Friday, March 5, 2021

Cara Black Reminds us of How Much we Miss Paris!

 

RHYS BOWEN:  For many years Cara Black and I had a book out in the spring and we toured together, having adventures, some fun and some alarming, but always relishing each other's company. Last year Cara's book came out in the summer and alas there was no touring. There is no touring this year either, but the paperback of Cara's very successful thriller THREE HOURS IN PARIS comes out at the same time as my THE VENICE SKETCHBOOK, so of course we had to do some things together, if only virtually. And I had to have Cara back to remind us what we are missing in Paris this spring.
All yours, Cara:

CARA BLACK: Bonjour Reds, 
 Ça va? How’s everyone doing? 
 A big thank you to Rhys for inviting me back!

 I’m feeling nostalgic for Paris, wishing I was there right now. You, too? Normally, I would have been doing research and staying with my friend, Anne-Françoise, in Paris. March and it’s not quite spring. Soon, the buds in the rose garden in Jardin du Luxembourg will start to blush pink, yellow and antique white, the leaves on the trees surrounding the boat pond will begin to shimmer with silver and green. Soon, at least in a normal year, people will gather and play boules by the puppet theatre or hit the tennis courts. I’d be with Anne-Françoise, picking up her daughters after school which is across the street. We’ll get in line for a sweet crêpe before the girls ran to play under the budding trees. In that soft filtered light, we’ll be chatting on the green benches, watching the girls on the swings. 
From the window of the Ministry of Marine, overlooking the Seine.

The cafés would be open, crowded tables spilling over the sidewalks with Parisians non-stop talking, drinking and meeting friends. I would be here now leading a walking tour of places featured in my book, Three Hours in Paris, set in 1940. 
Scenes that take place here in Jardin du Luxembourg, by the Medici fountain. 

 But of course, I’m not. I’m at my desk in San Francisco, where I have been for the past year, dreaming of colour and light. But now more than ever – when we are all imagining elsewhere – we can still visit other places in the pages of a book. The old Paris, by this I mean 1940, is everywhere. Sometimes you have to dig and go literally underground which I’ve been lucky to do in my research. Underneath this grass, these gravel paths, and the tree-lined alleys lie the tunnels with shelters full of German graffiti and a rusted Nazi toilet!

 The high school, Lycée Montaigne, at the end of the garden, was the Luftwaffe barracks. Every day, with notebook and my old maps, I’d set out to discover the Paris my characters would have discovered. As writers, we must be detectives and archaeologists, always seeking to find the hidden history of the city beneath our feet, behind the walls. Layer upon layer. I’ll stop at my favourite Saint Germain florist, she’s a floral magician and pick up a spring bouquet. 

Soon I’ll cross the Seine on the oldest bridge in Paris, the Port Neuf. Below on the river, bateaux mouches glide sharing space with barges. Onto the Marais passing the ancient national archives and Bibliothéque, the remnants of a medieval wall, go down a cobbled alley. There in the smallest Chinatown in Paris, at the edge of the Marais, I’ll visit my friend Naftali, and give him flowers. During World War II, Naftali, a young Polish boy wore a yellow star and became a Résistant at 14. Now he’s 90 + years and loves driving at night - yes he still has a license! - so we pick up his girlfriend - she’s in her 80’s and they met online. 
Chanel now and in 1940

 During our night drives he points out his hideaway next door to Shakespeare & Co bookstore, his old school, the boulevard where as a young boy he watched the German soldiers march in. It’s time travelling to the 1940’s through his eyes. Naftali’s always up for finding me a ‘new murder spot and corpse locations,” for my books, too. It’s always good to do this at night, he says, so I don’t get arrested. Ah..dreams. I’ll have a ticket to the newly renovated and re-opened Victor Hugo museum, in the 17th century Place des Vosges - one of my favorites - and where Aimée Leduc hid and climbed over the rooftops in Murder in the Marais. Then I’ll walk under the arcades of the rue du Rivoli, eyeing Coco Chanel’s first boutique on rue Cambon - till there, and the Place Vendôme to the right, and across from the Tuilleries garden. Beyond the art nouveau restaurant Maxim’s and then to 17th century Hôtel de la Marine, it’s not a hotel but the Naval Ministry which has just re-opened after several years of renovations. The pictures are stunning and the museum will be amazing. The windows overlook Place de la Concorde, beyond that the Seine and Left Bank. It will look quite different from 1940 in the German Occupation when the Kriegsmarine took it over.

 In my book Three Hours in Paris, Kate Rees, dons a disguise and with a French scientist, sneaks her way in to steal German naval documents that could change the course of the war. So much of my research involved this incredible building from ten years ago when I took a tour of the basement and found German signs and artifacts from WW2. The scent of spring will fill the air and the almost palpable energy of new exhibitions, fashion shows and art openings. I’ll have a list of research to do, flics to take to dinner, archives to visit, a walking tour to lead for readers, and meeting retired homicide detectives from la Crim’ over apéro’s. 

