Lost Artist

Photographer Daniel Williams - Retro Camera Review - Episode 12

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I was introduced to Daniel Williams through a mutual friend and only hung out with him a handfull of times.  He was a mere 21 years of age when we met.  He was skinny, skinny and had an 80's punk-rock air about him.  His hair was blondish, bordering on strawberry blond and was completely shaved except for a longish patch in the front.  His pants were tight and black and he wore a grayish, creamy t-shirt that was 4x too large for his lanky frame.  His skin was equally as fair as his hair, but it had reddish blemishes here and there.  He also carried an oversize brown clutch purse.

I will admit, his appearance and that purse caused me to pause at first.  Now, I know our mutual friend and he were lovers, but a man carrying a clutch on a bright sunny day was another level for me.  Clearly, he was living his life on his terms.  I honestly admired that and quickly embraced the uniqueness of his personal style.  Especially when he spoke.  His voice was so deep, effeminate and southern all at the same time.  It was just as unique as his style.  Daniel was the genuine article inside and out.

After strolling down Magazine Street in New Orleans, the three of us sat at a small cafe table just outside the old Rue de la Course. As I inquired more about his studies, Daniel seemed to relax and enjoy discussing his work and his career's trajectory.  Daniel would eventually begin digging into his purse.  To my surprise, out came his diabetic medication and syringe.  While sitting by the cafe, he injected his insulin in his stomach very discretely and quickly.

Daniel then needed a refill, so he entered the cafe.  This gave my friend and I an opportunity to gossip about the situation.  He told me he was proceeding cautiously.  Apparently, Daniel was finishing his photography studies at LSU in Baton Rouge and he was looking to move to NYC when he graduated.  Considering he would be graduating in a year or so, my friend didn't want to get super involved if this was just turning out to be a fling before he left town.  Plus, Daniel drove a motorcycle, which can give a non-living-on-the-edge person a bit of concern.  We both agreed that life throws you come interesting curves and he should just go with the flow.

Over the next two years, our friend would end up riding on the back of Daniel's motorcycle and get closer and closer as the days progressed.  Ultimately, Daniel was accepted to Parsons in NYC and our friend helped him pack up the few possessions he had.  They continued to talk daily and he even helped Daniel with airfare to come home and see us all one Thanksgiving.

Daniel and I continued to stay in touch in this digital world.  We would chat on Facebook and "like" one another's posts on Tumblr and Vine.  I was thrilled to see him featured on this video discussing his work on YouTube.  You can see more of his work here: http://thisket.com/

By far, Daniel's posts were the most outrageous and humorous of them all.  My friends and I would laugh and laugh at the outlandish things he could come up with.  Thinking about him and his career, I was simply in awe.  Would he move back to New Orleans?  Would he stay in New York?  Would he and our friend continue to date?  What would happen to Daniel?

Then, on Sunday, our friend posted that Daniel had ended his life on Tuesday, July 23rd.  Daniel had been fighting unseen demons.  His depression had simply consumed him.  He had no more energy to fight on.

I don't believe I will ever get over the shock of this news.  I have never really known anyone to take their own life.  I didn't even really know Daniel that well.  If I feel this angry, what are his friends, family and his lover feeling?

Daniel made the choice he needed to make that day, but I wish he knew it was the wrong decision.  There are people left behind who needed him and the world has lost a true artist.  I feel robbed of his talent.  I wish he was here to carry on the work that needed to be done professionally and personally.  He left too soon.

We love you Daniel.

Is anything ever really complete?

Upon forwarding my book information out to my friends and colleagues, I found myself revisiting the actual text and making quite a few edits.  I strongly agree with the writing concept that as much as you love writing something, it might not work in the end and you have to edit yourself.  You have to say, as much as I think that is funny and well composed, it does not work for the reader or the audience and needs to be altered.

The impetus for these changes was that someone who commented was not someone I had originally pictured in my audience.  Once HE was there (I focused my book primarily on women), I realized my introduction could be off-putting and too narrow.  It wasn't all encompassing.  It wasn't permitting the reader to get comfortable.  Rather, it seemed to make the reader say to themselves, "I am going to be fighting against the grain of this book and I am only three sentences in and already annoyed."

A slash here and a slash there, I think the book's introduction is more coherent and soft.  The only issue now are the printed books from my previous prints.  I have decided those will be galleys and there were changes made post-production :)  I am working it out.

CC

From the Proposal to Ever After: A Louisiana Woman's Guide to Marriage and Community Property Laws [Kindle Edition]

"Ya' gotta look to your inner network"

For someone who wrote this book under an alias, getting the news out to friends and loved ones has been challenging.  One conversation at a time has been great, and initially, it felt great!  But as the days have turned to weeks and months, the conversations have turned to, "I feel like I don't even know you!  You wrote a book and didn't tell anyone?!"

So, I finally took the plunge and outed myself to my friends via Facebook.  I feel a little exposed, but very empowered.  It is always great to have such supportive and generous friends who take the time to even read the event notice.  If any of you have clicked over to this blog, "Hi!"  I hope you are having a great day and I can't wait to see you soon :)

CC


Hello!

