The magic of words

A colourful hello from France

I am sorry I have neglected you this year, the often-unseen faces who take your time to read my words. To ghost you with my silence was unforgivable, as was losing sight of the fact that you might need a smile or a hug from France to brighten your day.

A recent chance meeting at work has made me realise that this blog was so much more than just my words and waffle.

“You’re the lady who writes the blog that kept me sane during lockdown” 

Uttered by a stranger as she walked into the Château de Javarzay this September, and wow, what an opening sentence that was. As is so often the way, the universe had aligned to ensure her unannounced visit to the museum I so often talk about here, fell on a day I was working.

Thanks to my daily blogs, written over five years ago, she knew all about me, our family life and how we’d spent those weird months of lockdown. From day one it had felt important to record our time during those extraordinary months, but I had little idea of the importance they would have on those who were looking in from their own topsy turvy lives. I still don’t even know this lady’s name, but she did share some of her lockdown story with me this week. Hers was so far removed from the blissful family bubble we emersed ourselves in, so to learn that my diary helped her through a traumatic time was humbling and I shall treasure her words forever. Her visit has inspired me to open a fresh notebook, pick up my trusted pen and let the words flow once more. 

Finding the time to write is now more of an issue for me than it’s ever been, as life has changed direction again. When I began blogging, over eighteen years ago, it was my way of remembering those early years of our family adventure in France. I was a stay-at-home mum, with a husband who worked away from home, and even with a vegetable garden, orchard and a small menagerie of chickens and ducks, there were many lonely hours when Ed was at school or tucked up in bed of an evening. Blogging filled the gap, giving me somewhere to release my thoughts, and putting a humorous spin on things that hadn’t gone to plan became like a kind of therapy. Connecting with readers all over the world as I shared our life was an unexpected bonus.

Since March of this year, I have been working at both the château and the library in Chef-Boutonne, a dream combination of roles that I still have to pinch myself to believe is true. However, with no two weeks being the same, life can feel a little crazy sometimes with no routine to follow. It is a great memory exercise for my brain though; what day is it? Where am I working today? What time do I start and what time do I finish? So far, so good – I’ve always arrived at the right place for the right time. In an almost complete role reversal of our early years in France, it is now Adrian who is spending more time home alone than I do. This has been a huge learning curve for him, especially this autumn where he has mastered the art of preparing windfall apples for the freezer, ensuring our winter breakfasts will be just as delicious as our summer ones. I’ll even admit that his method is much more efficient than mine, although it does produce more washing up.

Today, as I celebrate my 54^th birthday (if I say that quickly it doesn’t have time to register how old I am), it seems the perfect opportunity to hit publish on this blog once more and to say thank you for reading. I will be back soon, sharing some of our camping mini adventures from this summer. 

Jacqui

Book review of The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

Can the city of love mend a broken heart?

Romance author Tessa Elliot has writer's block, and worse - she isn’t sure she still believes in love. To heal her broken heart, she decides to go on the romantic break in Paris she’d booked before her world fell apart.

But when she arrives at the Airbnb, Tessa is stunned to find someone is already there. Her ex’s best friend Ethan has made himself at home, being told that the place would be empty.

As it’s Paris Fashion Week, and with no other options, they agree to share the apartment. Neither will be in the place much after all, with Ethan taking a cookery course and Tessa on a hard deadline to finish her novel.

But sharing close nights in a one bed apartment, there’s an undeniable pull towards one another.

Will Tessa be able open her heart, and her laptop, ever again?

A gorgeous romance set in the city of love, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren. 

The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

My review

I felt for Tessa from the beginning of this book. How can a romance writer finish her latest novel, when her heart has been broken by her ex-boyfriend and she no longer feels the love for anything. Heading to Paris alone was part running away from her publisher and the looming deadline, part to give her the head space to recover. Finding Ethan might have been an unwelcome addition to her Paris apartment, but he was thoughtful, had extensive knowledge of Paris, especially the places every romance author should be visiting, and he was pretty handy in the kitchen too. It could have been a worse mix-up.

What followed was an hilarious, light-hearted escape to the City of Love, with more than a bit of magic from the fabulous characters, especially the very Parisian, Juliette. It was an addictive read, that got my temperature rising and left me with a huge grin on my face.

The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

Behind the steamy emotions were the serious messages about loving ourselves and finding someone who we can be ourselves around, as well as the importance of having a good friendship network to rely on when things get tough. Tessa certainly had a lot to learn, both about herself, and the difference between a tall, dark and handsome love rat and a man who knows how to treat a lady.

