Blog - Karen A. Chase

Guest Post: The Sweet Lindy Dale

January 25, 2013 By Karen A. Chase

My guest blogger today comes all the way from Australia! Lindy Dale is an author of Chick Lit and paranormal romance (wow). After writing books for ten years, she recently went through a brand redevelopment for her books and author platform. So grab some coffee or chocolate, curl up and read on…

When I first started out, I had a homemade cover and a book. No website, no blog, Facebook Page or Twitter accounts. It didn’t take long for me to realize that if I wanted to be noticed, I was going to have to do something more. If I wanted to be regarded as a professional I had to have a professional look– not some tacky thing that screamed “DIY”. That’s where branding came in.

The first step was to define myself. Okay. I’m a Chick Lit and Women’s Fiction (WF) author. My Chick Lit runs to the humorous side and my WF is often sadder. The common thread is love. Always love.

Next, I created a logo with a cute, fun caricature. You can see it on my Facebook page. It defines the type of book I write–fun, easy to read, happy endings. I carried this over to my website and blog. I also changed my pen name from L.A. Dale to Lindy Dale to strengthen the Chick Lit theme–you don’t hear of many CL authors using initials. It’s a more personal, friendly genre.

Then late last year, I engaged a cover designer to redesign my covers to give them a cohesive look. The font and style will be the same, though there will be differences between the Chick Lit and WF that will instantly tell the reader what type of book they’re going to read.

The last stage has been the blog and this is a work in progress. Instead of the hit and miss process I had before, it now has a structure with regular posts on topics chosen by my readers. It comes out weekly and is backed up by a newsletter of exclusive content only given to subscribers.

So what about you? Have you ever considered branding yourself?

You can find Lindy on her website, her Facebook and Twitter under @LA_DALE. Below is a screen snapshot of her oh so cute website redesign.

Dear Abby

January 18, 2013 By Karen A. Chase

Dear Abby,

I have a problem. Pauline Phillips who founded your column in 1956 has died. She was 94. She picked up a pen and began a job that spanned a lifetime. “It never occurred to me that I’d have any kind of career,” Mrs. Phillips told The Los Angeles Times in 1986. “But after I was married, I thought, ‘There has to be something more to life than mah-jongg.’ ”

Her sass, and her determination to help people see the good in situations and themselves, was inspiring. What’s the best way to honor her? Yes, I think a few of her best comments are the most fitting. Thanks for the words, Pauline.

KAC in Virginia.

If you’d like to read a full story about her, the New York Times did a great job. Let me know if any of you ever wrote her…

Dear Abby Quotes:

“You could move.” Her response to a reader who complained that a gay couple was moving in across the street and wanted to know what he could do to improve the quality of the neighborhood.

“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.”

“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”

And a letter…

Dear Abby: I have always wanted to have my family history traced, but I can’t afford to spend a lot of money to do it. Have you any suggestions? — M.J.B. in Oakland, Calif.

Dear M.J.B.: Yes. Run for a public office.

Guest Post: Kelly of Austen Hill

January 11, 2013 By Karen A. Chase

Today’s fabulous guest is the lovely Kelly Fitzgerald, founder and creative voice behind the lifestyle blog Austen Hill, where she writes about fashion, design, travel, food and more. She created the site as an outlet to share things that inspire her, and she’s come to chat about how it all started. Kelly…

Take a Chance on Yourself
When I began Austen Hill I had no idea how hard it would be, but I had felt for some time that there was a burgeoning designer inside of me just waiting to get out. What did I want to design? I had no clue. I just knew I had all of this creative energy and I needed a way to channel it. Blogging seemed like a wonderful way to explore things that I loved, and also write a bit.

Step 1: What do I do well?
A lot of my friends have asked me to help them plan parties, re-decorate rooms, or pick out the perfect shade of gray. I soon realized I had a knack for designing, and I was never asked to run the final length of a relay race. So I can’t run very fast, but I can design the heck out of a tablescape.