XXX here. Very random event notice from me, but this seems to be the best way to message everyone. I have a couple of big announcements, so this may be the first of two event/messages...

I wrote a book this year entitled "From the Proposal to Ever After: A Louisiana Woman's Guide to Marriage and Community Property Laws" and I published it online under the alias Camille Carter. The concept of this work was to provide women in Louisiana the opportunity to read a quick text on marriage law and feel like they "got" it. It is essentially a conversation about pre-nups, post-nups, marriage laws, community property laws, and more.

When I completed the book I forwarded it to Pelican Publishing, but they passed. Thus, I have been moving forward as a self-publisher. It has been an interesting venture and I have been blogging about the process as well. Over 2000 hits on my site so far! You can visit it here: http://fromtheproposaltoeverafter.blogspot.com/

Now, I know the name of the book is a little long and maybe the cover page could use some work, but if you would take take a minute to visit the Amazon page, I would really appreciate it. Heck, if I can send you a free copy, just let me know! I would definitely appreciate your feedback or perhaps your recommendation to a friend.

If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to contact me any time. My cell number is below. You are also welcome to email me here.

Sincerely,
Camille Carter ;)
318-268-7086

http://www.amazon.com/From-Proposal-Ever-After-ebook/dp/B008A0UVPG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1363294681&sr=8-2&keywords=from+the+proposal+to+ever+after

If you are interested in receiving updates from my blog, please "like" my Facebook page too: https://www.facebook.com/FromTheProposalToEverAfter

Cigarette-Lady Tray

Lacking sales is one thing, but lacking inspiration to make those sales is another.  I am struggling over here!  I strongly believe my attempts are completely half-ass.  I am not motivated to sell.  If I were truly focused and invested in making sales, maybe something would happen.  But for now, it is like the Sahara Desert up in here.  No action.

One of my recent half-ass attempts was contacting the New Orleans Bride Magazine who hosts (what they would call) a mega bridal convention here in New Orleans.  Upon calling their sales division, I was promptly contacted about their pricing and perks.  For approximately $1000, I would get a booth, a small add in their magazine, a mailing list of all attendees, a mailing list of all vendors, free ad webdesign, a puppy...Obviously joking about the puppy, but it was a significant amount of perks.  It all sounded wonderful until I realized: I haven't sold a book in 4 months, how would investing $1000 for ladies who are attending a bridal show to taste free cake and receive free hand-outs help me in the long run.  Clearly, this would be a poor investment.

Once I decided the tradeshow was not fiscally responsible for me, I had a lightbulb go off.  What if I built myself a cigarette-lady carrying device, loaded it up with my books, and just walk out front of the show...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVNZLAsivg

I could have on a sandwich board, "Ask me about MARRIAGE LAWS."  What a Debbie-Downer I would be.  Then the real nightmare began, "What if I saw someone I know?  How would I ask for a random day off of work?"  All of those insecurities crept in.

So, here I am at the office.  Typing away on the thing I could have done; perhaps should have done.  I will never know.  I think I may check into the upcoming "book fair" that happens here in NOLA.  Maybe those booths will be cheaper...

Upward and onward...
CC

http://amzn.com/147813884X

http://www.amazon.com/From-Proposal-Ever-After-Louisiana/dp/147813884X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371652110&sr=8-1&keywords=from+the+proposal+to+ever+after

Ok, I don't think Facebook is a good marketing tool. Here is my experience...

I can honestly say I have been an addict of Facebook since I first started it in 2005.  But that has been because it revolves around my personal life.  My friends, my connections, my likes.  In regards to a professional use, I am not sure it is working for me.  Here is why.

The Facebook page was my original focus.  I figured it would be the brain of my marketing.  Type in the search engine: boom, you have all the Louisiana bridal shops in the area.  Need contact information: boom, check the About section.  Want to create an ad: boom, click here, input Visa card number and: boom, you have an ad.  Yeah, not quite.

Now, before I rip it, let me give it some props.  I did discover a Louisiana Bride blogger who reviewed my book.  We both communicated with great ease over their messaging service.  It was nice to reach out and touch someone who is just as obsessed with their Facebook accounts as I am.  That worked out awesomely and I am indebted to her for her completely unbiased review.

But...I wasn't looking for a Louisiana Bride blog, I was seeking Louisiana Bridal shops, magazines, retail locations.  The search engine on Facebook pulled up little.  Facebook search is no Google search.  Facebook only pulls what we put into it.  If you don't know it is New Orleans Louisiana Bride, then it doesn't pull it up.

When you do know the retail store's name you are looking for, it can be great.  There is the store, there are their hours.  But what about reaching out and touching them?  If I send them a message, will they read it?  Well, as obsessed Facebook fans know, you can tell when someone has viewed a message.  Not one of the messages I sent over Facebook to a retail location was read.  That tells me something too: are these companies really using their Facebook accounts or is their Facebook page like their abandoned 2007 website.  Who knows?

