Adria Cimino, Writing, and Midnight + Giveaway of PARIS: RUE DES MARTYRS

I’ve gotten to know Adria Cimino through the Tall Poppies – a wonderful group of women authors who support one another. Not only is she a fellow writer and Poppy, she is also a publisher — She runs Velvet Morning Press. Keep your eye on her small indie press, great things are coming! I just finished reading Adria Cimino’s novel CLOSE TO DESTINY. The magical and mystical elements kept me reading well into the night. One of her reviews said it had “A Great Gatsby-ish feel” with magical elements. I think that’s a perfect summary — so I’m stealing it. I expect the same wonderful storytelling in PARIS, RUE DES MARTYRS! Here’s a bit more about it:

Some encounters make a difference. Four strangers in Paris. Each one is on a quest: to uncover a family secret, to grasp a new chance at love, to repair mistakes of the past. Four stories entwine, four quests become one, as their paths cross amid the beauty, squalor, animation and desolation of a street in Paris, the rue des Martyrs. Rafael’s search for his birth mother leads him to love and grim family secrets. Cecile’s view of herself as an unsatisfied housewife is radically changed by the promise of a passionate liaison. Andre, an aging actor, troubled by the arrival of the son he abandoned years ago, must make a choice, to either lose his son forever or put aside pride and seek redemption. Mira travels to Paris to begin a new life and forget about love… or so she intends.

I love any story set in Paris! Next up – Adria’s Deb Interview:

The road to publication is twisty at best–tell us about some of your twists. I had a lot of twists! After collecting rejection letters for a while, I landed an agent about ten years ago. His strategy was to try selling my debut novel, PARIS, RUE DES MARTYRS, to “the Big Five” publishers. When that failed, he preferred putting my work on hold to submitting to a smaller house. It’s essential for an author and agent to agree on strategy, but at the time, I was too naïve to realize that! I hung on, terrified that if I didn’t, my dream of publication would be over. Meanwhile, my agent published my novel as an ebook, but told me I would have to do all of the marketing. I struggled but learned a lot. Then last year, a serendipitous event: I met self-published author Vicki Lesage, whose book was beautifully edited and formatted. We talked about our struggles and decided we should pool our resources. With that, I made that leaping-off-a-cliff decision to leave my agent and start my own indie publishing house with Vicki. We publish our own books and the books of others—and it’s wonderful to have so much control over the publishing process!

What time of day do you love best? Midnight, for the sense of calm in my apartment when I’m writing, and for the muted energy in the streets when I’m out on the town.

Have you ever tried writing in a different genre? How did that turn out? My usual genre is literary/contemporary fiction, but for my second novel, CLOSE TO DESTINY, I tried my hand at magical realism. This wasn’t intentional. It just so happened that this time, the contemporary fiction idea developing in my mind involved some magic… As I wrote, the more the magical realism intensified, the more I realized this was indeed a book of another genre! Yet, to me, as a writer, it didn’t feel more or less difficult than my usual style. I worried that readers who loved PARIS, RUE DES MARTYRS might hate my second book because it’s different. In the end, overall, I was pleasantly surprised. And I actually gained some fans that I probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t crossed genres. I think everything really depends on inspiration. If a writer is inspired, the project will turn out well no matter what the subject and what the genre. I don’t see writing as one straight trajectory, but a gradual exploration of styles and stories along the way.

What is the best perk of your job? Having access to a lot of great writers. Writing itself is a very solitary business, yet today, with social networks, we are able to reach out to others with ease. And I’ve found that other authors are eager to talk, give advice, share experiences. I’ve learned so much just by chatting with others… and it makes writing less of a lonely occupation!

What’s your next big thing? My next novel, set for release this winter! It’s called SECRETS OF A NOSE and is about a perfumer whose quest for a missing perfume formula turns into a quest for family secrets that will change her life. It’s set in Grasse, France. I was lucky enough to travel to Grasse and surrounding towns to do my research. Anyone who has read my work knows I love settings! So if you feel like traveling to the South of France and soaking up the colors, scents and flavors, I think you’ll enjoy SECRETS OF A NOSE.

I know I can’t wait! Thanks for stopping by The Ball, Adria. 

GIVEAWAY: Comment on this post by Noon (EST) on Friday, August 14th to win one of two ebook copies of PARIS: RUE DES MARTYRS (mobi, epub available). Follow The Debutante Ball on Facebook and Twitter for extra entries—just mention that you did so in your comments. We’ll choose and contact the winners on Friday. Good luck!

 

Adria J. Cimino is the author of two novels, CLOSE TO DESTINY and Amazon best-seller PARIS: RUE DES MARTYRS. She is also co-founder of indie publishing house Velvet Morning Press and a member of Tall Poppy Writers, a community of writing professionals committed to connecting authors with each other and with readers. Prior to jumping into the publishing world full time, Adria spent more than a decade as a journalist at news organizations including The AP and Bloomberg News. You may learn more about Adria and her work by visiting her website, following her on Twitter and Facebook.