In Motion: MotionTemps' Guide to Working Globally Locally

5 Star Review for 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover!

2011-07-13T09:11:00.000+02:00

Feeling very blessed for the following review from ReadersFavorites.com:

"Carolyn Moncel is a wonderful author. I like the development of the characters and the way they blended into the plot. This is not Ellery and Julien Roulet's first appearance, though. I was a little confused on that aspect at first, but once I pushed through the novella, I quickly became acquainted with them and found myself pulled into the middle of the book to take the journey of relationships and complicated issues that surround having a lover.

Not that I have been through these things, I really felt a deep connection with Ellery. Just the way that Ms. Moncel created and formed her character really reached out to me. I think that is part of what makes it such a fantastic book. The issues at hand, the cheating, the deeply emotional journey of abuse, all of them were created not to be entertaining, but informative and life like..."

Read the Full Review

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OOSA Online Book Club Gives 5 Stars to Encounters in Paris

2011-03-06T11:17:00.001+01:00

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” – Flora Whittemore

When you think of Paris, one of things that might cross your mind is romance, but the last thing Ellery Roulet is feeling is romantic. Ellery never imagined reading her mail would send her life in a downward spiral, but soon she realizes it was already headed that way.

“Encounters in Paris” is described as a collection of short stories, but I would describe it as chapters in Ellery Roulet’s life. Every short story involves Ellery coming to the realization of a situation in her life, and also understanding that life’s solutions aren’t so black and white. The author does an excellent job of engrossing readers in the language, atmosphere, and culture of Paris, also addressing topics such as infidelity, trust, and regret.

Hopefully the author will continue Ellery’s story, because I believe there is so much more waiting in the wings for the main character.

Author Angela Henry Interviews Carolyn Moncel

2011-02-25T18:52:00.000+01:00

Check out my blog interview with Angela Henry, author of the terrific book, Paris Secret! A fast-paced mystery, it's the perfect read for a cozy weekend at home!

APOOO Bookclub Recommends Encounters in Paris!

2011-02-25T18:29:00.001+01:00

In Encounters in Paris, Ellery Roulet, a 35-year-old American public relations executive, is living what appears to most people a successful and envied life. In addition to living in her dream city, Ellery is married to a handsome Frenchman, has two adorable daughters, and is one of the founders of a successful public relations firm. But, life always provides a couple of curve balls, some expected and some unexpected. In this well-crafted gem, Ellery will soon discover that life and love have both joy and sorrow. How she deals with the ups-and-downs is what life is really all about, and the joy of reading this book.

Ellery's life is revealed through connected episodes in this short-story collection. Some of my favorite episodes were the ones that deal with what-if scenarios, if you ever had a chance to re-do some past incidents in your life. In "A Brief Indiscretion," Ellery has a second chance to recapture love with an ex-boyfriend, and at the moment to make everything right, Ellery makes a decision that even she never imagined. In "Pandora's Box Revisited," Ellery and her husband will both discover what matters most to them, but one knows more than the other about what came in the mail that will change their future. I was simply engrossed in these stories, and in Ellery's world. I enjoyed that the stories were set in France and how the French culture was incorporated in the tales. The author was able to create situations which appear ordinary, but were more richly complex than what meets the eye. While the stories may use few words to describe the situations, the words are smoothly elegant and polished.

What I most enjoyed about this book, is while Ellery is African-American, she really is "Everywoman," as Ms. Moncel has written about universal experiences women encounter across cultures and time. It was refreshing to read a story that will appeal to all women, and one that features an African-American as the main character.

I recommend this book to all woman readers; this book shows how artful storytelling can be. The themes of job loss, infidelity, and death while bittersweet will speak to your heart. Grab your favorite beverage and be delighted by these profound stories. I look forward to reading future works by Carolyn Moncel.

This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Reviewed by Beverly

APOOO BookClub

Ether Books

2011-02-23T18:40:00.001+01:00

Ether Books publishes short/flash fiction especially for smart phones, precisely the idea I had in mind while writing these stories. Check out their site: www.etherbooks.co.uk, as there are so many other stories written by awesome writers presented there too! Also, I'm listed as a contributing writer just under Sir Paul McCartney! How cool is that? Check them out.

Can’t Fall in Love with a Person? Fall for a Book!

2011-02-11T21:55:00.001+01:00

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, American author, Carolyn Moncel together with Smashwords invites readers to fall in love with her book, ’Encounters in Paris,’ by offering free digital downloads from February 11 to February 15, 2011.

