Paperback Writer

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Finally, I have my e-books into paperback and it was a frustrating journey. First, the technical designer I hired didn’t work out after three months of back and forth with her. Then, the second technical consultant wasn’t able to put two of my e-books into paperback either because the one of the original e-book cover no longer existed or the owner of the other e-book was asking an exorbitant amount of money to use it. Then, there was the problem of Kindle’s size requirements, which luckily my technical consultant was able to deal with.

In the end, I ended up having to choose different covers for two of my paperbacks. So, three months later, here are my paperback novels.

About the Getting to Mr. Right Series

The series starts off by focusing on Campbell Jones –an award-winning relationship-therapist at the peak of her career. Friendship and support shared between the characters of Campbell’s focus group evolves as the novel progresses.

The underlying theme throughout the original Getting to Mr. Right and the four novellas which follow is “being true to oneself.” The novellas are all expansions of the main story – dating adventures for Missi, a café for Suzy, dealing with an uprooted life for Felicity and an unexpected pregnancy on the edge of mid-life for Campbell. The series has gone beyond the original premise of “Getting a man” and in true women’s fiction style, deals with the issues that come after “happily ever after.” Although all these women are now in romantic relationships, it’s more the by-product of living their lives fully than a pursuit for finding a partner.

Click on the book titles to order

Book 1: Getting to Mr. Right

Campbell’s research into the father/daughter dynamic and how it affects a woman’s personal choices proves that Prince Charming is nothing but a myth. In a few months, she will receive international recognition for her work.As part of her study, Campbell gives workshops to help women still seeking Mr. Right. Her latest group is made up of three women: Missi Morgan, who can’t seem to let go of a philandering spouse; Suzy Paradise, a self-proclaimed queen of online dating; and Felicity Starr, whose life and career are dictated by a controlling father.In the midst of her study, a charming and personable man enters Campbell’s life, putting her theories in shambles. Not only does she now question the validity of her research, but she must choose between her career and having her own Prince Charming. This personal dilemma makes it difficult for Campbell to give these women advice, as she encourages them to find their own paths to happiness and helps them set themselves free.

Book 2: Missi’s Dating Adventures

Missi Morgan is your everyday middle-aged woman who is suddenly thrust into an online dating world after years of married bliss. After learning to let go of Max, her husband who dumped her, Missi explores the world of online dating. Through one disastrous date after another, Missi learns lessons that help her discover what she truly wants. She may not find the perfect match but she finds the perfect self.

A romantic comedy for anybody having to tackle online dating and letting go.

Book 3: Not By Design

Ever since she first appeared in Getting To Mr. Right, Felicity Starr has been struggling to find her own kind of contentment. Now, at thirty-five and living in Rome, Felicity is about to break into the world of fashion design, and caught in a flurry of plans for her wedding when calamity strikes. Her father’s sudden death brings into question the whole meaning of success. Then Marco, the man she’s about to marry, leaves her when he learns of her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. Forced to return to Montreal, Felicity finds her life thrust into unexpected turns. As she confronts the on-going challenges presented by her disease, she gains the strength to let go of old beliefs and face her inner truths. Love, friendship and rewarding work come in different forms and Felicity finds it all in ways she never imagined – in a life that’s not by design.

Book 4: Cafe Paradise

Most of Suzy Paradise’s dreams died along with her son over twenty years ago.
One thing has re-ignited her passion for living – running her own café, which specializes in home-baked donuts. For Suzy, this is a long-cherished dream come true. Her business is starting to flounder when Donuts-A-Million, a giant chain, opens across the street from her. Her unexpected attraction to Coen Walsh, a regular customer at her café, creates more tension when she learns of his affiliation with her competitor.
Café Paradise is about Suzy’s fight to save her business in spite of the odds. Sometimes, she realizes, dreams have an expiration date and it takes just as much courage to let them go.
Along the way, she must re-define the meaning of work, family and romance so she can find her own formula for happiness.

Book 5: The Longest Nine Months

In Getting to Mr. Right, Campbell debunked the Prince Charming myth, only to meet a special man who turned all her assumptions upside down.
Now she’s married to Chand. But Happily-Ever-After turns out to be another illusion.
Campbell deals with job burnout and struggles to find her place in the world. An unexpected pregnancy and its complications undermine her relationship with Chand and take her to a difficult crossroad. No matter which way she decides to go, nothing will ever be the same!

OTHER BOOKS

Warning Signs

A psychological crime novel about obsession. Eugene’s research into his criminal mind is not about the why, but how to prevent his horrific crimes. Angie, a young woman starving for passion sees Eugene as her savior from a lonely life of caring for her heroin addicted mother. How far is she willing to go in order to save her relationship with Eugene and his promise for a future together? Detective Van Ray is on a vindictive mission as he attempts to solve the murders of young girls in Youth Protection. Their lives collide in a mixture of mistrust, obsession and ignoring the warning signs. A psychological crime novel about human frailty and loneliness.