What a book to start my 2025 reading journey with, if this is a taste of what’s to come from Boldwood Books this year then I can’t wait! This might be the first Victoria Walters book I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. 

Purchase links

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Amazon purchase link 

My book

 

Victoria Walters

 

Author Bio  

Victoria Walters is the author of both cosy crime and romantic novels, including the bestselling Glendale Hall series. She has been chosen for WHSmith Fresh Talent, shortlisted for two RNA novels and was picked as an Amazon Rising Star. Previously published by Hera, she is now writing romantic comedies for Boldwood.

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The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

Magazine news

La Plume, our village magazine

It has been a while since I’ve blogged, but now we have emerged from our winter funk and life has accelerated to full summer speed, I have lots to share. First up is some magazine news, as I’ve still been writing, even if I have neglected my blog a little.

 

La Plume

Since 2001, our village (of under four hundred people) has had a monthly information magazine that was one of the first things I got involved in when we arrived here back in 2004. It is run entirely by a small group of volunteers who meet each month to decide what to put in, including announcing and reporting on village events, sharing public service information like council meeting minutes and a Mot du Maire (word from the mayor – that we translate into English). 

 

Until recently, my involvement has been to help come up with ideas, translate the important things into English, and once it’s printed, join in with the stapling and distribution around the village. That was until May, when our friend and ex-Maire of the village Gérard, who had done all the editing, page layout and printing, got taken into hospital. Without him at the helm, the future of La Plume looked uncertain, so along with our friend Lesley, Adrian and I put together an emergency edition at the end of May. We are now just about to print a bumper 20-page edition for the summer that will be delivered at the end of the week. How brave of our French friends to entrust our Englishness on their French magazine, but at least we can rely on them to correct any grammatical issues and it’s certainly helping to raise my written French level. Gérard is now back home, but happy to step back and let La Plume continue in our hands. Merci mes amis.

 

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly Magazine

Up until the end of last year, I had been writing a regular 500-word column for The Deux-Sèvres Monthly magazine since 2012, or 121 issues, and under three different owners. It was totally understandable that back in January, Tony and Lynne made the decision to stop the magazine and focus on their health issues, but it was sad to think this part of my writing life was over. 

 

Happily, for all of us Anglophones living in this tucked away gem of west France, a little bit too north to be the real southwest and a little bit too south to be the Loire valley, new owners were found. In March of this year, Kathleen and Chris Butler-Donnelly took on the editorship and have been busy behind the scenes designing a new logo and website, as well as putting together their first edition. The July 2023 issue is back from the printers and ready for delivery at the usual drop offs in supermarkets, bars and restaurants in the Deux-Sèvres. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, and from Saturday 1^stJuly you will be able to read an online version here. I’m now off to finish my August piece before the deadline this weekend.

 

French Property News July/August 2023

French Property News

Earlier this year I was contacted by a journalist for the UK based magazine French Property News, that we used to subscribe to and devour, over twenty years ago before we made France our home. She wanted to interview me for the My Village feature where someone who has embraced French life shares a little bit about their life.

 

I always enjoy things like this as the questions about where we live, what I do for work etc allow me to stop and think about our life and how it has changed over the years. It is always nice to be reminded about what a fantastic adventure we are on. I am delighted by the full page (p146) article in the July/August edition that is available to buy in the UK now.

 

A link to the blog was included and I’ve already had a lovely email from Monique Jackman who enjoyed reading it and has offered me review copies of her books aimed at getting intermediate French speakers to the next level. This summer more than last, I am feeling frustrated with my level of French as I’d love to be able to wax lyrical about the history of the Château de Javarzay and the themes of our musuem to the French visitors, in the same way I do for the English ones. Monique’s books, along with a training session in French from our local Pays d’art and histoire heritage association, should really help. 

Advent Day Twenty-two, silver sparkles

Silver sparkles

Advent Day Twenty-two

Blog post planning

It would be fair to say that my blog postings have been a little haphazard to say the least this year, so one of my New Year resolutions is to be more organised. I’m already thinking of ideas for 2023 as well as planning some challenges to keep up my kilometres on the bike. 

 

Next year is a special year for us as we will celebrate our silver wedding anniversary in April. Twenty-five years of marriage is certainly worth celebrating and I’m thinking of adding lots of glittery, silvery bling to my life, our bike rides, and the blog.

