A behind the scenes view into the plot development for the book, Project Odyssey
Continued from Luxury Brand Integration in Project Odyssey and Their Sustainable Practices.
While many enjoy suspenseful tales when reading my novels; numerous readers within my audience, and constituents within shared social and affinity groups are primarily consumers in the Life Style of Fitness and Sustainability (LOHAS) market. These people are generally not price sensitive and make their purchasing decisions by considering the cost to the environment, instead of price. In fact, the LOHAS consumer accounts for 50 million people in sustainability mainstream, who are actively engaging in planetary health. Using these data points, as an author, I first wanted to weave consumerism in the plots developed for my novels to set them apart from the book publishing clutter, by integrating luxury brands whose brand personalities are paired with the principal characters in the novels for further character definition.
In the lexicon of brand management, brand personality is defined as a set of characteristics attributed to a brand name, to which the consumer can relate. For Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s President of Fashion, Chanel stands for creativity, audacity, surprise, femininity and agility. Anyone who has read my novels, has no doubt Gabrielle Landrieu (the Protagonist in both novels whose character was developed based upon major transformational changes I went through in my life) embodies all the characteristics of the Chanel brand; which is why she wears Chanel as her signature wear.
My first novel, Fool’s Return, is a suspenseful fictional story of self-discovery, creativity and hope. Likewise, it challenges readers on global issues, like alternative energy, environmentalism and green technology. All this while keeping the book lover entertained with a complex and creative plot.
The novel follows Gabrielle Landrieu, a venture capitalist full of ambition, imagination and intellectualism. Frustrated in her present job and marriage, she decided to take a trip to Castine, Maine that unknowingly will change her life forever. On this radical journey of discovery, Gabrielle Landrieu overcomes huge obstacles that allow her to be a more independent and liberated woman, in the same spirit of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.
My second novel, Project Odyssey, is an action-packed thriller, pitting personal greed against exciting scientific advancements that can benefit everyone.
The inexorable Gabrielle Landrieu returns in Project Odyssey, an audacious program to develop a revolutionary orbiting solar-power station. However, when a client goes missing just as he’s about to testify before a congressional hearing that could make or break the program, Gabrielle finds herself thrust into a web of political intrigue, darker than she could ever imagine.
Secondly, I also sought to subliminally link luxury brands with sustainable practices, to influence the perception of my reading audience about how these companies are positively impacting the world globally—with their sustainably efforts as part of their corporate social responsibilities agendas . Likewise, all the luxury brands featured in this article are integrated in Project Odyssey while some are also integrated in Fool’s Return.
As I continue to further my objectives, bridging the gap between environmental advocacy and entertainment through riveting fiction, I am also ambitious for a Chanel Brand Ambassador role; in the traditional sense of the role with expertise in strategy, brand management and marketing, to complement the non-traditional celebrity spoke person for the role. My natural market, which spans across the LOHAS market segment, is generally affluent; while my print and online media footprint is growing and well received by professional woman across the country, with no regional distinction for print and online media outlets that have published my business articles.
Also, it is no secret that I aspire to adopt my two novels into motion pictures since films are powerful communication platforms that can bring greater resonance to issues and potential solutions; reach a mass audience and add context to complex issues such as climate change, energy storage and energy distribution through creative expressions. Moreover, the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), which is the research authority on the LOHAS market segment of population, identified other consumer segments classified as the unconcerned, conventional and drifter consumers. These consumer segments are comprised of 140-million people who are not consistent about the health of our planet. By utilizing creative channels, we can educate while entertaining, to address these challenges and change behavior with impact.
Pick up a copy of my newly published book “Project Odyssey,” to see how the featured brands in this article are weaved in the plot narrative!