Yet, as Simone Signoret, the iconic French actress said in her autobiography of the same name, ‘Nostalgia Isn’t What it Used to Be’. My nostalgia will fade when finally, I can return to Paris. It’s a moveable feast as Ernest Hemingway said. Or as Rick tells Ilsa in Casablanca ‘we’ll always have Paris’. N’est-ce pas?  


 à bientôt, Cara 

 PS Continuing our touring tradition Rhys and I will celebrate our book birthdays virtually at Book Passage on April 18 and Poisoned Pen on March 30.  THiP is out in paperback on March 30 Cara http://www.carablack.com http://twitter.com/#!/carablack http://www.facebook.com/cara.black1

RHYS: If you haven't read Cara's book yet, I highly recommend it. An absolute page turner that whisks the reader through Paris in 1940. 

51 comments:

  1. What a lovely tour, Cara . . . since we can’t travel ourselves, this is a very special treat. Thank you.

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  2. Bonjour CARA, je suis bien.

    Thank you for showing us a bit of Paris today.
    I loved reading all of your Aimée Leduc books since I felt like I was transported back to Paris, and I have THREE HOURS IN PARIS on my Kobo to read.

    Merci et à bientôt.

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  3. Cara, welcome to JRW, and congratulations on the soon to be released paperback of Three Hours in Paris. Already a fan, I will order the paperback and my husband will read it, too.

    There are so many stories about the 1940's in France. Historical fiction brings you there to face the challenges and terrors of a merciless foe.

    We all have missed traveling this year. It is a constant topic on this blog. But we have reminisced a lot about past travel adventures and that has to hold us for a bit longer. Speaking of travel adventures, everyone here would love to hear about the ones you've shared with Rhys. Would you share a story with us today?

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    1. Hard to pick, but there was the time we were shopping in downtown LA - I was trying to convince Rhys to buy this white leather biker jacket she'd tried in and we were waiting for the light to change and a panelled van drove up to us. The van idled and I immediately thought of someone yanking Rhys into the van kidnap style. Before I knew it, I pulled Rhys in the other direction...later when I explained she understood but at the time she was indignant :) that night on the news there was a story about van kidnapping. Oh, and there was an earthquake while we were having dinner in Tustin!

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  4. Contente de vous retrouver ici Cara, merci pour ce mini voyage à Paris.
    Looking forward to reading Three Hours in Paris.
    I was there in March 2013 and even if it snowed and was very cold, there were flowers blooming and plenty of people aux Jardins du Luxembourg that was near my hotel.

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  5. I can see it in my head - thanks for the virtual tour, Cara!

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    1. My pleasure, Liz and hopefully soon we can go back!

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  6. Thank you for the virtual tour of Paris this morning. I've been to each of those places, so when I closed my eyes, I was there again. And I wonder when the next time will be. At present I'm limited to arm chair traveling, but I'll be back on my feet in now time. And Paris? Maybe next year. In the spring

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    1. I'm crossing fingers, too Ann and can't wait to go back!

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  7. Thank you for this lovely, virtual tour. Ahhhh. Now longing for Paris...

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    1. Exactement! Two of my favorite museums are re-opening after years of renovation - The Carnavalet and Victor Hugo's house!

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  8. Oh welcome welcome! And Jonathan and I both adored your book! I wonder how Paris is doing now....

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    1. Hank, Every Sunday I talk to a friend who lives there. She says Paris is very sad. Everyone has to get off the street by 6 pm, and all the sidewalk cafes are closed. So are the parks! And France, it seems, has been a little slower than other countries to get in line for the vaccine. It's a good time for writers to focus on writing. Looking forward to healthy, happy times to come!

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    2. My friend teaches in Paris and says the same thing! But they are getting the vaccine soon and she hopes since she's a teacher it will happen soon!

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  9. One thing the Covid lockdown has done? I find I'm much more attentive to detail of foreign places, and I truly savor virtual walking tours like Cara's. In the before times, I would have appreciated the excellent writing and the choice of detail, but now... now I let my mind go so I can feel as if I, too, am walking through the streets or sitting in cafes or parks.

    In a piece of good news, the BBC worldwide this morning had a story about the increasing acceptance of the Covid vaccines by the French. Apparently, France's population was one of the more vaccine-resistant, with many people worried about possible side-effects. But a successful roll-out is seeing numbers jump. Excellent news for them, and for those of us who long to be there in the not-too-distant future!

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    1. Crossing all digits for this! I love walking tours as well Julia. The guide always has something personal and interesting to add. We did a walking tour in Belleville conducted by SDF - sans domicile fixe or homeless who had gotten off the street. But she grew up very political and had a whole different fix on Paris. Fascinating!

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    2. I also love going on walking tours when visiting a city, and Paris would be a wonderful choice to do so.

