Interview with Paulita Kincer, author of The Summer of France






Paulita Kincer is the author of three novels, The Summer of FranceI See London I See Franceand Trail Mix. She has an M.A. in journalism from American University and has written for The Baltimore Sun, The St. Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune, and The Columbus Dispatch. She currently teaches college English and lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and three children.



Connect with Paulita:
Author Website: paulitakincer.com








Author Interview


Welcome to The Writer's Life!  Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process.  Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning?  Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

Most of my book ideas are sparked by something in my own life. Journeys tempt me, and my all-time favorite vacation destination is France. I’ve visited nearly a dozen times. So I chose Aix en Provence (pronounced X on pro-vohns) as the setting.

Frequently, when I read novels, I’m annoyed that the characters seem to have plenty of money to travel the world. I know most people don’t have unlimited vacation funds, so I wanted a genuine situation in which people with normal jobs and bills could find a way to escape from their everyday lives.

And that’s where Uncle Martin came in. An American who fought in World War II, he married a French woman, Lucie. He and Lucie run a B&B in Aix en Provence, and one day they called their niece Fia in Ohio and ask her to bring her family to France to take over the B&B. That set the journey in place and allowed me to imagine the kinds of adventures that the family might encounter. And that could have been the entire novel, the story of how this family goes to France for three months and finds themselves isolated and trying new things. They’re entranced by the beauty of the countryside, seduced by the luscious food, and intrigued by all the family time the French spend together. But Fia learns that Uncle Martin has a secret from World War II, and things get more complicated.
  

How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

This is the third novel I’ve written, and each one gets a bit easier. Once writers complete their first novels, they know they can achieve their goals of finishing another novel.

Many times, writing is about sticking with it, not giving up even if it seems you’ve written yourself into a box. I don’t use an outline, but plenty of authors do successfully. If authors feel stuck, I recommend jumping ahead to write a scene that happens later in the book. Then the author can figure out how to get across the bridge from point A to point B. Maybe those in-between scenes aren’t even necessary.


Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

My novels are self-published and available in ebook on Kindle or in paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers.


Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

I remember the first time I realized I had a “fan.” OMG! Someone likes my novel! Imagine the squeal of delight. Since then, I’ve had readings and book launches and met with book groups. I’m still a little uncomfortable being the center of attention. Once I begin talking about my characters, I relax and enjoy learning what others saw in my book.


What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

I’m almost finished with my next novel Paris Runaway, about a divorced mother, Sadie, who realizes that her 17-year-old didn’t go to her father’s for the summer, but instead flew to Paris, following the French exchange student. Sadie hops on the next plane to find her daughter. As she searches for her daughter, with the help of a handsome Frenchman, she learns a lot about herself and the way she shut down after her divorce. Traveling in France, hunting for her daughter, Sadie begins to learn about living again. I hope the novel will be available this fall.


What’s your favorite place to hang out online?

I love connecting with my blog friends from around the world. In my most recent trip to France, I spent time with two different bloggers who I considered friends even though we’d never met before. My blogging friend Delana picked us up from the train station in Aix en Provence and gave us a tour of a charming village, along with joining us for delicious dinners. Another blogging friend Linda met us in Paris for drinks. In the little time we spent together, she pointed out some trompe l’oeil paintings on a nearby building. She had eyes for details that I might never have noticed. So the place you’ll find me most often is on blogs that focus on France or book reviews, as blogging friends share their experiences with me.  


Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

Readers will find that my novels focus on adventures. Take a chance and you may learn something about yourself. My novels also show the importance of connecting with family, even if family doesn’t consist of a mother, father and children.
  

Thank you again for this interview!  Do you have any final words?

I hope readers enjoy the journeys my characters take, both the physical trip and the emotional discoveries. And whenever a reader makes a connection with a character, an emotion, or a turn of phrase, I hope they’ll feel like the novel was well worth reading.





