Author: CMPR

Where the Angels Lived by Margaret McMullan

Posted on by CMPR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“Someone should write a book,” my mother says, sipping iced coffee. “Not about the drama of that time, during the war, but about what it does to the person who’s left with all of it, the person who feels it but doesn’t quite know it all.”

Where The Angels Lived
One Family’s Story of Exile, Loss, and Return

By Margaret McMullan

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The moment she discovers the existence of Richard, a long-lost relative, at Israel’s Holocaust Museum, Margaret McMullan begins an unexpected journey of revelation and connectivity as she tirelessly researches the history of her ancestors, the Engel de Jánosis. Propelled by a Fulbright cultural exchange that sends her to teach at a Hungarian University, Margaret, her husband and teenage son all eagerly travel to Pécs, the land of her mother’s Jewish lineage. After reaching Pécs, a Hungarian town both small and primarily Christian, Margaret realizes right then and there how difficult hergoing to be. Heart-wrenching, passionate and insightful, WHERE THE ANGELS LIVED (Calypso Editions, 13: 978-1-944593-08-7, $17.95, Original Trade Paperback) by Margaret McMullan beautifully documents the relentless determination of a woman picking up the pieces of her family’s fragmented history throughout the Hungarian Holocaust.

“The destruction of the Jews in the country districts of Hungary was a simple business. The Germans made good use of their experience gained annihilating between three to four million Polish, German and Austrian Jews.”

In WHERE THE ANGELS LIVED, Margaret quickly discovers just how distinguished and influential her relatives appear to have been before the Holocaust. However, no one seems to recall the man whose name she saw that day in Israel: Richard Engel de Jánosi. With the help of students, strangers, and long-lost relatives, Margaret slowly pieces together bits of information about Richard’s past she never would have found without venturing to her family’s homeland.

While Margaret’s research starts to reap its own rewards, the road to discovery still comes at a price.  Back in the United States, Margaret’s father is sick and her mother is looking frailer every time they Skype. Despite her parents’ deteriorating health, there is much more work to be done abroad.

 “Remembering the dead, especially family members is important. I know this.”

As Margaret struggles to discover why Richard’s existence is wiped from Pécs history, her journey soon becomes her mother’s journey, a nation’s journey, and even perhaps, all of our journeys to reconnect with an inexplicable past.

“Sitting there in the pew carved of Moravian oak, I start to shake. I curse every last Hungarian who deported or murdered my family. See? Look at me. My mother got out and she had me and I had a son. You didn’t end us.”

Historical, authentic and family-oriented, WHERE THE ANGELS LIVED tells the tale of a somewhat parallel universe that exists even in the 21st century—dealings with Soviet-style bureaucracy; skepticism; anti-Semitism; and ironically the same sort of isolation and rejection Margaret’s Jewish Hungarian family experienced in 1944 before they were forced into concentration camps. Straddling memoir and reportage, past and present, this story reminds us all that we can escape a country, but we can never escape history.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Margaret McMullan is the author of eight award-winning books including the novel, In My Mother’s House and the anthology, Every Father’s Daughter. Her work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, among others. She received a NEA Fellowship and a Fulbright in Hungary to research her new book, Where The Angels Lived: One Family’s Story of Loss, Exile, and Return.

 

The Exile by Gregory Erich Phillips

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“Everything was dark.  Though her eyes could see little, her other senses became acute, telling her she wasn’t dreaming. Terror reached down into the pit of her stomach as her worst fear was revealed by the sound of whirring jets and the sensation of changing air pressure—she was on an airplane…was she really being deported? Even after everything that led up to this, it was unbelievable.”

THE EXILE

A novel by

 Gregory Erich Phillips

As a pre-teen, Leila made a risky escape from an evil man and a life of poverty in Colombia.  Today, a full-grown woman with a seemingly perfect life and successful career, Leila is well on her way to having it all.  But buried secrets have a nasty habit of coming back to haunt us, and in Gregory Erich Phillips’s new novel THE EXILE (Koehler Books; April 6, 2019; Paperback; ISBN: 978-1-6339376-5-9; $18.95) events steadily mount to a fever-pitch when Leila and others are forced to face extreme challenges to avoid losing everything they love.

It is the mid-2000s and Leila is working for one of the top mortgage brokers in Phoenix, Arizona.  Her manager, Samantha, applauds Leila’s hard work while at the same time taking every opportunity to remind Leila of her Hispanic immigrant status.  Leila’s perfect life begins to unravel, precipitated by the mortgage crisis of 2008 and an ill-timed romance with Samantha’s son, Ashford. Seeing Leila with her son brings all Samantha’s latent racism to the surface, and she lays down an ultimatum with disastrous consequences.