My other issue with Facebook was developing an online ad.  I really thought it would be an ideal ad location because you can narrow your field to exactly who you are looking for: women, Louisiana, over 18, family, etc. - Whatever terms you seek, you can get it pretty close because of the algorithms they developed.  But then, you get to the actual order time and it gets really complicated.  Do I want to pay per click?  Or do I want to pay indefinitely?  WTF?!  Indefinitely?  No.  Per click - how many clicks?   What am I signing up for?  The ambiguity of it all was frightening.  I never did it.  Plus, I heard this:

"GM Says Facebook Ads Don't Work, Pulls $10 Million Account" 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2012/05/15/gm-says-facebook-ads-dont-work-pulls-10-million-account/

If GM isn't seeing it as a successful avenue, why should I?

And what about my Twitter account?  Oh, please.  That is my own personal abandoned site.  That is the most collasol waste of internet space.  Granted, I think it occasionally grabs a follower, which is great, but I am pretty sure the follower is following me because they want me to follow their page.  I probably should check it more and be more interactive on it, but Twitter bores me.  I do not get it.

So, for today, I have visited the retail locations actual websites and emailed them a communication.  I am curious if I will receive any replies.  All of these shots in the dark will be helpful though when I decide to finally invest in actually SNAIL MAILING these individuals.  It may be the only way I can get through though.  We shall see...

CC


http://www.amazon.com/Proposal-Ever-After-Louisiana-ebook/dp/B008A0UVPG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370471596&sr=8-1&keywords=from+the+proposal+to+ever+after

"How to Sell"

I just typed, "How to sell" in the search engine of the Community Section on kdp.amazon.com.  I thought there may be a tid-bit of knowledge there; perhaps another user may have some insight.  What do I see in the comment section?  This:

Truly, that is the million dollar question.  I think my favorite comment was, "Put a ten dollar bill in each copy..."  Ha!

CC

A BOOK REVIEW!!! Someone actually read my book and then wrote about it...

Oh, the joy!  An actual person READ my book.  Not only did they read it, they took the time to REVIEW it.  Here is how it all went down...

I had been feeling uninspired about the marketing aspect of self-publishing life.  It is just, like, work.  So, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and look into Louisiana bride Facebook pages.  I was going this direction because I know there are bridal shows in New Orleans, but I could not figure out how to get to additional information on the event.  

As I was typing key words into Facebook's search engine, I came across an adorable, pastel-ly, chevron lined blog called Louisiana Bride.  The blog is adorable (I recommend you visit it: www.louisianabrideblog.com) and she is a very regular poster all things like love, life, food, etc.  After poking around her posts, I thought I would go out on a limb and see if she would be interested in knowing more about my book and perhaps even reviewing it for her blog.  

Shockingly, she accepted!  I quickly zipped her a copy from CreateSpace and only had to wait.  A couple of weeks later, boom!  I had a review.  Here is what she had to say:

MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2013

FROM THE PROPOSAL TO EVER AFTER :: BOOK REVIEW

I was recently sent a copy of Camille Carter's book From the Proposal to Ever After A Louisiana Woman's Guide to Marriage and Community Property Laws to review and share. All opinions are my own, I was not paid, but I was given a copy for the book for free. 

Have you ever thought about marriage law? Who's legally in charge of the money in the event of your husband's death, or even yours? What happens to property you owned before you were married? Does your spouse have rights to your inheritance?

Those questions and many more were answered by Camille in her new book From the Proposal to Ever After. As a woman we happily marry without ever thinking twice about marriage law. No one ever gets married with plans to divorce, but in the event it ever were to happen you would need to know a little about the state laws.

Not only were divorce laws covered, but Camille also hit on a topic we've discussed on many occasions...death. I've thought for some time about getting a living will together and now more than ever I think we definitely need to. In case you didn't know, Louisiana works under community property laws, I was actually surprised at what all was included in community property law. Something I found very interesting was that in the event your husband were to die that 50/50 law of Louisiana's doesn't immediately deem you the now 100% owner of everything the two of you owned. Nope. his half doesn't go to you but your children, if you have no kids then it goes to his parents. Next it trickles down to his siblings, their kids...and eventually landing at cousins. I think that was the most eye opening thing I learned, while it was very good to know the marriage law, the way things pan out in death was most interesting to me.

I could turn that into a big soap box though.

I really loved this book, it was well written, & Camille did a great job at putting legal terms into words we can all understand better. I learned so much about Louisiana marriage law from this book, and plan to take what I've learned and implement it into our plans for each other, if that makes sense. While divorce isn't in our planned future, many other things that fall into Louisiana marriage law will come upon us at one time or another.

I highly recommend this book to any woman or even man who live in Louisiana or were married here. If you are about to marry you should definitely read, it never hurts to know what the law has to say and how it will affect you in different circumstances.

To learn more about From the Proposal to Ever After check out the following links ::

You can purchase Camille Carter's book From the Proposal to Ever After on Amazon for $9.99 in paperback or for Kindle. If you have a Nook you can order here.

You can also find Camille on Twitter, Facebook,  or at her blog.

Click here to view the actual post!

I do believe this is a small step for From the Proposal to Ever After and a giant leap for Camille.  I could not be happier :)  

CC