 

The French for silver is argent and it just so happens there is an ancient royal silver mine museum, Les Mines d’Argent des Rois Francs, in our local town of Melle. It has been too many years since I was last there, so I’m planning to combine a bike ride with a visit once the tourist season opens again. Then I thought, why stop there? France has many places with argent (or similar) in their names, so it seems appropriate to try to visit as many as possible (twenty-five would be nice), with our bikes this year. Within a thirty-kilometre radius from home, as well as the silver mines, we have the village of Couture d’Argenson and the river Argentor that flows through the pretty village of Nanteuil-en-Vallée, before joining the river Charente near to Verteuil-sur-Charente. The possibilities are endless, and I’ve even found the Hotel d’Argenson, on Rue d’Argenson - in Paris no less.

 

Méli, the mascot of the Pays Mellois tourist office

The market town of Melle is also the home to the local tourist office where I recently spent an afternoon brainstorming ideas for their 2023 blog posts. This was equally terrifying and exciting. I was delighted to have been invited and it was great fun, but also rather daunting being the only Anglophone in a group of nine, five of whom worked for the tourist office. We began with introductions about our backgrounds and then set off on an adventure where fantasy mixed with legends, and no idea was deemed too weird or off-topic. I even found myself crossing an imaginary crocodile pit by rolling across it on a cushion. 

How to plan a blog post - photo courtesy of Office de Tourisme du Pays Mellois

 

Generally, the ideas for my blog just seem to plop randomly into my head, often while out on the bike. Now that I’ve experienced a real-life brainstorming session, I’ve no idea what new ideas might have been unlocked in my head, but I’m already looking forward to ‘pushing my envelope’ or ‘picking some low-hanging fruit’ and sharing something with you.

 

If you’d like to check out some of the previous blogs from the Pays Mellois tourist office, you’ll find them here.

 

 

Goodbye June, hello July: summer in France

June hollyhocks in the garden

I’ve always liked June. It is a transitional month that promises so much; spring becomes summer, the days are long and evenings lazy, and there is a sense of pre-holiday mood all around. Normally, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, although this year proved to be an exception. Now it’s over, I’d go so far as to say I’m glad to see the back of what has been a demanding month, with lots to challenge our routine. 

Sarlat, Dordogne

 

The month of May ended on a high with a four-day holiday in Sarlat, in the Dordogne, cycling, eating and seeing the sights. Covid-19 then reared its head and got a bit closer to home than was comfortable. Adrian’s Mum, in the UK, tested positive and was rapidly put on the new antiviral medication and monitored daily by a team of specialist nurses from her local hospital. Whilst it was worrying she had the virus, the care she received was incredibly reassuring for us and I’m pleased to say, she made a superb recovery. Here in the Deux-Sèvres, Pearl’s parents also tested positive, meaning Ed and Pearl were contact cases and we had to make the tough call to cancel a planned weekend with them. Thankfully they escaped, which was just as well as all this happened within a week of Ed’s planned wisdom teeth extraction. My poor baby had to have all four taken out, under general anaesthetic, in one morning, but thanks to an excellent selection of drugs, was remarkably chatty by the evening. My parents in the UK were also contact cases for Covid-19, but miraculously stayed clear, then my boss at the chateau tested positive. In all the time since the pandemic began, I’ve never known as many people Covid-positive, as in June. It was a timely reminder that it hasn’t gone away despite the vaccination programme and the relaxing of rules and mask-wearing requirements. 

The church in Aubigné

 

The weather in June was a real challenge, swinging from an officially categorised heatwave, that resulted in weather warnings severe enough to cancel indoor and outdoor public events, to storms that wreaked havoc. The local village of Aubigné, which had one of the prettiest churches in the area, was struck by lightning. The resulting fire felled the spire and caused major damage to the steeple. The local news was full of articles about storm and hail damage to houses and cars, as well as sunflower fields in the Charente and vineyards in Cognac and Bordeaux that were flattened by hail the size of tennis balls. Many areas around Angoulême suffered flooding from rain that once it started to fall, seemed never to stop. 

 

The thermometer has fluctuated from crazy highs of 39°c to lows of just 7°c, resulting in bike rides that have been hot and sweaty or so cold my nose hasn’t stopped running and my fingers have turned a deathly white from the Reynaud’s that normally only hits over winter. Some days at work I’ve been wrapped up in three layers, glad I’d packed my emergency vest, other days I’ve walked barefoot on the cool flagstone floors while the rooms at the top of the tower have been a stifling 46°c. 