About The Book




TitleThe Summer of France
Author: Paulita Kincer
Publisher: Oblique Presse
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
Format: Paperback / eBook / PDF
Pages: 255
ISBN: 978-1300257332
Genre: Women's Fiction / Travel / Adventure


Buy The Book:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Summer-France-Paulita-Kincer/dp/1300257334/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1437011077

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-summer-of-france-paulita-kincer/1113110596?ean=9781300257332

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16089591-the-summer-of-france?ac=1


Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE


Book Description:

When Fia Jennings loses her job at the local newspaper, she thinks she'll have the chance to bond with her teenage twins. As she realizes she may be too late to create the perfect family, she's saved by a phone call from her great Uncle Martin who operates a bed and breakfast in Provence. Uncle Martin wants Fia to venture to France to run the B&B so he and his wife Lucie can travel. He doesn't tell Fia about the secret he hid in the house when he married Lucie after fighting in World War II, and he doesn't mention the people who are tapping his phone and following him, hoping to find the secret.


Book Excerpt:

Fia



The quiet of the house mocked me as I rummaged through the Sunday paper looking for the travel pages. I ignored the meticulously folded “Help Wanted” section of the newspaper and the yellow highlighter that my husband had placed on the counter to remind me that I’d been unemployed for two months and needed to find a job – soon. The ring of the kitchen phone saved me from isolation and from a job search as the thick accent of my aunt came across the crackly line inviting me to move to France.
After a few sentences in the language that Aunt Lucie considered English, she handed the phone to my great uncle Martin, and I heard his booming voice.
“Fia?” he called as if using a bullhorn rather than a telephone.  Uncle Martin, the baby of my grandfather’s family, ventured overseas as a teenager to fight in World War II, found a French wife, and stayed.
I’d never traveled to France to visit him, but Uncle Martin always came home for the family reunion at the beginning of summer.
Hearing his voice on the phone, I glanced at the wall calendar, assuring myself it was late June and Uncle Martin’s visit had ended nearly two weeks before.
“Uncle Martin! What a surprise. How’s life in France?” I asked in a quiet voice meant to encourage him to lower his volume.
Uncle Martin continued to bellow. “Look, Fia, let me get right to the point.” He hadn’t lost his American directness.  “Lucie and I are tired.
We need a break, maybe a permanent break.”
“What?” I gasped my voice growing louder to match his. “You and Aunt Lucie are…but you can’t be…you can’t break up?”
“No,” I heard his old man grunt across the phone lines. It sounded as if he said something like “Zut!”
“Listen. Don’t jump to conclusions,” he chastised me. “We’re tired of working so hard. We’re old and it doesn’t look like any of Lucie’s relatives are gonna step forward and take over. That’s why I’m calling. Will you and Grayson come over and run this place?”
“This place” is what Uncle Martin always called the eight-room bed and breakfast that he and Aunt Lucie ran in a small village in Provence. Lucie’s family had owned the home for generations, wringing olive oil from the trees and wine from the grape vines. But as big cities and ample education called, the younger branches of the family moved away. When Uncle Martin and Aunt Lucie found themselves the only ones living in the big, old house during the 1970s, they decided to capitalize on a tourism boom and turned the house into a bed and breakfast. They encouraged American and English tourists to stay, and, after A Year in Provence came out in 1990, their business exploded with people who wanted to see the land that Peter Mayle described.
“We thought you could take over,” Uncle Martin blared, “obviously, since you’re not working.”
Thanks, Uncle Martin, for reminding me again of my current jobless status.  When a huge conglomerate bought our local newspaper and combined resources with the paper in the next town, I became superfluous. So, after years of writing about home design, I sat staring at my own shoddy decorating. I tried to look on the bright side. Now I actually had time to try some of those design tips. To add depth to the alcove next to the fireplace, I painted it a darker color. Next I added crown molding around the opening from the living room to the dining room.
So far, mostly, I spent my time trying to stay positive so an amazing job would find me, and I watched cable TV shows about happy families. Who knew The Waltons was on five times a day? Mix that with the Duggars, that family with 19 kids on TLC, and my days just flew past. I slowly realized that driving my kids to sporting events and extracurricular lessons did not count as quality time. Inspired by those TV families, I amplified my efforts to pull my 14-year-old twins closer. When they ambled home from school, I’d suggest some family activities. “Let’s draw a hopscotch on the driveway!” I’d say. Their eyes rolled wildly in their heads like horses about to bolt. “How about making homemade bread together? We can all take turns kneading? Or maybe an old fashioned whiffle ball game in the backyard?”