Step 2: Find my style.
For those of you in the marketing world, you know brand is everything. Articulating my brand, or style, consistently ensures that my readers immediately identify Austen Hill. What is my style and why does it matter? I created my Pinterest Board to get started and I always come back to it for inspiration and continuity.

Step 3: Drink a lot of wine!
It can be scary putting yourself out there. What if people don’t like what I’m doing? Through this experience I’ve learned to trust my design instincts and go for it. I took a chance on being myself and I’m so happy I did.

Check out her blog, AustenHill! Or visit the blog’s Facebook Page. Starting Monday, 14th, AustenHill will be holding a week-long give-away in conjunction with moi! If you like Paris and free books, this contest will be for you.

For her day job, Kelly travels the country working on health policy issues, but calls Richmond’s historic Church Hill home, where she lives with her dog Miss Austen. Below are a couple of her lovely pics from her blog, including an appetizer set-up in her living room, and a mood board she put together inspired by Les Misérable.

First Friday: Caaalvin

January 4, 2013 By Karen A. Chase

It’s a First Friday. The first Friday of the month when I’m supposed to feature an artist. But as I’m writing this it’s 8:45 on Thursday night, and I’m already behind with no clue about what to do for my first post of the year. Did I procrastinate? Uhm… Maybe I put it off a little. “But I was having such a nice holiday,” she whined.

The first half was a whirlwind Manhattan day, then mostly Italian dinners and sitting in traffic, but the last half was sitting with friends, in movie theaters, over coffee, and having a lovely time taking a break.

So alas, I’m sitting here at the beginning of 2013 resolving to accomplish great things while I am falling behind (and yet hopefully giving off the appearance of being completely organized). I’m only four days in. Geesh. Good grief. Deep breath. Sigh…

Actually that’s my best resolution idea yet. Let’s all take a deep breath. No lofty unattainable goals. No distressing resolutions. Maybe just a deep breath and the willingness to give everyone, including myself, a break. A chance to begin anew (that includes you, too, Congress). A little change will do us all a little good, and that starts by taking a deep breath. Yes, Calvin, even you.

So here’s to you Bill Watterson, the creator of my favorite comic strip. My year begins with a big thank you to you as Calvin and Hobbes remind me to stretch, give a good tummy rub and breathe.

Declaration for a New Year

December 21, 2012 By Karen A. Chase

Please forgive my slightly longer word-count on my last blog before the New Year… I must share a thought or two…

Many of my readers, friends and family know I’ve been working on a new novel about the Declaration of Independence. Through my research, I’ve come to learn about two of the lesser-known, yet great founding fathers: George Wythe of Virginia, and Oliver Wolcott of Connecticut. Both of them voted for revolution and signed the document. Before the signing, and throughout the war, they played very different roles, pouring their talents, connections, hearts and minds into very different vessels for “the Cause.”

Oliver Wolcott, in an ironic story, watched as rebel soldiers in New York pulled down a massive iron statue of King George III. He had it carted back to Connecticut, and with the help of family and neighbors, they melted down the king and poured him into molds to make over 40,000 musket balls. All of those cartridges went on to be fired by the Continental Army upon the British during the war.

In Virginia, George Wythe, a professor at William & Mary, taught the man who wrote the Declaration. Thomas Jefferson studied under Wythe in Williamsburg, as did James Monroe, Henry Clay, and our longest-serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall. Everything that Wythe had learned of Greek history, of Euripides, of Francis Bacon and of John Locke’s beliefs about life and liberty was poured into his students. After signing the Declaration himself, Wythe fought for the abolishment of slavery, designed the Virginia state seal, and more. But it was through Jefferson as his pen, that Wythe gave America the Declaration in 1776.

As many know, that one piece of parchment not only helped free America from oppression, our Declaration became the gold standard from which dozens of declarations for freedom have sprung. France used sections for their Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens (1784), as did Haiti (1804), Chili (1818), New Zealand (1835), Texas (1836), Czechoslovakia (1918), and even Vietnam (1945), among others.