 

If this isn’t a wake-up call to climate change and the damage we are doing to the planet, I don’t know what will make people take note and act. 

 

We tried our best throughout the madness of the weather to stick to our rule of only using the car for journeys over ten kilometres, but flooded roads and rumbling storms forced me into the car twice, which did nothing to improve my mood. 

July sunflowers and a return of the blue skies

 

July has begun with a promising start, in that there was no sound of pouring rain to accompany my first waking moments on Friday. However, at only 10°c it was a chilly cycle to the chateau for work and I abandoned my summer dress for jeans and a jumper. The Tour de France is now underway and this year we get a full month of the best of French road racing, three weeks for the men’s tour followed by one for the inaugural women’s tour, and I can’t wait. We will also have the excitement of Le Tour 79, our local professional cycling stage race, coming through our village before the final stage finishes in Chef-Boutonne. July will also see a return to village summer outdoor events, many that haven’t taken place for the last two years. Covid-19 numbers are rising here though, and masks are once again being advised, so I can only hope that the weather and the virus allow these planned events to go ahead. 

The July edition of The Deux-Sèvres Monthly

 

The blog might have been a bit quiet recently, but in the July edition of the Deux-Sèvres Monthly magazine (that you can read online here) you will find my top five tips for enjoying a visit to the Chateau de Javarzay, as well as my usual five-hundred-word column.

 

I’m also delighted to share that I’m one of the writers who has a short story published in an anthology that is available now on Amazon. I’ve Got Something MORE to Say: Transition, by Women’s Voices Southwest France, is a collection of short stories, poems and art from 45 women, on the theme of transition. You can read more about this inspiring group of women in this excellent blog by local author Harriet Springbett, who was at the launch party last weekend. Much as I would have loved to be there, work at the chateau would have meant making the ten-hour return drive in a day, and I’d rather have taken my time and gone by bike. 

 

Here’s wishing you a fantastic July, we all deserve one and I hope France will feature somewhere in your plans, even if it is just watching some stages of Le Tour de France on TV, or escaping to France in the pages of a book. Here are some links to my last book reviews if you need any inspiration:

Summer at the French Café

The Italian Job (it’s over the border but it is set in a chateau)

The French for Murder

Daisy’s French Farmhouse

Five Dead Men

  

From the Writing Desk of Ian Moore

Author Ian Moore book signing in Waterstones ©Ian Moore

From the writing desk, of Ian Moore

 

Welcome to the French Village Diaries interview feature, From the Writing Desk, where to coincide with the release of Death and Croissants (A Follet Valley Mystery), I am delighted to be (virtually) joining author Ian Moore at his writing desk in France.

 

A bit about Ian

Ian Moore is a stand-up comedian in the UK and a husband, father of three boys, farmhand and chutney-maker in France. He is a mod in both walks of life and most of his time is spent travelling grumpily between the two. He now also runs a B&B in the Loire Valley, from where he has written two memoirs, before turning his pen to fiction.

 

Your writing space

Ian, how important is your desk space to your writing? Is it tidy and well-organised or creatively cluttered? 

 

Ian: It’s a vital space which starts off very tidy and then through the process of writing gets ever more cluttered with post-it notes, unwashed mugs, empty packets of crisps and wine stains!

 

Does your desk have a view? If so, does this inspire you or distract you?

 

Ian: The view is amazing. I can see for miles over the Loire Valley, but the immediate view is of bickering goats, fusspot hens and the horse. It’s calming and stressful at the same time! I work in the morning usually, but the evening view when I’m planning the next day’s writing is so special in the summer. It faces west and if the weather is calm there’s a sunset and quite often hot-air balloons.

 

Do you prefer to work to a deadline, and if so, do you set yourself daily or weekly targets?

 

Ian: I absolutely need a deadline because it means discipline, and I don’t think I could write without that. Like I say, I work in the morning, and I set myself a minimum of 1000 – sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes it takes four!

 

Writing during Covid-19

As a stand-up comedian as well as a writer, the pandemic must have changed so many aspects of your life. Did the sudden lack of traveling give you more focus for your writing or did life in lockdown affect your motivation to write? 

 

Ian: It was actually the change I needed! Health means I can’t travel as much as I used to, and when I say health I mean physical and mental. Travelling is hard! It wasn’t just about motivation though, it was about opportunity. That and hiding in my office to give my wife and children a break.

 

Is there anything you have learned from the past twelve months that you will use in your future writing?

 

Ian: I think the main thing, and I love this, is that rural France can cope with anything. It already has, and will do so again.

