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
Dear All: Several friends have already commented that, when they were reading the novel, they were visualizing who could play the characters on film. Well, since I am up to a challenge, and thought it would be fun, I believe I will take them up on their suggestions. I am posting here my picks for … Read more
On the second chase scene, Richard and Gabriela are in what is known as the Route Napoleon, between Grasse and St. Vallier de Thiey.The Route Napoleon is called such because, after Napoleon left Elba, he landed near Nice and marched, supposedly triumphant, via this road in 1815. He, of course, was then defeated at Waterloo … Read more
Thinking and praying for all those who have fallen and who have fought for our freedom. Thinking about the sacrifices of their families and their pain. It takes a rare human being to willingly place himself in the path of danger for others. Thank you, all who have served with honor and those who are … Read more
In the novel, Maurice, the French intelligence officer, speaks a few idiomatic French phrases. Some are in argot, or slang, the others are regular everyday speech.This expression literally means “isn’t that so” and is used at the end of a phrase or sentence. In idiomatic English, we would usually say “right.” For example, in French, the expression … Read more
In the novel, Gabriela is driven home by Richard after learning something critical that will affect her life. On her way there, she observes: “… they zoomed by the walled city of Cagnes-sur-Mer, perched on the hill like an eagle’s nest on a telephone pole.”The city of Cagnes-sur-Mer looks like a eagle’s eyrie when traveling … 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
In my novel, Richard spends the first couple of days sight-seeing Nice. I have posted the places he saw so that you can share his experiences. Tomorrow I will be adding more places that Richard visited in Nice.Happy reading. This is the Negresco Hotel- a hotel whose architecture dates back to the Bell Epoque. It … 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