THE EXILE is a captivating story about love, family, home and the courage it takes to protect them. It is a timely novel that sheds light on the challenges faced by Hispanic immigrants living in the United States. Phillips, whose first award-winning novel Love of Finished Years depicted the complicated life of a German immigrant woman in New York during World War I, is adept at presenting events, whether current or historical, on an emotional level through his strong characters.  In THE EXILE he also draws on research and professional experience to express the realities of an abrupt deportation and the fallout for well-meaning people in the mortgage business.

A prolific writer with another novel already underway, Phillips is quickly establishing himself as an author to watch.  THE EXILE has already won first-place for mainstream fiction in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest and is well on its way to being on must-read lists in 2019.

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Alice and Gerald: A Homicidal Love Story by Ron Franscell

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“Alice & Gerald: A Homicidal Love Story” is going to be the best true crime book you’ll read this year, or in just about any other year. Author Ron Franscell combines exhaustive research and plenty of literary talent to deliver the classic saga of four brutal murders and the decades-long efforts of dogged investigators to bring the married perpetrators to justice. In the process, he reminds the rest of us who write in this genre how it ought to be done.”

—JEFF GUINN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Manson and The Road to Jonestown

“Compulsively readable. Imminently astonishing. Only Ron Franscell, one of America’s most talented and thoughtful crime writers, could render this story of a deadly and monstrous relationship with both lightning-paced prose and a keen awareness of the psychopathology of his subjects. Bound to be a bestseller.”

—GREGG OLSEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Starvation Heights and The Last Thing She Ever Did

“When you read about the dark, murderous secrets of Gerald and Alice Uden, you will think you are reading something Shakespearean. You will also think the story has got to be made up. But it’s all true. Ron Franscell has pulled off an amazing job of research and writing.”

—Skip Hollandsworth, author of The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer

“Ron Franscell never disappoints. A disturbing yet mesmerizing read, ‘Alice & Gerald’ kept me turning pages, not wanting to close the book. Meticulously researched and skillfully written, this gripping true crime account of two twisted killers weaves together the threads of four cold-blooded murders committed in the name of a depraved love.”

—Kathryn Casey, bestselling author of In Plain Sight

 

“Wyoming is a place where one can hide and never be found.”

ALICE & GERALD

A Homicidal Love Story

“There are more places to hide dead people than live people will ever find.” That’s partly why Gerald Uden liked Wyoming so much. It was a spot where he could find himself, maybe a job, a place to shoot his guns, but most importantly: a wife. To no one’s surprise, “Gerald Uden liked girls who liked guns.” Even more, he longed for someone who needed him. He longed for companionship. He longed for a family. But three ex-wives and two adopted stepsons later, Gerald continued to strike out with women. By 1976, all he was left with were child support bills issued by his third wife, Virginia…until he met Alice.

Alice Prunty also had terrible luck when it came to marriage. She was married twice before meeting Gerald…or so she originally claimed was only twice. However, unlike Gerald, she didn’t long for someone who needed her. She didn’t long for companionship. She longed for control. And that was exactly what Gerald loved most about her.

 “Alice was an aggressive leader in need of a submissive follower, and Gerald was a cowardly follower who needed a bold leader.”

ALICE & GERALD (Prometheus Books, 978-1633885127, $18.00, Original Trade Paperback) by Ron Franscell tells the riveting true story of the murders, secrets, and lies behind the disappearance of Virginia Uden and her two sons, Richard and Reagan. Nonetheless, a sunny September afternoon and a plan to meet Gerald at “the corner” didn’t seem out of the ordinary to Virginia. When she drove off in her mother’s station wagon that day, she had no idea it would be the last time anyone would ever lay eyes on her or her young sons.

“Just like that, he erased his last connection to Virginia and the boys. In fact, he felt kind of virtuous. Sure, he felt guilty about killing three people who’d once (and in the boys’ case, still) loved him, but they’d become nuisances and he had a new family to raise.”

Enticing, suspenseful and incredibly well-written by award-winning true crime writer Ron Franscell, ALICE & GERALD leaves readers on the edge of their seats as they delve deep into secrecy, uncover vital clues, and learn more about Alice and Gerald’s past relationships in the hopes of uncovering the truth about the murders of Virginia, Richard, and Reagan Uden. While all signs pointed authorities to Gerald, there was no solid evidence to support or deny that he was their killer. What about Alice? What part did she play? After previous hostile threats back and forth with Virginia, it was clear “Alice’s agenda, before, during, and after her crimes, was control.” Franscell paints an astoundingly vivid picture of just how and why the mystery went unsolved for nearly 40 years. So how does it end? Well, just when you thought there was a break in the case, another captivating turn leaves you clinging on to what could be the next telling clue.