 

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore

Your latest release

Your latest novel, Death and Croissants (A Follet Valley Mystery) was released on 1^st July, can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind it?

 

Ian: Well, the main character is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the Loire Valley. Obviously that was a stroke of inspirational genius and not based on anyone I know! I find running a B&B a bit mundane after 25 years of stand up comedy, so I would invent backstories about the guests… then it hit me! A B&B is the perfect centre for a changing set of characters, the Loire Valley is the perfect setting for a comedy romp. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before!

 

I thought the characters in Death and Croissants were great fun, were any of them based on people you’ve met since moving to the Loire Valley? 

 

Ian: Not specifically, but there are composites of French character and English expat character in many of them. I adore French rural attitude to life, and I really wanted to capture that affectionately.

 

How would you normally celebrate the release of a new book, and will it be different this year?

 

Ian: Well, I’ve been in the UK for two weeks. I had a launch at The Comedy Store surrounded (safely) by friends, I’ve done over 20 signings in bookshops all over the country and I am – in truth – living my dream. Walking into Foyles on Charing Cross Road or Waterstones in Piccadilly and seeing your book on a stand, with glowing staff reviews is beyond my expectations. At some point, someone will pinch me and I’ll wake up!

 

Life outside of writing

What do you look forward to, when you’ve saved the document and switched off the computer, as your treat at the end of the writing day?

 

Ian: It depends how it’s gone. Sometimes you can be looking forward to the next session of writing, sometimes a pichet of rosé on the terrasse! Either way, clearing the head is important!

 

If I was headed to the Loire Valley for a short break, what do you recommend I include in my itinerary? 

 

Ian: The Chateau de Valençay. A superb architectural delight, wonderful gardens, a great restaurant, an animal park and… (deep breath)… links to the a bankrupt Scotsman swindler and the Panama canal, Napoleon, The Congress of Vienna and a hiding place for Louvre Museum treasures in WW2. Also, the birthplace of profiteroles!

 

Thank you for taking the time out of your writing day to let me join you at your writing desk. 

You can read my review of Death and Croissants here.

 

You can follow Ian on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and sign up to his podcast series Mustn’t Grumble here. I’ve only recently got into podcasts, but have to say, I’m enjoying this one very much.

 

Ian also runs La Pause: Val de Loire chambre d’hôtes, a B&B in the Loire Valley. You can visit the website here. 

 

You can read my reviews of Ian’s hilarious memoirs about life in France here:

A La Mod

C’est Modnifique

 

You might also enjoy reading my France et Moi interview with Ian here.

From the Writing Desk of Sophie Claire

From the Writing Desk of Sophie Claire

From the writing desk, of Sophie Claire

 

Welcome to the French Village Diaries interview feature, From the Writing Desk, where this week, to coincide with the recent release of Summer at the French Olive Grove I am delighted to be (virtually) joining author Sophie Claire at her writing desk.

 

A bit about Sophie

Sophie Claire writes uplifting emotional stories with their heart in Provence, where she spent her childhood summers. She is half French, half Scottish, was born in Africa and growing up in England she felt she didn’t belong anywhere – except in the pages of a book. Perhaps this is why she likes to help her characters find their home; a place in the world where they can be loved for themselves.

Previously, she worked in marketing and proofreading academic papers, but writing is what she always considered her ‘real job’ and now she’s delighted to spend her days dreaming up heartwarming contemporary romance stories set in beautiful places. 

 

Find out more at her website here.

 

Your writing space

Sophie, how important is your desk space to your writing? Do you only write at your desk, or are you happy sitting anywhere?

 

Sophie: I love my messy office and desk! Oh I wish it wasn’t messy, of course, but I’m very lucky that I can disappear in there and close the door on the outside world. I work on a desktop, I have files of notes and magazine cuttings, and I like to edit on paper printouts so I’m not very mobile and my desk is where I do most of my writing. However, I do miss the pre-Covid days when, every now and then, I’d take my notebook and go and sit in a café to write for an hour. I used to find it helped if I was nervous about starting a new project or writing a tricky scene. It’s something I look forward to doing again soon hopefully.

 

Is your chair comfortable, old and slightly squishy or modern and ergonomic?

 

Sophie: Ha! I have a plain wooden kitchen chair. I used to have a grand, height-adjustable office chair but after suffering for several months from tennis elbow, I abandoned it one day and the tennis elbow vanished almost instantly. I’ve no idea how it cured it, but now I’m sticking with the kitchen chair.