“We’ve all fallen in and out of love, and some of us may be alone this Valentine’s Day,” says Moncel, a Chicago native, who has lived with her family between Paris and Lausanne, Switzerland for the last eight years. “It doesn’t have to be a tragedy. Instead, why not love yourself this weekend by curling up with a good book and a nice cup of hot chocolate?”

’Encounters in Paris’ centers on Ellery Martin-Roulet, a 35-year-old American public relations executive living and working in Paris has the perfect life. She is married to a handsome Frenchman, has adorable twin daughters and a successful bilingual PR firm located in one of Paris’ trendiest arrondissements. Unfortunately, Ellery soon realizes that life isn’t always perfect. When betrayal, loss, and regrets enter Ellery’s world at five different periods of time over a ten-year span, she quickly learns that it is how she chooses to deal with life’s trickiest situations that shapes her soul.

At the Smashwords site (http://bit.ly/ePNpa2), readers simply select their favorite digital format and type in the coupon code, SE56P, to generate the free download. The ebook, which normally sells for $9.99, is available in virtually every format including PDF, .mobi for Amazon’s Kindle, Epub, and LRF for Sony Readers.

According to Moncel, there is only one tiny request: All readers are encouraged to post an honest review at their favorite online bookseller site like Amazon.com, GoodReads.com and of course, Smashwords.com.

“It’s my way of saying thank you to all the wonderful fans I have met over the last few months,” added Moncel. “If you love the book, then shout it from the rooftops by posting a message! If you hate it, post a message anyway so I can write better books in the future!”

About Carolyn Moncel

A virtual media and web consultant by day and author by night, Carolyn Davenport-Moncel moved to Paris from Chicago, her hometown, in 2001. Known for her online articles on media relations, Moncel owns MotionTemps, LLC (www.motiontemps.com), a Digital Project and Web Content Management firm, and its subsidiary, Mondavé Communications (www.mondaveinc.com), a media relations and publishing company. She currently resides in Lausanne, Switzerland with her husband and two daughters. ’Encounters in Paris’ is her first work of fiction. Her next collection of short stories, 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover will debut in fall 2011. Discover her other works at www.carolynmoncel.com. Follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Encounters-in-Paris-A-Collection-of-Short-Stories/171683209508859; LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/motiontemps; and on Twitter: http://twitter.com/carolynmoncel.

About ’Encounters in Paris’

Published in November 2010 by Mondavé Media via CreateSpace, ’Encounters in Paris’ – A Collection of Short Stories is now available in paperback and also in digital format for Kindle at all major online bookstores including, Amazon.com (http://bit.ly/cB9bfR). The retail price for paperback is $17.99. The Kindle edition is $9.99. Single story downloads start at $2.99. The ISBN number is: 978-1-4538-9821-5. Ms. Moncel is available for appearances, book club discussions and interviews.

About Smashwords.com

Smashwords is an ebook publishing and distribution platform for ebook authors, publishers and readers. Smashwords offers multi-format, DRM-free ebooks, ready for immediate sampling and purchase, and readable on any e-reading device. Visit their site at www.smashwords.com.

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Upcoming Events for Encounters in Paris

2011-02-08T17:35:00.001+01:00

I will be on Black Author Network Radio with Ella Curry on Feb. 9, 2011 at 8 PM EST. Check it out here! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/black-author-network

I had the pleasure of doing an interview on Dave and Lillian Brummet's Conscious Blog! Check out the interview today: http://www.consciousdiscussions.blogspot.com/
Go back in the future 'cause it's great reading and highly recommended!

It was a lot of fun chatting with Tyora Moody from soulful site, Written Voices Blog. Thanks for checking out the interview where we talked about Encounters but also spirtual topics. http://writtenvoicesblog.com/2011/02/interview-carolyn-moncel/

New Review for ReaderViews.com!

2011-01-26T17:24:00.002+01:00

Encounters in Paris - A Collection of Short Stories
Encounters in Paris - A Collection of Short Stories A new review in from ReaderViews.com: "...The end of this short book holds a question and answer session with the author which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was given the chance to understand the author, get to know Ellery better and discover the inspiration that surrounds the writing of this book. It was a unique feature... that fully fits the book..." Follow the link to read the entire review!

Reader Views - Encounters in Paris
www.readerviews.com

Carolyn Moncel on Writer`s Voices Jan. 21, 2011 at 1:30 PM Central

2011-01-18T22:16:00.001+01:00

Time: January 21, 2011 from 1:30pm to 2pm Central
Location: KRUU FM
Website or Map: http://www.kruufm.com/writers-voices

Please tune in on Monday, January 21 at 1:30PM Central when Carolyn Moncel, author of "Encounters in Paris, talks to Writer`s Voices hosts Caroline and Monica about her collection of short stories. Check out Carolyn's website at www.carolynmoncel.com.