Very few people besides historians (and my DAR ladies) seem to know much about George Wythe, and even fewer have heard of Oliver Wolcott, with only a small handful ever having heard the King George statue story. The world knows about Thomas Jefferson, and his statue keeps watch over our nation’s capitol. Each year, over two million people visit the National Archives in D.C. to see the original Declaration of Independence. Seldom has anyone given thought to the musket balls, except long-dead relatives who mourned the lives of those British soldiers who never returned home. So, what can we learn from our own history?

We have choice in life. Into which vessel will we pour ourselves? Will it be into a musket ball or an education? History has shown us that while weapons can help a country win a battle, an education will absolutely free the world. This truth, is self-evident.

My heart mourns for the students and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary and their families. Sadly, those little ones were not yet of the age to have learned about the Declaration. However, the education being shared in that classroom and others before the tragedy took place… that is the firepower that will make America proud, strong and free. That is the weapon in which we should invest the most if we are to secure our future.

I hope you’ll forward this on until we all learn that rights are best freed with our minds. Not might.

I wish you a peaceful, thoughtful, and loving holiday. See you in the New Year.

A painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence featuring Thomas Jefferson (right), Benjamin Franklin (left), and John Adams (center). The painting is currently located at the Virginia Historical Society here in Richmond. — “The pen is mightier than the sword,” said Edward Bulwer-Lytton. The above painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris is of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence featuring Thomas Jefferson (right), Benjamin Franklin (left), and John Adams (center). The painting is currently located at the Virginia Historical Society here in Richmond.

Bonjour 40 – Le livre est arrivé!

December 14, 2012 By Karen A. Chase

Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log, the print version, is now available on Amazon!! Oh la la!

So many readers asked for it and it’s finally here. After the success of the eBook and receiving an eLit award, I went out to find an agent and a traditional publisher. But then I got to wondering what kind of book they would make. What would it look like? What would the design feel like compared to my trip? I’m a professional designer, and we like things just so. After some searching and a lot of encouragement, I eventually gave in… no, stepped up, and said, “Karen, you can do this.”

So I combed through the thousands of photos from the trip, and added in some new text. Then I went at it. Now it is 132 full-color pages, 8.5×8.5, with over 100 images. It feels more like a photo journal and a pictorial journey through Paris, but it still has my stories about a strange pillow and Bandit the dog.

If you loved the eBook, I hope the print version will be on your gift list–for yourself and others. Joyeux Noël.

For those who want to know how I produced the book, my process included:

~ InDesign for the page layout of the interior and cover.
~ Photoshop to crop, resize and color correct all 109 images.
~ Worked with April Michelle Davis to edit the copy in the new layout.
~ Opened an account through Createspace (Amazon’s print self-publishing).
~ Submitted a PDF of my files and they sent me a physical proof.
~ Based on the size and page numbers, Createspace helped me set pricing.
~ Approve it all, and wait 5-7 days for it to hit Amazon.

A few of the inside pages are below. To see more, you can “Look inside” on Amazon.

Bonjour 40 on Amazon

December 7, 2012 By Karen A. Chase

I’ve done it. You probably have, too. I’ve Google searched my own name to see what comes up. This week, I searched Amazon under Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel log. Typing in various words and phrases from the title, I wanted to see what other items might come up. I found a plethora of fun things from teapots to paintings. So, I gathered of few of them to share.

In just a few days, there will also be one more item. A print version of Bonjour 40! Readers who bought the e-book containing nearly 40 images, begged for more. Fans without e-readers begged for print. Those who love to armchair travel holding something tangible, asked when they could get their hands on it. So, here’s the gift I’ve personally designed to bring to all of you.

With over 100 photos, plus a few extra tid-bits, this new expanded version, is an 8.5×8.5, full-color, paperback walk through the streets, markets and delights of Paris. It still has all the content and stories of the original travel log, but now, so much more.

