Caroline McBride is the Director of Public Relations and Business Development for Serafina Restaurant Group. She spent the past decade marketing, branding and launching restaurants across the globe, as well as consulting for private clients.
Four Seasons at Angelino’s (Post Hill Press) is McBride’s debut novel. She was encouraged by the love of her life before he passed away to venture into writing fiction as a creative outlet influenced by her career experiences and personal escapades around the world.
McBride earned her B.A. in Political Science at Loyola Marymount University and holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Universiteit van Amsterdam where she studied as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar.
When she’s not on the road working, reading, writing and trying new restaurants, McBride divides her time between Los Angeles and New York City.
Tell us about your book and why did you decide to write it?
Four Seasons at Angelino’s is fun, lighthearted take on the restaurant industry and it’s full of colorful characters who form the backdrop for a publicist who attempts to use her job as a means to find her soulmate. Every chapter is named after the city it takes place in and the book is divided into four parts, one for every season. Although completed before the pandemic, the novel is now a great opportunity to explore the world vicariously.
I was inspired by the love of my life to write the story before he passed away. We often discussed books and literature and I’ve always enjoyed writing since my time in academia. While I traveled internationally serving as the public relations director for a major restaurant group and consulting for private clients in beauty and hospitality, the stories were too amusing to ignore so I incorporated a composite of what I witnessed into a fictionalized romantic comedy novel. My travel and work experiences gave me the ingredients I needed to create Four Seasons at Angelino’s — a modern-day love story based upon a career woman’s quest to find true love.
Although Four Seasons at Angelino’s is romantic comedy escapism, there are some important messages woven throughout the story such as encouraging women’s empowerment in the workplace, communicating effectively on a romantic level, and finding inner strength to fight life’s battles without depending on alcohol and prescription drugs.
What were the top three mistakes you made publishing your book what did you learn from it?
There are parts of the novel that I wish I could tweak. However, deadlines must be met and once you send the final manuscript to the publisher, there’s no turning back. Another mistake I made was the endless blind pitches I sent to literary agents instead of navigating my network to secure meetings. I worked with an insightful agent for awhile, but I eventually went a different direction because of creative differences. Three lessons: make a million percent sure that you’re happy with your manuscript before you submit the final version to your publisher / editor, work through your network instead of blind pitching literary agents, and have the courage to contact publishers directly without an agent.
What must happen for you to consider your book a success? and when do you predict it will happen?
I’d like to see Four Seasons at Angelino’s adapted to the screen to reach a wider audience. We’re in talks now and although Hollywood is unpredictable, my fingers are crossed that we’ll ink a deal sometime in 2021.
Open your laptop and write your heart out whenever an idea hits you no matter what time of day it is. If you’re busy with other duties, input your ideas on your phone and use those notes later when you’re alone with your computer. Most people will tell new authors that they must first pitch their work to literary agents to acquire representation and then hopefully get a publisher. To the contrary, I suggest leveraging any connections you have with anyone in publishing and bypass the literary agent.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your first book?
It’s extremely helpful to hire a personal publicist instead of relying solely on the publisher’s marketing department. I would have brought mine on board at least month before pub date instead of the week before.
Due to the pandemic, authors scrapped traditional book tours and they’ve taken their book promotions virtual. Agree to do any tv, podcast and radio opportunities even if you don’t think it’s your audience– you’d be surprised! For social media, Facebook is more effective to promote books than Instagram. Twitter is an effective means to promote your book when you want to link it to current trends.
Local info meetings for authors are available through MeetUp. I attended a Meetup in Los Angeles organized by Nancy Fulton and it helped me differentiate the pros and cons of traditional publishing compared to self-publishing. (I chose the traditional publishing route.) There were many talented writers at the event–from newbies to bestsellers.
If you only had $1000 dollars to promote a new book, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
It depends on the genre. For fiction, I’d spend it on strategic Facebook ads and devote time to reach out to journalists, podcasters, bloggers and influencers. Ultimately, the hours you personally dedicate to managing your marketing and publicity are endless. It’s truly a labor of love as most writers do not earn enough to survive solely on their craft.
Who would like to see us interview next?
Everyone has a story to tell and I’m especially interested in healthcare industry employees working diligently to save lives during the pandemic.
How can we get in touch with you?
- I can be reached directly through my website: www.carolinemcbride.com
- Caroline McBride Book: Four Seasons at Angelino‘s
- Follow me on Twitter
- Join my Facebook Page
Related: Laura Borland: Gladversity
