Must We Use Those Promo Pics?
By Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp (J.C. Eaton)
We’ll be honest. We don’t photograph well. That’s an understatement. It doesn’t matter who’s behind the camera lens, if either of us are the subject, the picture is doomed. So what do we do when agencies, libraries, and other media request a copy of our picture for publicity?
We cringe!
Some of our author friends have professional photographers do their “shots,” and they look marvelous. Especially when the picture is taken so that the head is turned to the back for that “come hither look.” Or in Jim’s case, that casual “man about town,” look. If we did that, it would just be an advertisement for a chiropractic office. We can fix your pain in minutes. Besides, the camera will add at least ten pounds and we think the flash adds another twenty-five.
We did have a few facial shots taken by a photographer friend of ours but we wound up looking like part of the lineup from the local prisons.
“We can’t believe it,” Jim told our friend. “Convicted felons in their orange jumpsuits look better than we do.”
“Try taking the picture at a distance,” I offered.
“It’ll take too long for the two of you to walk that far,” was his response.
Then we tried having our pictures taken with our pets. It was a disaster. The dog, a thirteen pound Chiweenie, snapped at the photographer, lunged at the camera, and snarled during the entire process. The cats were a bit better, but not by much. Their attention spans were practically non-existent and after a minute or two, they squirmed, clawed, and climbed all over us.
The only good thing to come out of it was that our sixteen pound cat hid Ann’s double chin and she liked that photo so much she decided to use it for the next decade. So what if Jim looked shell-shocked from being clawed to pieces on his side of the photograph.
Then, there’s the issue of our smiles. We always thought we had decent smiles. Nice smiles. Happy smiles. But none of it seems to hold true in a photo. Our smiles either bear an uncanny resemblance to the clown face from the old Coney Island Steeplechase Amusement Park or worse yet, in Ann’s case, Mrs. Danvers from Daphne du Maurier’s gothic novel, Rebecca.
We’ve thought of doing one of those cutesy things, like using a logo of a butterfly or perhaps some sort of caricature instead of submitting our photos, but when we’re invited to speak at an event, they want your actual mug shot. Apparently, the audience needs to be warned ahead of time.
Those marvelous authors who were born before the camera was invented had it made. All they had to worry about was the printed word, or in worst case scenario, an artist rendering of their likeness. Still, they had to contend with handwriting their manuscripts. Given that option, bring on the cameras and we’ll smile away!
Pinot Red or Dead?
(The Wine Trail Mysteries)
by J.C. Eaton
About the Book
Pinot Red or Dead? (The Wine Trail Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Lyrical Underground (March 26, 2019)
Paperback: 206 pages
ISBN-10: 1516108035
ISBN-13: 978-1516108039
Digital ASIN: B07F5XDH41
There’s a lot of noir surrounding this rare pinot.
As the vineyards in Seneca Lake, New York, prepare for the seasonal “Deck the Halls Around the Lake” festivities, someone is determined to keep pinot noir off the wine list. Hijacked trucks and sabotaged ingredients have made it a hard-to-acquire vintage for the six local wineries—including Norrie Ellington’s Two Witches Winery.
The case of the stolen and spoiled wines gets stranger when Arnold Mowen, owner of the company distributing the wine, is found dead, the apparent victim of a hunting accident. As Norrie tries to find the connections between the pinot’s problems and Arnold’s death, she uncovers a conspiracy among many locals whose hatred for the wine distributor was bottled up for far too long . . .
About the Authors
Ann I. Goldfarb
New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, she has authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington) set for release in June 2017. In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. Visit the websites at www.jceatonauthor.com and www.timetravelmysteries.com
James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. His first novel, Booked 4 Murder
Visit their website at www.jceatonauthor.com and Like and Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JCEatonauthor/
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