I’m reviewing the proofs now, so stay tuned for the big launch just in time for the holidays! In the meantime, you can click on the image above and find other ways to hold Paris in your hands (my favorite is the My Duckie Paris, black bathtub rubber duckie.)

Bonjour40Proof — My proofing copy of Bonjour 40. It’s 132 pages of over 100 full-color photos, journal entries and more! Coming soon to Amazon!

Lucy Inside and Out

November 30, 2012 By Karen A. Chase

In branding I often speak with clients about perception. How they are seen by others is probably how they really are. So if they want to put out a certain type of image, then it’s important to be that image. Not become. Be.

However, clients, like people, aren’t just one thing. They’re complex. In fact, they’re like Lucille Ball. Lucy was a stunning movie star who was astute and said brilliant things. But then she could turn all ham and cheese and sometimes stuffed her mouth with the wildest things.

Lucy’s lesson is to be yourself. Who you are both inside and out. Because what you hope you are and what you probably are, are perceived by everyone. And perception is reality. For laughs, and as an example, I return to Lucille Ball. Using public domain images of Lucy, I’ve comprised a photo series of who I think I am, and how I think I’m perceived. So in a nutshell (my nutshell), I am both these things.

Me at work:

My relationship:

My friendships:

What I look like in costumes:

My confidence in new adventures:

If I were a superhero:

My movie star quality:

Leftovers

November 23, 2012 By Karen A. Chase

JamSession — An impromptu jam session popped up one year when snow hemmed us all in for the party. The accordion player was in from Argentina visiting one neighbor, and the bass player, Mark, lives across the street.

Each year, Ted and I host a “Leftovers Party” on Friday evening, the day after Thanksgiving. We held it the first year we moved to Richmond, because we didn’t want to cook a turkey just for ourselves, and figured someone would surely bring it. No one did.

However, what they did bring was exactly what the party is called: Leftovers. Friends and neighbors brought whatever half-eaten casserole, straggling pie slices or day-old stuffing remained in their fridge.

What they also brought to our house was a sense of community. Both Ted and I were starting over here in Richmond, in our first home together. We had no family here and only a few friends. We had no shared traditions yet for the holidays.

This will be our fourth Leftovers gathering, and we now have a place that feels even more like home each year. We begin the holiday season, decorating in time for the party. I love this event because it’s casual, we donate items to the Foodbank, and no one has to cook a thing. By sharing in our own plenty, we have plenty of reasons to be thankful for one more day.

WhippedShortbread — A holiday favorite from when I was a kid, I made these whipped shortbread cookies and had them for the party. The recipe is from my mother, so some of my own holiday tradition is baked into ours.

Got Creative Milk?

November 16, 2012 By Karen A. Chase

What does a dairy farm have to do with the creative process? Nothing. And everything.

I recently toured the family farm of fellow designer, Candace Monaghan. Beaver Dam Farm has about 120 dairy cows. Naturally, there are boy cows who are also born, bred and sold, but the farm primarily produces milk. We wandered over her family’s property hearing stories about how Candace and her sister grew up crawling around inside of hay-lofts. They rose early along with the sun over rolling hills tinted with fall gold. They worked alongside animals and nature. It’s a magical American youth that is lost to most of us. There’s even a goat, Fred, who was simply dropped off on their property one night. He now happily follows workers around like the family dog.

While the tour was a social visit in many ways, my creative process is often enriched when I experience things that have nothing to do with what I do. I saw colors and a view I rarely see. I smelled things both beautiful (air, hay) and foul (manure) that educated my sense of smell. I saw how this life influenced Candace, and it explains why her photography is so stunning. Her eyes see things through unpolluted, beautiful air.

It’s important to step away from what we do, so we might find new stories and new perspectives. Or, as Monty Python says, “…and now for something completely different.” As for Fred, he just might make it into my book.