Instead of talking about actual trash (composed of milk cartons, banana peels, and smelly tuna cans—UGH) I’d like to discuss the very high-brow topic of trashy novels. Stay with me.. you know you want to. After all, this IS a blog for writers and readers, so I think it would be appropriate. For some reason, the second I think about trashy novels and/or trashy novelists, the first name which pops into my head is Nora Roberts. I’ve probably read more of her books than I care to admit (Mom, I hope you are not reading this) and it all started with a copy of “One Summer” that I picked up for 75 cents at a yard sale. I remember being way too young to be reading such “filth” -as my mom would refer to it- but I knew I was immediately hooked like a kid on rock candy. My other Roberts favorites include “Hot Ice,” and “Affaire Royale” (Lord knows if it’s still in print!) Dominick Dunne’s novels are also a guilty pleasure.. particularly “An Inconvenient Woman” which I will still pick up from time to time, especially when I’m suffering from writer’s block and I need a seductive distraction. Let’s face it..we all need a little glamour, sex, and cheesy suspense from time to time. 
Now when I’m looking for a really trashy “jolt” I pick up some Roxanne St. Claire. I’m always quite amused by her covers featuring men’s nude torsos (“Hunt Her Down,” “Make Her Pay”) but it does go along with the territory. “Take Me Tonight,” (which unfortunately doesn’t feature a nude male chest on its cover) left me utterly transfixed (and needing a tissue for my drool).
No, I am not proud of myself for reading junk when I should be learning something important about politics, finance, or the environment. But oh..it feels so good to be naughty. 
July 29th, 2010
| Posted by Maria Garcia-Kalb | 2010 Debs
| 4 Comments
I’ve always said that people who don’t like animals aren’t people I want to associate with. I’ve had all kinds of feathered and furry pets throughout my life including (but not limited to) a beautiful white swan, a shoe-obsessed iguana, an injured pigeon I took in when I was 12, a pair of fiesty ferrets named Dude and Noel, and a baby bat I nursed back to health when it was abandoned by his mother. I didn’t know the first thing about bats when I brought “Frankie” (short for Frankenstein) home with me, but I learned never to let a baby bat “hang out” in your closet. I had droppings where one should never get droppings.
Well despite my utter fascination with the animal world (and my quest to find a fellow animal lover to share my life with) I married a man who never even had a HAMSTER, and is quite perplexed by the human obsession with animals of any kind. (Yep, hindsight is 20/20). Thankfully, God was kind to me and gave me a child who adores animals, and I’ve been able to share that with our son Ethan. You should see my husband’s face when Ethan and I decide we’re going to spend the day at a local petting zoo.. he’d rather serve time at Bellvue than be forced to feed a billy-goat or have a close encounter with a lemur. Ethan and I get some good laughs from his Dad’s hysterical reactions, but something has really been bothering me lately. When I married a Jewish guy I knew I’d be giving up many things (including never being able to enjoy pork tenderloin in the comfort of my home) but my son is desperate to have a pet of his own and his father refuses to let him have one. I’m all for it of course, but Andrew is especially adamant because we live in a 2-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. Two rooms is actually large by Manhattan standards, but it’s not enough space for Andrew to share with a member of the animal world. My son really wants a dog (and even cried about it the other day) but at this rate I think he’d even settle for a chinchilla! Andrew still isn’t bending, and I’m torn between reason and my the tears of my firstborn and only child.
Any suggestion folks? Is there anything such as “pet-acceptance therapy” available out there? Let me know!
July 22nd, 2010
| Posted by Maria Garcia-Kalb | 2010 Debs
| 5 Comments
Today the Debs are excited to welcome “Big Apple” author Lorraine B. Diehl. A native New Yorker, Lorraine has always been madly in love with all that is Gotham, and she displays her ultimate devotion in her books, “Over Here! New York City During World War II”, “Subways: The Tracks That Built New York City,” “The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart’s Masterpiece,” and ”The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station.”
Welcome to The Debutante Ball Lorraine, thanks for fitting us into your busy schedule! We can’t wait to hear about promotion from you, you’ve been in the game for quite some time.
*****
Thank YOU Debs for inviting me to the forum. Please forgive me for being brief, but I’m on vacation with my beautiful grandchildren in Maine, and I’m lucky if I make it through this article without some peanut butter and jelly on my computer!
I’m going to begin by saying the absolute key to promoting a book is to be know your audience, and be realistic about your expectations. Your publisher may adore you and your book, but believe me, their help in promoting your specific book is finite, and you can’t expect them to devote an extraordinary amount of attention to you when they have other books to promote and many others in the production process. You would be wise to thank them graciously for any promoting they do on your behalf.
Knowing your audience is the next step. Do not waste precious time and/or effort targeting readers who have no interest in your particular subject matter; they might become aware of your book, but if they are not passionate about the material they will not make that magical purchase. With my latest book, I needed to spread the word among the World War 2 generation, those who remember what it was like to be there in the flesh, or WW2 buffs who were in New York City during that spectacular era.
This is no surprise, but another fantastic way to promote a book is to land even the smallest excerpt in a national newspaper or magazine, and don’t let even the most intimidating periodical get in the way. Without really expecting it, I was featured in the New York Post, and Cindy Adams devoted an article to my offering simply because my book evoked an onslaught of memories for her. My Amazon numbers shot through the roof!