Mourning Has Broken – A Memoir on Grief

Mourning Has Broken offers a moving and poignant look at grief and loss. In this collection of narrative non-fiction essays, the author speaks from the heart not only about the death of a dear sister but also about the mourning of a mother, a father, a dear friend, a career and a religion. Readers who have known loss will find much to relate to in this book, and will particularly appreciate the author’s ability to be frank and open and at times humorous about feelings that might be difficult to acknowledge.

37 thoughts on “Paperback Writer”

  1. So glad you finally were able to get your books in paperback form. It reaches a whole new audience, and allows you some flexibility. I understand the frustration, too. Getting a book in more than one form can be so tricky! I’ve been toying with audio versions of my own books, but that’s one of the things making me think twice.

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    • Oh, Margot, putting my book into an audio version is very intimidating for me but I think it is probably a very good medium…I know a lot of people who like to listen to books while they drive, jog or simply lying in bed. So, be brave!
      Btw, I started reading A Matter of Motive. Interesting.

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    • Margot, audio books is something I’ve looked into seriously as well but it is not an easy or cheap option. I had a meeting with one lady who records for adverts on radio etc but turned out she didn’t have any of the proper equipment. Looking online there are lots of professional services available but it is daunting and expensive. Diana Peach wrote an excellent post about her positive experience in making one of her books into audio which has given me thoughts to try again.

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      • Audio is such a practical way to “read” books, especially for multi-tasking folks. Although, I would hate to think that we are losing the art of reading. There are numerous studies out comparing reading from a print book, from an e-book and listening to an audio of the book. Seems like the print book comes out on top for comprehension. Perhaps, it’s because you are more concentrated whereas with an audio you are likely doing something else and so you’re not as focused. Thanks, for your comment, Annika. It’s always a pleasure to read you. ❤

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  5. Very proud of you, Carol. I was just talking on another post about how great Warning Signs was (to a like-minded writer). But really, “Paperback Writer”? Now that song is running through my head. Dang the Beatles!

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    • Thank you, Jacqui. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts about my book. ❤ Have a peaceful weekend. My loving thoughts are with you and America the Beautiful through these trying, horrific and sad times.

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  7. Thank you for sharing!.. I expect in this age of technology it would be hard to do paper, glad you were able to realize your dreams… I like paper but after taking everything into consideration ( expense, storage space, etc) I stay with the Kindle.. have the Fire so I can use audio when and if needed… 🙂

    Until we meet again..

    May the dreams you hold dearest
    Be those which come true
    May the kindness you spread
    Keep returning to you
    (Irish Saying)

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  11. I thought I read all of your books of fiction, but find that I missed Cafe Paradise! I just ordered the paperback. When I published my first book of fiction – Twin Desires – I only used the e-book format because I heard that that’s what most readers liked. But as I promoted it on Facebook etc many high school and college friends said “um, don’t do the Kindle, could you make this a paperback?” So I went through the challenges of doing so (as you have just done) and my sales soared. Isn’t that interesting? Yay for you, Carol. Next we should both get our books on “Audible.” 🙂

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    • Pam, I agree with you regarding audible. More and more people like to listen to books while they do something else (jog, iron, drive etc). It’s a growing market. Of course, the problem is getting the books into audible mode which, I imagine, can be costly.
      Thanks, Pam, for ordering Cafe Paradise. I hope that you’ll enjoy it. ❤

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  12. Carol, congratulations! 😀 It must be a wonderful feeling to have all your books (and there are so many of them!) in paperback and well done for persevering against the setbacks – there always have to be a few I think when publishing books! They all look great and wish you lots of success with these paperbacks! xx

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  13. Congrats on getting your books into paperback, Carol. I think it’s a lot harder if the kindle versions are under contract elsewhere. I had the same problem and had to change covers too. It’s one of the reasons I took all my books back and self-published. The line up looks great. I’ll be reading Warning Signs this month! I’m looking forward to it. 🙂

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  14. So glad to hear that your patience and persistence was rewarded! I know a lot more readers who prefer the printed page to an e-book, so hopefully your paperbacks will broaden your audience. I love listening to audio books, but there you need an excellent narrator. A poor narrator, even a mediocre one, can ruin an otherwise good book so it’s risky. Best of luck with the paperbacks!

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  15. How frustrating! You are too good not to be a best seller in your field, I especially enjoyed Warning Signs and promote it to anyone who mentions they enjoy crime fiction. I love pyschological and thought-provoking novels. My roadblock is trying to complete Kindle’s paperback book cover. No matter how I try, I can’t seem to get it right. My best to you Carol and keep on keeping on. ❤

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    • Thanks, Ellie. You are very kind. I wish you good luck in completing your Kindle paperback book cover. I know how frustrating it can be. The thing about a paperback book cover is that you must have the correct dimensions for the front, back and spine. It’s a mathematical puzzle. You might want to try Fiverr. There are designers on it who can convert your e-book to a Kindle paperback. I haven’t used them but I looked at the website and read the reviews of different designers. All the best, Ellie. ❤

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