A big part of getting Not For You to people is making the rounds of media channels, making appearances and providing opportunities for new and old readers to get a 'taste' of the work.
Most of it is pleasant work, some, not so much.
After 8 weeks of agonizing back-and-forth, I was able to redirect a freelancers' eager attempt at 'lifting content', and got a major magazine to give credit where it was due. I was disgusted by the writers’ pretense, and will have my own public response to people who believe that they have creative liberty to plagiarize content and conversations. I am not sharing that article, because I think it would give undue merit to the article.
But since then, I've had better luck.
This week, I was on WREK 91.1 Atlanta, talking about the journey from one profession to another, the motivation behind the Curry Cravings (TM) LLC brand, as well as my latest book: Not For You (1&2). This was my very first radio interview, ever. I had been torn between all sorts of parenting duties until the morning of the recording, and I think I got all of about 30 minutes to pen down my thoughts, and brainstorm with Uma at about 8.00 a.m. about key points before I was immersed in the Atlanta traffic and drove to their studios, hoping to stay calm and concise.
But, I surprised myself. The conversation with the interviewer Charles Bennett was casual, who put me at ease even though I was running late. The interview ran long, we talked about tea, food, holidays, kids, birthday parties and more – but he edited it down to the juicy bits of the talk – the inspiration for the brand and the book. It is like listening to an hour-long podcast. Check it out here.
This week is our Diwali week, I am juggling writing tasks, chauffeuring and tutoring duties for the kiddo, selecting and cooking dishes for the festival, as well as waiting for essays to show in magazines either ones I have written, the ones where I was interviewed or the book was reviewed.
I participated in the Clayton County Library Systems’ Annual Indie Author Festival, and am happy to say that both Crack the Code-2 and Not For You-1 will be somewhere in their system. The librarian purchased a copy for their shelves!
If you are local to Atlanta, here are some events for you to attend (check their websites for time).
10.28.17: East Roswell Library - book reading and gallery reception
10.29.17: Milton Library - book reading and gallery reception
11.04.17: BookMiser (Roswell location) - book reading and tea reception
If you are in a different part of the globe, join me on a Facebook Live, with Denise & Jenni from 11-1, as we do a ‘Cook The Book’. This is a virtual event with special prizes and discount codes for attendees purchasing CC gifts for the holiday season. Follow along on social media to find more about this first of its kind event (for me).
Hope you can stop by for one or more of these gatherings!