“Maybe Gerald and Alice did something so literally unspeakable to the bodies that they don’t dare reveal it. Burned them piece by piece in a trash barrel? Chopped them up and fed them to the pigs?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A veteran journalist, Ron Franscell is the author of 17 books, including the Edgar-nominated “Morgue: A Life in Death” and international bestseller “The Darkest Night.”

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My Guide to Influencer Outreach

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With the prevalence of social media continuing to grow, influencers are becoming incredibly powerful tools in content marketing. In fact, a Tomoson study found that influencer outreach is “the fastest-growing online customer acquisition channel, outpacing organic search and email marketing.” For one, influencer outreach is incredibly useful when it comes to relationship development. We’re currently working on a couple of campaigns whose central audiences are geared toward the education market. So, how did we expand our outreach? We found popular teacher Instagram influencers with over 12,000 followers who we can approach with the latest series additions for optimal publicity. A simple Instagram post or story can go a long way in terms of making a lasting impact on consumers.

With that said, it’s imperative to implement tactics that best reach both influencers and your ultimate target audience. The key in initially building durable relationships, in my experience, is to come across as genuine as possible. Considering the numerous amounts of DMs these influencers sift through every day, taking an unorthodox, new approach can help achieve the attention you desire. Avoiding the clichéd, copied-and-pasted pitch will certainly help you stand out from the rest. Here are 3 tips to help you do just that:

1. Design your pitch around how your product or service can be beneficial to the individual influencer and less about how they can be beneficial to you. Any salesperson will tell you that people are of course more interested in what they stand to gain, so always keep that in mind. For instance, when reaching out to the teacher influencers we emphasized why our book would be a great addition to their classroom libraries. What teacher doesn’t love free books!?

2. Show them you know who they are. Instagram/Twitter bios are convenient, go-to places to find that kind of personal information- so utilize it!

3. Be relatable. It’s basic human nature to be drawn to people who you can relate to. It further shows these influencers that you’ve taken the time to scroll through their feed to find out what they’re all about.

All in all, influencer outreach can be extremely advantageous if approached properly. Authenticity is essential when building any type of relationship, so treat influencers more like people and less like brands.

Questions from Indie Authors

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I was asked to speak this past Saturday, at an Indie Author Day at my local library.  It’s interesting to me that even when I speak to people who have heard me several times, there are always new questions.  I love that, because it gives me insight into what the world is like out there for indie authors–even those who have been doing this for quite some time.

For our Thanksgiving Week post, I decided to share some of what was asked and answered.

  1. I hired someone to do my Facebook and Twitter who was an expert in my subject area, but after six months I didn’t see a bump in sales.  I also had some speaking events and didn’t get any new attendees from the social media outreach.   Why is social media important given what I’ve experienced?   First of all, social media does not increase sales on it’s own.  Social media helps you build an audience or community, but you still need to motivate your followers to do something in order to see a result.  Combining consistent social media with some marketing of your pages or books (boosting posts on Facebook is an example) is a more strategic plan for generating book sales.  Also, I asked her why she was using Twitter and why not Instagram?  As it happens her books are about animals–and animals (especially cats) are super popular on photo based platforms like Instagram.  I explained that social media isn’t a generic platform.  It is made up of various tools that you can use based on what you are trying to accomplish and who you are trying to reach.
  2. I’ve tried to get reviewed in the major newspaper in my area.  When I reached the book person she said because my book was published by a self-publishing platform it wasn’t eligible for review.  Is that true and how am I supposed to get book reviews?  Yes, it is true that the major newspapers–think of the top 25 by circulation–will not review self-published books and even those published by very small indie presses.  There are simply too many books and too little space.  Also, reviewers haven’t achieved the level of trust yet with indie authors or perhaps your publisher, to determine what is going to be worth their time to cover.  Book reviews on blogs and in publications that favor indie books as well as some local papers and online sites are obtainable.  Some examples are Foreword Magazine, San Francisco Book Review, and Publishers Weekly’s “Book Life” platform.
  3. I was in the newspaper business but the local papers are all gone.  Or they’ve been bought out by corporate syndicates and they have little to no staff on hand to cover books.   How can I get local coverage?  It’s true that there are many local papers that have been absorbed into corporations.  Usually there is one features person who covers several at one time.   But there are also local glossy magazines, which tend to have staff writers because they reap the benefits of local businesses advertising.  Indie authors can check out people who are freelancing, because they may be submitting pieces to the syndicates or some of the locally focused online outlets.  Finally, try the “free” papers in your area.  They are often looking for very locally based stories and will copy information from a press release.

If you have a question email me at claire@clairemckinneypr.com and put “Question for Blog” in the subject line.  I will answer in a forthcoming blog.  I would love to hear from you!