Denis Ledoux's Blog, page 19

How I Launched Myself Publicly in the Creative Life

Editor: This post first appeared in February 2014 at a time when covid as not part of our lives. It advocates marketing that I undertook in pre-covid days but which I believe will soon be available and viable again.

I believe that implicit in every publication is access to an audience. Whether you hope to support yourself or to merely attract a more substantial audience, this post—written about a time half a life ago—has something for you.

—

“Is it possible to find readers who will support...

A French-Canadian Legacy Podcast with Denis Ledoux

Listen to this podcast on the French-Canadian Legacy Podcast as Denis Ledoux talks about writing memoirs and the memoir he wrote with his mother We Were Not Spoiled.

If you’ve had any interest in writing down your story or someone else’s, this is an amazing episode to listen to.

– Louise Simoneau

Writing a biography: First Franco: Albert Beliveau

Writing a biography poses specific challenges and research problems that are sometimes parallel to, but in the end quite different from, those involved in memoir and historical fiction.

The start of this project

My work on what became First Franco: Albert Beliveau in Law, Politics and Love began more than four years before publication, when I had preliminary discussions with Albert Beliveau’s son, Severin, about a long-dormant project began a generation earlier by a scholar then at...

Memoir Success: Approaching Neverland

Memoir Success

Over the years, I have worked with many writers to help them create and shape their memoirs. It’s my pleasure to bring to your attention once again the success of one such writer: Peggy Kennedy from San Ramon, California, for whom I had the pleasure of providing coaching and editing help that led to her memoir success

Many readers of this blog have been writing for a while and some are despairing of finishing. There is hope. After a number of years of preparation, Peggy Kenn...

What I Saw on Christmas Day

Editor: This lovely tribute about the passing of a care facility resident on Christmas Day was written in 2013 and reflects the previous year. The author’s husband, Henry Gosselin, has since passed.

This is what I saw on Christmas Day while sitting on the couch with my husband at the Vicarage by the Sea, the Alzheimer’s care facility where he now resides.

Earlier, Henry and I had exchanged simple gifts. I gave him a homemade sock monkey that said “Kisses For You” on its hat; I’d read stuff...

5 Fundamental Steps of Online Memoir Promotion

Promoting books online is one of the most stressful tasks for authors. At its core, it’s about informing people why they should buy your book, and giving them an easy way to do so. When put that way, online memoir promotion doesn’t sound so scary. As with anything else, the complexity is in the details. If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all there is to do, take a breath and focus on the following fundamental steps of advertising a book online.

1. Determine where your aud...

Becoming an American—Why Not?

DL— Stories about immigration and citizenship form the backbone of our great American story as much today as in past times.  My ancestors were among the millions who came here in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here is an excerpt about becoming an American from We Were Not Spoiled, the memoir of my mother Lucille Verreault Ledoux as told to me. For many more excerpts of my mother’s life, click here.

Joseph Verreault

My father had not come to the US to stay, but that’s what h...

How to Write A Successful Memoir: Stepping Stones [Part 2]

Today, we wrap up the interview with our guest writer Marilea Rabasa. Her discussion of self-discovery through the hell of substance use disorder continues in Part 2. Her memoir Stepping Stones placed in the International Book Award as a finalist.

For the first half of the interview, click here.

Marilea Rabasa in conversation

Denis Ledoux: Did you envision yourself as a writer before you began this book on substance use? What is your identity as a writer now?

Marilea Rabasa: Writing is a...

Going Up in Flames: My Dream Shop Was Burning to the Ground!

This excerpt is from Business Boy to Business Man,  the memoir of Robert Verreault as told to Denis Ledoux. The memoir was published in 2013.

During the summer, I took a longer supper break and, after returning to the shop — where I had over a hundred and fifty employees — I might stay until the second shift went home at 11. The evening of July 18 was no different.

When
I was young, I used to take care of emergencies at the shop myself, but no
more. My summer camp’s telephone numb...

How to Write A Successful Memoir: Stepping Stones [Part 1]

Today’s guest writer is Marilea Rabasa for whose memoir Stepping Stones I had the pleasure of writing a book blurb. Her story—a journey of self-discovery through the hell of substance use disorder— is a moving one. Today we offer the first half of the email interview we conducted with her. The second half will follow in the next blog publication.

Marilea Rabasa in conversation

Denis Ledoux: Can you tell our readers what your book is about and why you were impelled to write it? What...