Paulita Kincer has an M.A. in journalism from American University. She has
traveled to France 11 times, and still finds more to lure her back.
She currently teaches college English and lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her
three children, two cats and one husband.
Her latest book is the women’s fiction, Paris
Runaway.
For More Information
When
divorced mom Sadie Ford realizes her 17-year-old daughter Scarlett has run away
to Paris all she can imagine are terrorist bombings and sex slaves. After
learning her daughter chased a French exchange student home, Sadie hops on the
next plane in pursuit. She joins forces with the boy’s father, Auguste, and the
two attempt to find the missing teens. The chase takes Sadie and Auguste to the
seedier side of Marseille, where their own connection is ignited. Since the
divorce, Sadie has devoted herself to raising kids and putting her dreams on
hold, but when her daughter needs her most, Sadie finds that concrete barrier
to life beginning to crack. In her journey, she learns the difference between
watching the hours pass and living.
For More Information
- Paris Runaway is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Tell us a
little about yourself.
I started my
career as a journalist because I figured that was one of the few professions
that paid people to write. Once I had
kids, being a reporter didn’t work too well because the hours were crazy. Now I
teach English in college and write novels. My three children are nearly grown,
but it seems like they still require a lot of my time. My husband is also a
journalist and is writing his first novel. We live in Columbus, Ohio, and have
two cats, who we pretend speak with a French accent – I’m not sure why.
Describe
your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and
where do you write?
I’ve always
written by the seat of my pants, but I kept finding that my book veered off
course, so I’d have to cut a lot of words that I’d written. Ouch! It’s painful
to get rid of those words that cost me sore fingertips. For Paris Runaway,
I wrote a synopsis first with an outline, and I’ll have to say that it worked
better. The process seemed more streamlined.
I was halfway
through with another book when I realized that plotting helped me stay on
track, so I plotted what I’d written so far and outlined the rest of the novel.
I hope that helps me get through it quickly.
I write at home
mostly, but I’m also part of a writers’ group so will frequently go to a local
coffee shop where we gather to write and distract each other.
Can you tell
us about your most recent release?
In Paris
Runaway, Sadie, a recently divorced woman who prides herself on being a
good mom, realizes that her 17-year-old daughter has run away to Paris,
following a French exchange student. Rather than trying to get help from her
ex-husband, Sadie jumps on a plane and chases after her daughter. In Paris, she
teams up with the French exchange student’s father, and the two of them hunt
for the children while exploring France. Sadie begins to realize life has a lot
more to offer than she’d been searching for.
Of all your characters, which one is your
favorite? Why?
I have to admit that I’m a little in love
with Auguste. He is a Frenchman whose son has gone missing along with the
American daughter of the main character, Sadie. He’s very tender and caring
toward Sadie, something that she never had in her ex-husband. After a day of
walking throughout Paris, Sadie removes her sandals and her ankles are bleeding
from where the straps rubbed. Auguste takes her feet in his lap and tends to
her wounds.
What was the
most challenging aspect of writing your book?
The most
challenging part of writing is focusing on what the characters want. I have a
saying pinned to my dream board that reminds me: “How much your character cares
about her goals is in direct proportion to how much the reader will care,”
which was written by Laura DeVries. Sometimes, my first-round readers will
suggest that I focus on something different. Some of my readers wondered if I
wanted to show Paris Runaway through the daughter’s eyes. Then I realized, that
this was Sadie’s story – the story of her awakening, so it couldn’t be told
through the teenager’s viewpoint.
I’m glad I
stuck with Sadie as the narrator and that I focused on her achieving her goals.
What
projects are you currently working on?
I’m working on
a book titled Autumn in Aix, which is a sequel to my first novel The Summer of
France. I’m more than halfway finished with Autumn in Aix, which tells the
story of Fia, who moves to France with her teenage twins to run her uncle’s bed
and breakfast. Newly divorced, she’s overwhelmed with raising her children
alone and adjusting to life in a new culture, until she’s distracted by Ali, a
Middle Eastern/American man, who seems enthralled discussing why countries,
like France and Germany, should give back the art they have pilfered from other
countries. Fia and her French lover Christophe worry that Ali might have a plan
to terrorize France, or at least relieve the Louvre of one of its famous pieces
of art.
What advice
would you offer to new or aspiring authors?
Don’t give up.
Writing isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon.
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