Purchase Digital Copy of Encounters in Paris at Smashwords!

2011-01-10T11:53:00.000+01:00

Purchase your digital copy of Encounters in Paris at Smashwords.com between January 6 and February 10, 2011 and receive 40 percent off! Use code UP56K

Upcoming Radio Interviews with Carolyn Moncel

2011-01-09T03:03:00.004+01:00

Upcoming Radio Interviews with Carolyn Moncel
Time: January 17, 2011 from 1pm to 1:30pm EST
Location: Works Cited with Loretta Walker on BlogTalkRadio.com
Website or Map: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/works-cited/2011/01/17/carolyn-moncel-interview
Phone: 917-932-8610
Event Type: live, radio, interview
Organized By: Carolyn Moncel

Please tune in on Monday, January 17 at 1PM EST when Carolyn Moncel, author of "Encounters in Paris, talks to Works Cited host Loretta Walker about her collection of short stories. Check out Carolyn's website at www.carolynmoncel.com.

Time: January 26, 2011 from 7pm to 7:30pm
Location: Artists First Radio Network Online
Website or Map: http://www.artistfirst.com/
Phone: 330-823-2264
Event Type: live, radio, interview

Please join Carolyn Moncel, author of "Encounters in Paris," on Wednesday, January 26 at 7 PM eastern standard time for a DELIGHTFUL show about her new book of short stories. Now, everyone knows that Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You're sure to fall in love there but Paris can also break your heart. Tune in to find out why when I talk about the inspiration behind the book and much more. Check out my website at www.carolynmoncel.com, and don't forget to tune in at 7pm, January 26th, right here on The ArtistFirst Radio Network.

Encounters in Paris first Review!

2011-01-07T23:32:00.002+01:00

PRAISE FOR
Encounters of Paris – A Collection of Short Stories

"Paris seems like the most romantic thing in the world, until you live there. "Encounters in Paris" is a collection of short stories from Carolyn Moncel and her protagonist Ellery Roulet, a nearing middle age woman working in Paris and finding out while there is love, there is also everything you hate about love. A fun read that blends plenty of romance, "Encounters in Paris" is quite the pick, recommended."

—The Midwest Book Review

The Authors Show with Don Cauley 12-21-2010

2010-12-21T09:34:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, I'm on the Author's Show with Don Cauley on 12/21/2010 all day discussing Encounters in Paris: http://www.theauthorsshow.com/

Pagereaders.com Interviews Carolyn Moncel!

2010-12-13T17:59:00.002+01:00

Check out my interview on PageReaders.com! There are many more books reviewed as well, so check out the site! Thanks Nanci, for a great interview!

Swiss Independence Day – American Style

2009-08-10T10:48:00.001+02:00

My latest article on celebrating Swiss Independence Day

http://tinyurl.com/n658qp

Enfin! A Beauty Refuge for Women of Colour

2009-06-09T10:36:00.001+02:00

Expatica.com published my article on both the French and Swiss editions today.

"Where can I find a hair salon?" is the #1 question women of color, especially, ask me about visiting, working, and living in Paris and now Geneva.

When in Paris or Geneva, check them out.

Here are more options from my pal, Priscilla Lalisse of Prissy Magazine in Paris.

Rejuvenating Your Virtual Assistance Practice After a Move

2009-05-22T20:24:00.005+02:00

Six years ago when my husband suddenly announced that our family would be moving to France, I thought he had lost his mind. I had good reason to think so. Eight months into a pregnancy with my second daughter and a fledgling virtual assistance practice in tow, I had no intentions of giving up my hard-earned clients in order to move to the Paris.

It was such a tough decision because I wanted to remain in Chicago, my hometown, but the American economy was sluggish at best, and brutal on people like my husband, who had been working in IT. With much regret, we packed up our house, kids, pets and my VA business and moved to the City of Light.

When I arrived, I didn't speak the language yet, and I certainly didn't have any contact with the business culture either. I soon learned it was vastly different from what I was accustomed to back home. It was time to rejuvenate my VA practice, if I was going to remain in business.

If you think about it, every business occasionally needs a shot in the arm – VA practices especially. The same was still true when my family moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 2007. I had to start over and find new outlets for my practice but at least this time, I knew exactly what to expect.

