This was an extremely satisfying hiatus. Shared memories with old friends, attended the graduation of my former students, made new friends, and signed novels. There is nothing better.I will begin posting as of today. In chapter two of the novel, Richard reconnoiters the city of Antibes, as well as Nice. Old Antibes is incredibly quaint … Read more
In the novel, Richard asks Gabriela where she found the coin. She replies:“…At the summit, there is a stone table with an orientation map indicating all the interesting spot visible–on good days, mind you.”The mountainous areas of France, full of intersecting hiking trails, have many of these orientation tables peppering their peaks. The views, on … Read more
In the novel, Gabriela needs to show Richard the area where she found the coin. I am attaching a picture of the map we were always using for trips (weekend, vacation, or business). I have another one that is much more detailed–to the point where specific houses, elevation, and hiking trails are shown–but I have … Read more
In Chapter 20 of the novel, Gabriela describes the following: “the forest abruptly ended at a small expanse of pasture. A cone-shaped stone hut emerged incongruously from its center, the rickety, slab door hanging crookedly from decaying hinges.”She is referring to a borie–a dry-stone hut structure familiar to the landscape of the Alpes Maritimes and … Read more
Like I posted yesterday, Richard, one of the characters in my novel, spends a couple of days sightseeing in Nice and its environs. The attached pictures are part of what he saw.Nice has a hill, Castle Hill (or le Montée du Châteaux, or la Colline du Châteaux in French), between the city and the harbor, where one can … Read more
I lived in the French Riviera for five years, and the houses there have very distinctive architecture, especially when you live in rural areas, or live close to old villages.For the novel, I created Gabriela’s home from a melange of houses I had seen in the region. I copied and pasted architectural designs of many … Read more
The village of Gourdon comes up in the prologue to the novel. So that you can visualize better what’s being discussed, as well as visualize the area, I am attaching two pictures of the village of Gourdon.Gourdon is a beautiful little village, perched on top of a promontory in the middle of the Pre-Maritime Alps. … Read more
Grasse, FranceThis city, perched on top of a hill overlooking the valley of Le Plan de Grasse, is the hub of the fragrance industry. This is where essences are distilled for perfumes, soaps, candies (yes, there are rose, violet, and other candies made from the flowers’ petals), candles, and everything perfumed. This region still has … Read more
