies, finally deciding to open my own company,
MotionTemps. It wasn’t until we moved overseas that I started writing again
seriously. If I had not become a writer, I would have continued in my career
either in public relations or political consulting work. I still enjoy both immensely, but here’s a
little secret: when I was in college I
wanted to become an A&R executive at a record company!
Do
you work another job as well as your writing work?
During the day, I run two companies with offices in
Chicago, Paris and Geneva: MotionTemps, LLC, a bilingual Digital Project and
Web Content Management firm, and its subsidiary, Mondavé Communications, a
media relations training and now, publishing company. At night, I get to create
a totally different world through my writing.
Do
you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Actually, I am working on
three projects now. The first is a collection of short stories that are set on
the TGV train travelling from Paris to Geneva, Switzerland, a four-hour trip.
When people travel, people often reveal very intimate details of their lives.
Maybe they do this because they never expect to see the other person again. I
want to explore how revealing these secrets transform the characters. The
second project is a novel called Geneva Nights.
It will be the last time (for a while) that Ellery ad Julien Roulet
appear in any collections, and some new characters will emerge, including a
sexy Franco-American named Kai! However,
the project that I’m most excited about right now is a Young Adult novel that I
am writing with my teenage daughter. All that I can say about the main
character, Isobel Ballou, is that she 15 years old and delightfully snarky,
feisty and extremely opinionated. She has but one goal and that is to
make sure that her parents get divorced as planned.
What genre would you place your books into?
Definitely Women’s Contemporary Fiction but my work often contains
some genre bending elements. For
example, all of my work also displays flashes of RomCom or ChickLit
elements.
Do you have a favourite
character from your books? And why are they your favourite?
Well,
Ellery without a doubt is one of my favourite characters. She is so interesting and while she has some
of my personality traits, her actions both good and bad are all her own. Next, would be her French husband Julien. Despite his very bad behavior at times, I have to say
that I still have a crush on Julien. The way that he speaks and rationalizes
his decisions is quintessentially French. There is a passage in the novella
where his wife, Ellery, must confront him. They are sitting in beautiful Parc
Monceau and Ellery says something to the effect, “I will not love you again,
Julien.” Julien’s response, “I don’t believe you because ‘will’ implies that
you ‘could’ if you wanted to. It means that you are still unsure, no?” When I
read that aloud to one of my French friends, she laughed so hard. She said,
“Now, THAT is a spot on response from a French guy.”
Do you have anybody read
your books and give you reviews before you officially release them?
Yes, both my husband and my
sister read the final draft. They both
have an incredible ability to express whether or not a story works from the
average readers’ point of view. I
usually make my corrections and then send it to my good friend and editor in
Paris. If it makes it past her
inspection than I’m good!
Do you read all the reviews
of your book/books?
Yes, I do – even the bad ones! I do this because I want to keep improving as
a writer. I welcome feedback from both
critics and fans. This doesn’t mean I
will always follow their advice but I will definitely take their opinions into
strong consideration. Every good review
blows my mind and every bad one presents itself as yet another opportunity for
me to grow as a writer with my next work.
I’m never discouraged.
What was the toughest/best
review you have ever had?
The toughest review I ever received came from
a highly respected blog reviewer. While
the review was mediocre at best, what I really appreciated was the fact that she
took the time to explain the good and bad parts. As a result she inspired me to push harder to
become an even better writer. I will be
grateful to her forever because the critique did not come from a place of
malice; but rather out of a sincere desire to see me reach my full potential
some day. The best review came from a
book club reviewer. She gave me the best
compliment ever in that she said my characters were universal and anyone
regardless of race or gender would be able to relate to their stories.
What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller?
I am not sure if I am qualified yet to comment on what makes a good
bestseller but I can say what constitutes a good story. A good story for me is unpredictable. I like
stories with logical and satisfying endings; no story twists that force a happy
ending. Some stories shouldn’t have one. I like believable characters executing
deeds consistent and truthful to their behavior.
1 Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?
Honestly, I don’t have a
preference because in my world, each format has a place. When I’m at home in bed, I love cracking open
a hardback book. I love being able to
throw a paperback into my handbag and read almost anywhere. When I’m travelling I love being able to
download a book from anyplace and read it on my Kindle or iphone.
1 Do you think children at schools these days are encouraged enough to
read? And/or do Imaginative writing?
No, I don’t think so. I see it with my own children but what I have
learned it that it takes a partnership between parents and teachers to get
children to read and become more imaginative writers. One of the reasons why my daughters read is
because they have grown up watching their father and me read constantly. I think writers can do their part in their communities
as well. If by speaking our truth, we incite readers to reflect on their own
lives, the world around us or view specific circumstances through a different
lens, we have done our jobs. If through our efforts we are fortunate
enough to help at least one more person become a life-long reader, then that
should be our greatest success.
1 What do you think about book trailers?
I love them!
I have one for each of my books so far.
Here are mine: 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover and Encounters in Paris.
1 Do you or would you ever use a pen name?
Yes, the YA novel I am writing
now is under the name Ella Swinton. I
only do this because it is in a different genre from which I normally write and
I don’t want to confuse the readers, especially younger ones.
Your Facebook author page? https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Carolyn-Moncels-Offical-Fan-Page/189980344372937
Your Facebook author page? https://www.facebook.com/pages/5-Reasons-to-Leave-a-Lover/117805208297817
Thankyou for taking the time out from your writing schedule to take part in this interview!
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