Business rejuvenation allows you to introduce new ideas, gain fresh perspective and set direction for the future. The four tips provided below apply to almost any situation. The trick simply involves finding creative ways of holding on to existing clients while expanding your practice to include new ones.

1. Redefine your current business model

Remember what your business does and stick to the plan. Life's uncertainties can tempt you to go after all available business prospects instead of those that exactly match your business model's description. This is a bad idea because you'll lose your core business' focus and end up performing projects or tasks that are either not very fulfilling or fall out of your realm of expertise.

2. Re-examine your current client list

Rediscover who your clients are and the industries they represent. Take the time to re-evaluate why you enjoy working with them. Besides the fact that my client list has always been comprised of trainers or coaches, they all share certain personality traits and values that fuse perfectly with my own. When you know what makes your client relationships work, acquiring new ones become more of an exercise in interviewing prospects to ensure that they are the right fit for your company rather than the other way around.

3. Discover your company's uniqueness and let your personality shine

Recognize that the VA industry is growing exponentially and is now global. Therefore, you must not only carve out a service niche for your business, but also discover what makes your clients enjoy working with you. Remember that our unique personalities can be one of the strongest weapons in our marketing arsenal, because in the end, it all boils down to the special ways in which we treat and service our clients. For example, clients hire you because they like your personality in addition to the way you conduct business. When they know you, they are more likely to allow you into their network and refer you to other potential clients.

4. Research and evaluate the needs of your new business environment

Check out the local business community and spend time talking to people to find out more about their businesses and the types of services needed. Immediately upon my arrival in France, I started joining training and coaching trade associations, bilingual chambers of commerce and expatriate business and social networking groups. Doing this allowed me to get acquainted with potential clients in my industry and establish my company's presence.

Whether your business is changing locations, embarking on new markets or just needs a makeover, it's always important to evaluate what your business is doing now and determine where it should be going in the future. Moving to a new city, state or country can be frightening, but sometimes change is good and every business deserves a good shot in the arm.

Carolyn Davenport-Moncel is president of MotionTemps, LLC, a virtual assistance firm with offices in Chicago, Paris and Geneva. The firm specializes in managing websites and presentation creation for small-business owners.

Finding the "Right" Virtual Assistant for Your Business

2009-05-20T14:01:00.000+02:00

I would like to hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) for my company because it would be the best solution for finding personnel for my business without hiring another employee. However, I don't know where to look or how to start? How do I decide which Virtual Assistant is right for my business?

As the world economy begins to slow down many small businesses find themselves in the same situation: they need more support staff but they cannot afford to add another employee to the company payroll. The solution very well could be integrating a Virtual Assistant into your support staff. However, if you are a business owner, consider these tips:

Be very clear and detailed about what types of tasks you need done (both immediate as well as future responsibilities).
Determine how many hours per week you think you will need the VA's help. You can figure it out by calculating how long it takes you to do things.
Anticipate if these responsibilities can be done truly virtually meaning (only by phone, fax, email, texting, etc.) with no face-to-face interaction or if there will be a need for the VA to physically come into your office to work or run errands for you. Depending on their location and specialty, some VAs will come to your office for meetings or occasional help in your office.
Determine if the VA requires any other special needs. For example, will need the VA need to be bilingual to handle any of their responsibilities.

In preparation for the VA interview do:

Carefully review the VA's background, resume and references.
Look for compatibility and synergy between you and your Virtual Assistant.
Determine if the VA has a genuine interest in your business (i.e., Are questions being asked about your overall business operations and the goals you have set for your business?)
Look for a VA who offers ideas or solutions for running your business more effectively.
Schedule several phone calls, if necessary, to ensure that the VA is right for you and your business.
Start your VA on small projects first in order to better monitor progress.

Where to Find VAs by Organizations and Directories

Hiring a Virtual Assistant can be a very rewarding experience. Remember that there are just as many VAs out there who work specialists as there are generalists. With the industry growing so quickly, you are bound to find the right one for your organization. Take your time and look for that perfect match.

For more information on how small-business owners can find the right Virtual Assistant for their companies, visit the MotionTemps.com website at: http://www.motiontemps.com/aboutvas.html

Having questions about starting or marketing a Virtual Assistance practice or have to integrate a VA into your small business? Send me an email or follow me on Twitter.

Switzerland: Europe’s Best-kept Secret!

2009-05-19T14:32:00.002+02:00

Expatica.ch, a really great English-speaking resource publication, interviewed me this week about living and working in Switzerland. It was a fun interview!