They suggested we go out for pizza or visit a sporting goods store for new soccer cleats or swim goggles. I declined, picturing the credit card bills I juggled now that I didn’t have an income.
Bills. Ooh! I couldn’t see Uncle Martin’s invitation to France winning approval from my husband, Grayson, who had just been complaining about money.
As a two-income family, we had paid bills on time and planned our next extravagant purchase. Of course, my pragmatic husband, the almost accountant, never used credit cards. But with my own income, I wasn’t that concerned about using credit cards. When I started to run a balance, I made the minimum payment every month. No need to inform Grayson who would’ve disapproved of my indulgences. Not that I bought things for myself. Nothing but the best for our kids with their private swim clubs, technologically engineered swimsuits, travel soccer teams, and state-of-the-art skateboards. I hadn’t bothered to save for an emergency but spent and charged as I went along until the bottom dropped out of journalism.
“Uncle Martin, you know we’ve always dreamed of visiting you and Aunt Lucie, but without a job now, I just… I can’t see it working financially.”
“I’m not talking about a visit,” his voice grew agitated. “I’m talking about you moving in here and running the bed and breakfast. I’d send the plane fare to get you here. You, Grayson and the twins.”
I sat stunned for a moment, so Uncle Martin repeated himself.
“I’ll send you the tickets. I’ll just buy them online for you, Grayson and the twins. Both of them.”
My kids were always “the twins,” as if sharing a womb 14 years earlier made them one entity for the rest of their lives.
“Whoa. That is heavy stuff,” I slid onto the swiveling bar stool. “We can’t just move. Leave our house, school, Grayson’s job.”
Even as I said it, I felt hope rising in my chest. Yes! I waited for a job to come to me and it did. A spectacular opportunity. I pictured myself in a flowing skirt and low-heeled, leather sandals walking along a dusty road away from the market that would line the village streets. I’d carry a canvas bag with French bread jutting from the top as I headed home, the pungent fragrance of a cheese wafting from the bottom of the bag. Although I’d never been to France, I watched any sunny movie set in Europe. The women always wore skirts and had leisure time to linger along the roadside, smelling the lavender.
I heard the front door slam and my husband’s heavy footfall in his casual Sunday topsiders as he came in from the office. Even on a Sunday, the work at Grayson’s accounting firm was plentiful.
I turned my back on my approaching husband and said into the phone, “When are you thinking, Uncle Martin?”
“I’m thinking… NOW. Last week,” Uncle Martin’s voice rose again. I cupped my hand over the phone to try to smother the sound of his bellowing. “I’m tired of dealing with these snippy tourists. I want to roam around the world and give other innkeepers a hard time.”
“You make the job sound so enticing,” I tried to laugh lightly so Grayson, who was drawing nearer, wouldn’t realize the importance of this conversation. The idea began to form in the back of my mind: We could make this happen -- with a little cooperation. I shot a hopeful glance toward Grayson as he walked in the room. I quickly raised my eyebrows twice, which I thought should give him an indication that good news was on the phone. He looked grim and tired – the horizontal line between his own eyebrows resembled a recently plowed furrow.
“Look, I’ll have to call you back later,” I hissed into the phone and punched the button to hang up as Grayson threw his aluminum briefcase on the island. His look turned from grim to suspicious.
“Uncle Martin,” I said with a blasé wave toward the phone. “He has a business proposal…”
I tried to sound nonchalant, but I guess my eagerness showed because Grayson dropped his head on top of his briefcase for just a minute before he stepped toward the cabinet over the refrigerator. He opened the door and pulled down a bottle of Scotch.
This conversation might prove more difficult than I’d anticipated.
       



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3 comments:

  1. Thanks for featuring my novel and interview on your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great interview! I love Paulita's novel and appreciated the chance to hear the how and why behind the work and how she made the jump from wannabe to published writer. Very inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  3. An interesting and worthwhile interview. I've enjoyed reading all three of Paulita's novels. She started off as a good novelist and is on her way to being an outstanding one. Paris Runaway is already on my reading list.

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