CHASING THE CAROUSELS OF PARIS: Guest Post by Kaye Wilkinson Barley

KAYE WILKINSON BARLEY:
CHASING THE CAROUSELS OF PARIS

“Kaye and Donald Barley’s photographs of Parisian carousels capture the whimsy, wit, and charm of the raucous merry-go-rounds that pepper the cobblestone streets and manicured parks of the City of Light. So grab a copy of Carousels of Paris and let your imagination wander back to a world full of colored lights and painted horses, quaint carriages and playful tigers, fantastical griffins and endangered dodos.”
—Juliet Blackwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Carousel of Provence and Letters from Paris 

“Simply enchanting! The carousels are delightful and the photographers manage to bring them to life. I half expected them to leap off the pages. I absolutely adored this book!”
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author and author of soon to be released Paris is Always a Good Idea

To say I’m pleased with these kind words from two authors I admire is an understatement, at the very least.

Researching, photographing and writing Carousels of Paris has been pure fun, hearing nice things being said about it is a bonus of enormous portions.

I’ve been in love with carousels for as long as I can remember, and it started with Trimper’s carousel on the Ocean City, MD Boardwalk. It was purchased in 1912 from the Herschell-Spillman Company in North Tonawanda, NY and is still in use today.

I rode it when I was a little girl, and still ride it whenever we get back to Ocean City.

That was the beginning of a love affair which was reignited while planning my first trip to Paris.

Falling in love with Paris included falling in love with their carousels.

I knew there was a carousel at the base of the Eiffel Tower, having seen lots of pictures of it over the years.

I did not know that there are approximately 20.

They’re in the gardens – both large and small tucked away hidden gardens, and occasionally plopped down in the street near a Metro Station.

I say there are approximately 20 because some of them are there for awhile, then not. Such is the case with the carousel in front of the Hotel de Ville. We’ve missed it both times we’ve been to Paris. But we know it shows back up, so we just have to go back, I guess, and look again.

We have tried our best to capture and photograph all of them, but like I mentioned, when we get to the location specified we are no longer surprised to find that it’s gone – possibly moved to another location temporarily.

Or, truth be told, it’s very easy to get sidetracked by something else while on a carousel hunt in Paris. And one would be silly to pass by a small café set back under the trees in Luxembourg Gardens for a brief respite with a pastry and a café crème.

And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get back to Paris one day and finish looking for the rest of those magical carousels.

To photograph.

And to ride.

***

Kaye Wilkinson Barley lives with her husband of almost 34 years, Don, in the North Carolina mountains along with one little princess of a pup—Annabelle, who is a fluffy Welsh Corgi. They’re both retired and spending time doing things together they both enjoy—photography and traveling. And saving their “Pennies for Paris” to try to photograph the rest of the carousels of Paris for their next book.

Earl Staggs: R.I.P.

Sad News. Earl Staggs: R.I.P. 

Earl Staggs passed away yesterday. Staggs earned a long list of Five Star reviews for his novels Memory of a Murder and Justified Action and twice received a Derringer Award for Best Short Story of the Year. He served as Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Magazine, as President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, is a contributing blog member of Murderous Musings and Make Mine Mystery and a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars. 
http://earlwstaggs.wordpress.com

Read Kaye Wilkinson Barley's beautiful tribute here.

Kaye Wilkinson Barley on Self-Publishing

Today I welcome back Kaye Wilkinson Barley.

WHIMSEY is Kaye Wilkinson Barley's first novel. She lives with her husband, Don, in the North Carolina mountains along with Harley Doodle Barley, the Wonder Corgi. Kaye is Blog Mistress of Meanderings and Muses. She also steps in as "Oh, Kaye!" the first Sunday of every month at Jungle Red Writers. Kaye was also a contributor to two regional Western North Carolina anthologies - - - "Clothes Lines," and "Women's Spaces Women's Places," both edited by Celia H. Miles and Nancy Dillingham. Upcoming events include her participation as an exhibiting author in The High Country Festival of the Book in June, and she will be doing a wine and cheese book signing on September 13th at Quarter Moon Books on Topsail Island, North Carolina.

KAYE WILKINSON BARLEY:

People have asked why I decided to self-publish my book, WHIMSEY: A NOVEL. Granted, self-publishing is not for everyone, I would never presume to say that.

While I was in the midst of making final revisions, and a great deal of soul searching and pondering I decided to forego the agent querying thing and go for self-publishing.

I learned a lot about myself during the novel writing. I loved writing it. Loved it! I hate rewriting and revisions. I know a lot of people love it. Not me. And the more I do it, the more I tend to not want to do it, which has shown me in bright brilliant lights that I am not one of those "I HAVE to write every single day!" writers.

Many of you know how I feel about writers - they're my rock stars. I admire and respect them greatly. I'm not one of them. I'm just not and I know it. I don't possess the talent or the pure need and stamina to write as well as my friends Louise Penny, Margaret Maron, Judy Greber, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Deborah Crombie and so many others.

That's not meant as false modesty - I do think I'm a fairly decent writer. And the success I'm seeing with my WHIMSEY backs that up a bit, which thrills me to the moon and back.

So now all these questions are beginning to run through my mind again. And clouding everything up. A few months ago I wrote at Meanderings and Muses that I had no desire to be a career writer. Now? Who knows. Some days I do, some days I don't. This isn't as earth shattering for me as it may sound since I'm a person known for changing her mind (a lot) and eating her words ( a lot).

I wrote the novel I wanted to write. It's not everyone's cup of tea and that's okay. It has magic and best girlfriends. There's pretty clothes and great food. There's laughter and love. Art and a perfect gallery on a lovely little idyllic island in the Lowcountry. There's a ghost or two and a pixie named Earlene who happens to be partial to Christian Louboutins. It's impossible to put a tag on - kinda like the most interesting people I know who refuse to be placed in a single category. Eccentric and flawed. And fun.

But here's the really fun part. Turns out it is a lot of people's cup of tea. And I have no words for how exciting its been to learn that.

Truthfully - I expected some friends and family to buy the book and to tell me they liked it. Some of them might have actually meant it. Instead, I'm hearing from total strangers who have fallen in love with The Wicked Women of Whimsey, and most especially - with Earlene. They love the way life is on Whimsey - the simplicity, and the magic. And I learned that I'm not the only person who loves the thought of magic in my life.

So. I'm working on the second book in what I hope will be a series taking place on Whimsey, which will tell each woman's story.

Will I continue to self-publish or will I decide to try the traditional approach?

You know, I just don't know . . . .

And whatever I were to say here may not be the same thing I would say in a year, so I guess I'll have to stick with that. I just don't know. But I hope you'll stay tuned and we'll probably find out the answer together. Wish me luck for whichever way it goes, please!