      JULIA: Any idea how the French government tackled the vaccine hesitancy among its citizens? PSA? Local leaders/champions? Or just the fact that the roll-out seemed to be working.

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  10. Lovely! Post-covid destination: La belle France, et Paris surtout!

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  11. Kezia, my next trip will include Marseille - an amazing city and I need to learn more about it. The last time I visited for a few days it was too short!

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  12. I loved Three Hours in Paris - I could not put it down - congratulations on its paperback release! Thanks for sharing a bit of Paris with us this morning, you really transported me there. Your story about you and Rhys and the paneled van was chilling ~

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  13. Celia, thank you so much! The interior book map shows all the spots Kate visits and are important to the story - and it will be in the paperback! I biked, like Kate, to many of these locations but I did not drive a horse and cart to the canal as she did :)
    Yes, that almost van snatch was more chilling in hindsight. We were at the crosswalk, I was trying to convince Rhys to buy the cool jacket, of course nobody walks in LA, so we were the only pedestrians. There was something about the van...eerie...spooky and then it kind of gunned ahead towards us and thankfully we got out of there.

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  14. Cara, I so enjoyed your imaginary trip through the City of Light. It brought back some lovely memories.

    The first time I was there, 20 years ago this month, we were staying near the Jardins du Luxembourg. A full block away I could inhale the heady aroma of the masses of blooming blue hyacinths in the Jardin.

    The Place de Vosges jogged another great memory, of an opera singer performing in the cloister, her powerful voice echoing throughout the courtyard. And sneaking in to the Issey Miyake showroom when someone else left.

    Happy virtual book tour!

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    1. KAREN: The first time I took my mom on her dream trip to Paris, we stayed in le Marais district. One of my fave photos that I took of her was at la Place des Vosges.

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    2. Just imagining the opera singer sends chills! I've heard a violinist practising and the acoustics are incredible.

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    3. Karen - Aimée Leduc sneaks into the Issey Miyake showroom in PdV in Murder in the Marais - fyi!

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    4. Cara, I wonder how I missed that!

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  15. As one who has not been off this continent, I very much enjoy all the arm chair traveling I get to do through books. I hope your views out your window, of "Bagdad By The Bay," have trees or at least a bridge. Thanks for sharing Paris this morning.

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  16. Thank you Deana - yes, a tiny swatch of the bay and lots of trees. But to look out a window and see the roofs of Paris...sigh!

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  17. Cara, reading is a wonderful way to "travel". I so enjoyed your imaginary trip throughout Paris. Thanks for sharing your Paris with us this morning. Look forward to travel again when the pandemic is over!

    Diana

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  18. So agree, Bibliophile. Armchair travelling! At least we don't go through security!

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  19. Thanks for the virtual tour of Paris. If only. . . The Paris police don't mind being called flics?

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  20. Flics = cops so not derogatory at all. Sometimes they are referred to as 'poulets' (chickens) which is old fashioned and also not derogatory since the first police station was situated by the chicken market :)

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  21. Oh, Cara, you've made me swoon! What a gorgeous description. I loved the book so much--now I may have to read it again! Miss seeing you in person so much, too! xx

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    1. Me, too Debs! Your words mean a lot, thank you. I bet you miss London.

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  22. Cara, sharing Paris this way with us is so lovely. I hate to admit that I have not visited Paris, but I hope to when travel and the world becomes safer. Even with getting the vaccines, received my first shot yesterday, I will continue to be careful as the rest of the country and world catches up. It's so good to know that when I do go to Paris I have you and other authors as wonderful guides. I am going to order Three Hours in Paris as soon as I finish my comments. I see that it has a map as its endpapers. I do love maps included in books. I'll be ordering the hardback of this book. Thank you for a delightful visit to Jungle Reds.

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    1. Congrats on getting your shot and taking the first step! I hope sooner not later we can all travel safely! The map is fantastic and I hope you enjoy Three Hours in Paris!

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  23. Ah,lovely!!! A virtual stroll through my favorite city, and it was just what I needed, thank you, Cara! Fingers crossed we can do the real thing soon.

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    1. Yes, Kaye - I'm so ready to say 'bon voyage'and hop the Atlantic!

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  24. Delightful! I loved Three Hours in Paris! Such a fantastic book. And thank you for this walk through Paris. It is definitely going to be one of my first stops when we are able to travel again.

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  26. I'm so focused on my 2nd shot (in the morning) that I posted my message in the wrong place. AACK
    Your description made me think of Chez Marianne, in the Marais, and the adjacent buildings where children were hidden during the war and then betrayed.
    Now I'll say goodnight...and order your book. Hugs.

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  27. Sorry this is late. Question: is the Hotel a new respository for the marine collection that was in one of the buildings on the Trocadero a few years ago? That musee was, I think, an outpost of the Louvre. I once toured it with a charming guard who had no English, a good match for my inadequate French. But we had a grand time because we both loved boats!

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