 

Do you prefer to work to a deadline, and if so, do you set yourself daily or weekly targets?

 

Sophie: I hate deadlines, always have, and I write much more freely when left to my own devices, but they’re inevitable so I try to stay ahead of the game and set myself monthly targets with a couple of writing friends. I usually meet them with just days or hours to spare, which goes to show how well they work. We hold ourselves accountable, but also congratulate each other on what we’ve achieved, which is so important. 

 

Writing during Covid-19

As a writer, with a desk and computer at home, life and work would have continued for you throughout lockdown, but did the pandemic affect your writing and motivation to write?

 

Sophie: The pandemic made concentration difficult for most people, and I’m no exception. Now that we’ve got used to the situation my concentration has improved, but I’ll be honest, I’m finding the well of creativity is beginning to run dry. I’m really looking forward to meeting friends again, travelling (especially to Provence!) and living a ‘normal’ life again because these all feed into my creativity. 

 

Is there anything you have learned from living through the pandemic that you might use in future writing projects?

 

Sophie: I like to think that I’ve learned to write despite the distractions around me (I used to be alone working from home; now there are four of us). I do believe the pandemic has made us all more adaptable and I’m quite amazed by how humankind has responded. 

 

Summer at the French Olive Grove by Sophie Claire

Your latest release

Your fourth novel, Summer at the French Olive Grove was released last week, can you tell us a bit about it?

 

Sophie: It’s about adventurous filmmaker, Lily Martin, who breaks her arm and must return home to France while she recuperates. She hasn’t seen her childhood crush Olivier Lacoste since the devastating fire that changed her life and they have unfinished business…

 

Summer at the French Olive Grove was actually the second book I wrote (after A Forget-Me-Not Summer) and the one that won me my agent, Megan Carroll. Although she loved it (and other agents were interested too), she wasn’t able to place it with a suitable publisher. So she pitched my next book (The Christmas Holiday) and I signed a book deal with Hodder. A couple of years later, they asked to see Summer at the French Olive Grove and I was relieved that it only needed a light edit so there wasn’t anything fundamentally wrong with the book. Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time, and I hope this will inspire others to keep persevering.

 

All of your books feature a little bit of Provençal magic, is this area of France a special place for you?

 

Sophie: It’s an extremely special place (and I love that you used the word ‘magic’ because that’s exactly how it feels to me). My mum is French and we spent every summer at my grandparents’ house when I was a child. They lived near Sanary, a picturesque fishing port, and I have wonderful memories of trips to the beach, visiting hilltop villages, and big family meals with delicious French cooking (my grandmother was an excellent cook).

 

Summer at the French Olive Grove takes place in the fictional seaside village of St Pierre, which is inspired by Sanary. I fictionalised it to allow me to tinker with the geography and make it less developed than it is now, but readers might recognise elements such as the pancake restaurant and the colourful fishing boats in the harbour. 

 

How would you normally celebrate the release of a new novel, and will it be different this year?

 

Sophie: Normally I’d celebrate with my writing friends, the Novelistas. We’d hold a launch party in North Wales with cake, champagne and goody bags. Sadly, that isn’t possible this year, but I’m planning to buy some delicious French patisseries (Olivier, in the book, is a master baker) and celebrate with friends and family.  

 

Life outside of writing

What do you look forward to, when you’ve saved the document and switched off the computer, as your treat at the end of the writing day?

 

Sophie: Reading time! It doesn’t always happen, but that’s what I love the most – getting wrapped up in the words of a good book, preferably in the garden on a sunny day. I also love baking, as my readers may have spotted because food always features prominently in my books. 

 

Sophie Claire, reading in the garden

I know I have really missed a French café terrace, a café alongé and a spot of people watching, what aspect of normal life have you missed most in the last year?

 

Sophie: Oh yes, people watching is wonderfully inspiring and I miss sitting in cafes too. But most of all, I miss meeting up with writing friends. My Hebden Bridge group, Authors on the Edge, is releasing the third Miss Moonshine anthology (Midsummer Magic at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium) on 21 June and we’re keeping everything crossed that we’ll be able to celebrate in person. It will be so nice to catch up and talk writing! 

 

Thank you for taking the time out of your writing day to let me join you at your writing desk. 

 

Sophie: Thanks for having me, Jacqui. I love your blog and always look out for your French-themed book recommendations. 

You can read my reviews of Sophie’s books here:

Summer at the French Olive Grove

A Forget-me-not Summer

The Christmas Holiday

A Winter’s Dream