You can read it here: http://tinyurl.com/q43uho

People often ask me about the differences between working and networking in the United States and Europe. The differences are vast at times. I apologize for not blogging more often, but I took a little break to prepare for the move from Paris to Geneva. However, I think figuring out how to work virtually with global organizations is a very important topic these days – especially as more people aim to launch global businesses. So through blogging and tweeting more regularly, I hope to share more of my experiences and advice on these topics. Hopefully, it will help others interested in learning more about working with businesses throughout Europe.

Creating a "Mini" Advisory Board for Your Business

2009-05-16T21:00:00.002+02:00

The Eight People You Need to Keep Your Business on Course for Success

I know when most people think of corporate boards, they probably envision Fortune 500-conference rooms filled with stuffy, old men, legal counsel and investors discussing annual financial reports and stock options. However, the picture that I want to paint is far less intimidating. In fact, creating the board that I have in mind is an achievable goal for most any small-business owner. All you have to do is bring together a small group of people willing to help you grow your business by investing a little of their time and brainpower.

Your board of directors basically is an informal group of colleagues, business associates and friends dedicated to helping your company succeed. Armed with their own experiences they come together as a brain trust to help you make sound business decisions. The group should be equally comprised of established business people (mentor or former employer) and professionals (attorney and accountant), along with a few key people whom you find most trustworthy, namely a spouse, sibling, parent or best friend.

Over the last two years, I've discovered that my board should be large enough to allow for different perspectives and opinions, but small enough so that I'm not receiving information from too many sources. That's why "eight" seems to be the magic number. This is not to say that I never seek advice and counsel from other sources, but I have created an environment where these people work seamlessly together on a single purpose: to keep my business on the course to greater success.

So who is on my list and why? I'll share with you below:

An Attorney: Sound legal advice is imperative when you're running a business. Without a capable attorney, it's impossible to navigate the business world and avoid pitfalls without someone well versed in the law and how it pertains to you and your business location.

An Accountant: You must be able to gauge profitability and loss. You also need someone who can advise you on what can be legally deducted from your income taxes.

A Financial Planner: Since you are no longer an employees, you have to know how much is needed for retirement. In addition to showing you how to keep your company liquid and socking away enough money for retirement, a financial planner can evaluate your level of insurance coverage - paying special attention to disability insurance because in the virtual assistance business, we rely on our brains and our hands, so we have to protect them.

A Career Coach: You need someone to help you articulate your business goals, formulate a plan and hold you accountable for achieving those goals. This is the one person who will surely tell you "You Go, Girl!" when you need a cheerleader."

A Sibling, best friend or spouse: No one knows you better than a close relative or friend. They know what you are capable of achieving, and they know when you're not tapping into your full potential. A close relative will tell you the truth rather than what you want to hear. Plus sometimes in business, candidness coming from a close relative is more palpable than hearing it from a complete stranger. If you want to try out a new marketing idea, a close relative is more likely to not only tell you what they really think about your idea, but why it's not likely to work. They will likely brainstorm new ideas with you as well.

A Mentor: Whether you've been in business six months or six years, it's never too late to benefit from the experience of others.

A Client: Sometimes you need an honest perspective from the client's point of view. Use that one client with whom you have a particularly close relationship to learn how to improve your current services or introduce new ones that will benefit all of your clients as a whole.

Your Assistant (Virtual or otherwise): If you think about it, most small-business owners hire assistants to remove administrative obstacles so that they can can concentrate on improving or expanding their companies. What they often forget these days is the fact that assistants often have backgrounds in a myriad of different industries. Working in the business on a daily basis, assistants are also great problem solvers. Your assistant can provide insight on vendors and clients that you, the owner, might miss.

Two heads (or eight in this case) really are better one. So often as a small-business owner - particularly if you are a home-based independent consultant, you lose your sounding board once you go solo. Therefore, you can no longer throw out ideas to co-workers while chatting by the water cooler; call impromptu meetings for the purpose of brainstorming; or garner advice from trusted supervisors or mentors to ensure that you're making the right decisions.

As a solo small-business owner you are on your own, but it doesn't have to be scary thing. If you receive nurturing support from a "mini" board comprised of people who can be cheerleaders as well as realists then you will not only gain a firm grip on how your business works, but both you and your company will stay on course to greater success.

Carolyn Davenport-Moncel is president of MotionTemps, LLC, a virtual assistance firm with offices in Chicago, Paris and Geneva. The firm specializes in managing websites and presentation creation for small-business owners.