And finally, I actually stumbled onto this promotional gem when I was planning a museum excursion. If your book bears historical significance, you may solicit local museums for FREE exhibition space to display your book. The exposure is tremendous, and if your exhibition is part of a larger display, journalists may even offer a review and spread the word. Priceless. The same goes for libraries, which are also a marvelous resource.
Whatever you do, do not give up in your promotional quest, you will eventually find your audience, and they will stick with you on your journey.
July 17th, 2010
| Posted by Maria Garcia-Kalb | 2010 Debs
| 5 Comments
Call me delusional, but for some reason I thought promoting my book was going to be an easy task. I mean, I work in the radio business, I know tons of folks in the general media world (from newspapers and magazines, all the way to network tv) so getting the word out about my book should be a snap right? HA. HA. HA. W R O N G! I was a complete fool. Book promotion has got to be one of the toughest tasks ever, simply because IT NEVER ENDS and you always have to come up with new ways to get your book out there. Sometimes I feel like one of those “stage moms” who push their kids into the limelight and can’t go a second without mentioning their talents to anyone who will lend an ear –or even a partial ear. You know you’ve become OBSESSED, but you can’t help it. If there is any opportunity to promote your book in any way, shape, or form, you take it…even if it means hanging out with large groups of mass murderers on death row. Hey, they can still buy books right? So there you are, holding a book signing at Riker’s Island.
The picture above is from my first book signing held at a Borders store on Long Island. We promoted the signing to millions of listeners on my radio station, I was featured in the local papers, I tapped all my sources on Facebook, and I was utterly shocked that only about 50 people turned up. Of course we had a great time, and we even had free food, but as I was enjoying a free glazed donut during the event, I couldn’t help but wonder.. “All that promotion and only 50 people??? Geez..” Later, once the crowd had cleared and the last of the free grub was devoured, the regional Promotions Manager for Borders approached me and said “Congratulations, that was one of the best signings we’ve ever had!” I was quite confused and said “You must be joking, right?” and she said “No Maria, you really did great! We’ve had big-name celebrities hold signings and NO ONE showed up!” That’s when I realized I should be thankful for the turn-out, and that’s just the way it goes when it comes to promotions. You can build it (or promote it) but they WON’T necessarily come!
July 15th, 2010
| Posted by Maria Garcia-Kalb | 2010 Debs
| 3 Comments
My mom is terrified of fireworks. That wasn’t always the case, but a nasty firework encounter forever altered her affection for loud popping minature explosives. It was July 4th 1988. My sister had just graduated from high-school, and we all headed to South Beach to watch the annual firework display while delightfully dancing on the warm sand.
My father (being an admitted pyro-maniac) brought along a TRUNK-FULL of fireworks. You name it, he had it. My favorites were always “Roman Candles,” and my mom had a thing for “Jumping Jacks.” The name could not have been more appropriate. There we were enjoying our bucket of KFC Chicken (a July 4th tradition in our family) when my mom decided she would string several packs of Jumping Jacks together and set off her own stunning firework display. The result? She literally blew the nail off her right thumb when she didnt let go on time. A trip to the E-R later, we were told to never ever mess with fireworks again. And just in case you were wondering…yes, my mom’s nail eventually grew back. EEEeeewww!
July 8th, 2010
| Posted by Maria Garcia-Kalb | 2010 Debs
| 3 Comments
No matter how long I’ve been doing it, signing autographs always seems very surreal to me –especially when I was asked by a male listener to sign his… well, you know. That happened about 12 years ago, but it is still burned in my brain like an overcooked wiener on a hot grill. (Pardon the intended pun). Yep, radio listeners can be quite fanatical, and those hard-core “fans” can quickly turn broadcasters into “local celebrities” which is something I didn’t expect when I decided to jump into the world of radio. I still remember the first time a listener requested an autograph. The radio station had created these really embarrassing “head-shot” photos, and handed them out during a local parade we were participating in. A young woman ran up to the float I was on, and said “Maria! Pleeeeze sign my picture, me and my husband LOVE YOUUUUU!!!!” Ugh, I still hate that picture. My hair was frightening, and let’s not even talk about my eyebrows!
These days I’m signing more books than pictures, but I am still humbled by every single autograph request that comes my way.
July 1st, 2010
| Posted by Maria Garcia-Kalb | 2010 Debs
| One Comment
I am so blessed to have a father like mine. Miguel Garcia was born in 1933 to a very poor family in the Dominican Republic. He barely knew his own father until he passed away, and worked in the streets from the time he was 5. Miguel taught himself to read, and can barely write his own name till this day. So what great gift did Miguel pass on to his two daughters? The gift of truly unconditional love and ultimate devotion.
Anyone who knows my father will always say he’s the kindest soul in the world; generous to a fault, and bears a smile that will literally melt your heart. He gave me one of his classic smiles the day I told him I landed a book deal, and he’s been with me every step of the way. He proudly tells anyone he comes across about his youngest daughter Maria who’s a radio broadcaster AND an author! I thank God everyday for my father —who also happens to be my best friend.
June 24th, 2010
| Posted by Maria Garcia-Kalb | 2010 Debs
| 5 Comments
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