Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Palmer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I think it’s important as a Creative to have a mission, a “why” as it were. Yes, for most of us creating feels good physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, but beyond that, what message are we trying to convey with our art? How can it help someone else? By taking the benefits of creating outside of ourselves, we further horizons, thus allowing for newfound ideas and expanded communities to penetrate what is often an emotional vacuum of one.

When I began writing in 2014, I launched under the brand name, The Art of Living Beautifully. For six years I published printed and digital magazines, a blog, social media content, and films, all with the purpose of helping women create a personal culture while living present, tangible lives, void of autopilot. Although The Art of Living Beautifully media company is no longer open, this continues to drive the work I create when writing novels, and is the underlying theme for my characters. In a world where doom scrolling often leads to exestential numbness, don’t we need a positive character to inspire us to do different? To thrive in life, not just survive? This is my greatest hope for my readers: that they would find some good in the stories I tell and make the choice to change their own circumstance.

My second mission, though not as sexy as the first, is to create escape for my readers. I spend lots of time describing in illustrious detail the settings and scenes where my characters interact, sometimes crossing oceans myself in order to get descriptions just right. Not everyone has the opportunity to escape to the South of France whenever they want, but hopefully, when reading my debut novel, The France Dance, they can be transported in a matter of minutes.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I was twenty, I enrolled in a study abroad program in Florence, Italy which ended up being a defining decision of my life. Witnessing a way of life that was not my own prompted me to create a personal culture that reflected my love for Europe with my deep Texas roots. Since then, it has been my mission to not only prioritize creating a beautiful personal culture for myself, but also my readers, and for the past eleven years, I have producued various forms of media with the goal of doing just that. Most recently, my debut novel, The France Dance is my tool of inspiration.

The France Dance came to be when, on a whim, I took an eleven day solo trip to the South of France on a cooking tour. I literally ate, baked, sipped, and cooked my way across Provence. My lovely tour guide shared with us one evening that she had belonged to a ballet company in her youth, but because of the strict weight guidelines the dancers were required to adhere to, she left the company and ended up pursuing a career in gastronomy.

From that point on, I couldn’t get the idea of a prima ballerina who escapes the stage and moves to the South of France out of my head. She would exchange harsh spotlights with the soft sunshine of Provence. Stage makeup would be washed away and replaced with the essence of lavender. Restricted diets no longer existed and a menu of Provençal cuisine would prevail. This idea became the cornerstone of Noëlle’s story, and The France Dance was published a mere eighteen months later.

I want all of us to create a beautiful life, including my characters. I want all of us to have a chance at escape every now and then, even if its just within the pages of a book. Even short escapes can bring hope when difficult seasons of life are cloudy.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

In order to expand my readership base, I’ve had to get in front of other people’s/other business’s customers. Whether participating in a pop-up event with other vendors, partaking in a book signing at a local gift store, or finding my way onto “favorite summer reads” lists by local bloggers, partnering in this way has been instrumental in introducing The France Dance to new markets.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I think the best way to keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty long term is through an email list, although some might disagree with this, and I get it. We all “get way too many emails” already, but at least with an email list, those are actually ours. If a social media platform goes under, oops! There goes all your followers. Or if your social account gets hacked and shut down, oops! There goes your method of communication. By curating an email list, we have more control. Plus, I am one of those people who likes to sit down at my computer in the morning with a cup of coffee or hot matcha and read through the emails from my favorite brands! Its a nice part of my morning ritual, and I hope to be that for my readers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laurenpalmermedia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartoflivingbeautifully/
• Other: Amazon Author Page
  https://www.amazon.com/author/laurenpalmermedia

Image Credits

Patrizia Montanari Photography
Liz LaBianca Photography