As a writer, I always borrow from my life experience! Characters are a combination of imagination, people I’ve met, and traits or habits from people I’ve met.
Sasha Lauren – 8 October 2020
The Back Flap
This magical first-person novel poignantly captures the quest for love, truth, and meaning in a tumultuous world. Chances are, you know someone like Camille: tenderhearted and ambitious, yet free-as-the-breeze. An American portrait artist in Paris, Camille Portraro leads an enchanting existence until her life forever changes when everything she loves crashes in a flash. Camille’s life is entangled with a foreigner who mirrors lost parts of her life; as the narrative sweeps these strangers together, the reader may do a double take.
Sasha Lauren’s dramatic debut novel The Paris Predicament is a playful, thrilling, and unpredictable page-turner; it will take you for a wondrous ride around the world without ever leaving your seat. The whimsical words lilt and roll off the page, beckoning you on.
About the book
What is the book about?
Camille is a twenty-seven-year-old American street artist who chalks portraits near the Louvre. Her partnership with a talented busker, Bertrand, brought the duo notoriety and an enthusiastic clientele. An accident upturns her life and brings her in touch with a stranger in another country that will cause readers to do a double take.
When did you start writing the book?
November 24, 2016
How long did it take you to write it?
16 months. 3 months to edit.
Where did you get the idea?
I looked at a picture of the Montmartre steps as a prompt. I put myself on those steps in my mind and asked, “What do I hear? What do I see? What do I smell? What is the weather like? I heard a woman running down the stairs. Comp-clomp. Clomp-clomp. Clomp-clomp. “Why is she running,” I wondered? These questions led to a flash fiction story that I shared on Facebook. My Fb friends love it and inquired, “What happens next?” I wrote a second flash fiction follow-up, then another and another until I had 180 short chapters that had turned into the novel, The Paris Predicament.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Editing seems endless because my book is 390 pages and I wrote free form / stream of consciousness. Even after editing twelve times, I see things to correct. It also took a lot of time and effort to find the perfect cover to reflect the atmosphere of The Paris Predicament. Luckily, a famous artist in Provence, France, Jiel, got on board with his wonderful painting, Black Cat on Rooftop in Paris.
What came easily?
Relationships between the characters, art, music, and travel themes, and a whimsical poetic flow to the story.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
As a writer, I always borrow from my life experience! Characters are a combination of imagination, people I’ve met, and traits or habits from people I’ve met.
Do you have a target reader?
Adults 25 – 65, who are creative thinkers, enjoy art and / or travel.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Yes. I write small amounts on a regular basis. I use music, art, conversations, the news, and experience to influence my work. I take time to percolate on a scene. During that time, I jot down words, images, and phrases that come to me. If I feel stuck, I walk, dance, or juggle, read song lyrics, sing, take hot baths, or use word or picture prompts.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I let the story take me wherever it wanted to without an outline; when each bit came to me, I’d jot down notes and quotes on large, lined yellow Post It notes. I keep a pad of Post Its next to my bed and in the bathroom drawer across from the bath because sleep and warm water (also movement) bring out my muse.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I do a cursory edit after I’ve written each day. With The Paris Predicament the story came out as I wanted and I didn’t have to do a content edit. After the book was finished I used ProWritingAid, a grammar checker and style editor, which was helpful. I still need to edit!
Did you hire a professional editor?
No. That would have been a helpful luxury.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not during writing, but in between. I prefer silence when I write so I can disappear into the scene. I love Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and a variety of Blues, folk, Rock, Reggae, Spanish guitar. One of my favorite things to do is constantly explore music that is new to me.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes, two or three, but then I decided to send directly to publishers.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I wanted my book published traditionally. I looked in The Writers Market, 2019 and highlighted the publishers that were open to new authors without an agent, in my genre. I began to contact them. Black Rose Writing was one of the first I contacted. I did research on them and reached out to some of their current authors for feedback.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Black Rose Writing Art Director, David King designed it. I found the painting Black Cat on Rooftop in Paris by a famous artist in Provence, France, Jiel, as I mentioned earlier.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I plan to an extent and I’m researching and refining my plan every day. This is my first novel, so the learning curve is steep; it feels like trying to maneuver a cornfield maze in the dark.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Pace yourself, don’t except to get rich and famous, it’s time consuming and a lot of work, but it’s worth it. I like the publisher I’m working with and I enjoy the process. They provide authors with step-by-step actions. Surround yourself with supportive people as much as possible, and print out a book to edit in physical form before you approve the final draft for publication.
About You
Where did you grow up?
A neighborhood called Pill Hill on the Southeast side of Chicago and then in Los Angeles.
Where do you live now?
California. I’ve lived and studied in eight states and several countries.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’m a poet, artist, activist, and organizer; I was a screenplay consultant and globetrotting massage therapist for cast and crew on feature film-sets for decades. I love to juggle, be in nature, and review films. Camille, the main character in The Paris Predicament, inspired me to draw portraits. I had a blast writing this book and I hope readers have fun reading it.
What are you working on now?
A collection of poetry with a working title of, Scatter my Ashes Anyplace But Utah, a children’s book, and a new book about the activism I do.
End of Interview:
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Get your copy of The Paris Predicament from Amazon US or Amazon UK.