Winner: FOR THE KING

The winner of Catherine Delors's

FOR THE KING

is

Debbie from Deb's Desk

Congratulations!

Debbie, please send your mailing address to

juliannedouglas05 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net.

Thanks to everyone for entering the drawing.

Enjoy this marvelous read, then help spread the word!

Tea and Pastry with Catherine Delors

Yesterday saw the release of Catherine Delors's second novel, FOR THE KING (Dutton). To celebrate the release, Catherine has stopped by to answer a few questions about the book, herself, and writing in general.

1. The historical note at the end of the book describes the fascinating life of the historical Joseph-Pierre Picot de Limoëlan, who later became a Catholic priest. Did Limoëlan ever publicly express regret for his part in the rue Nicaise attack? Did the Sisters of the Visitation in Georgetown, with whom he ministered, know his true identity and the story of his past?

To my knowledge, Limoëlan never publicly expressed regret over the part he played in the Rue Nicaise attack. He moved shortly afterwards to the United States, where the event may not have caused as much of a shock as in Europe. As for the sisters of the Visitation in Georgetown, it seems highly unlikely that they were ignorant of his past. They knew, but they believed in redemption, one of the tenets of the Catholic faith. As I write in my historical note, I am convinced that Limoëlan’s belated repentance and conversion were sincere.

2. The resistance of the Chouans to the republic and to Napoleon is a chapter of French history little familiar to American readers. Were the Chouans a force to be reckoned with or a mere annoyance? How close did they come to reinstating the king?

The Chouans were a major political and military force. On Rue Nicaise they came only a few seconds away from blowing up Napoléon. Had his coachman been less alert that night, they would have assassinated him right then and there, years before he crowned himself Emperor.

It may not be generally known, but in the spring of 1815, the Chouan insurgency had been revived. A full French division was again busy battling them in the Western provinces, instead of being under Napoléon’s command at Waterloo, hundreds of miles away. The French forces were outnumbered almost two to one on that battlefield, so you could say the Chouans changed the fate of Europe that day. Ultimately they were instrumental in the defeat and ouster of Napoléon.

3. How did you become interested in the rue Nicaise attack?

The 9/11 attacks prompted me to revisit the Rue Nicaise plot. The number of casualties is without common measure, of course, but it was the same callous disregard for human life, the same blind hatred, all in the name of a superior “cause.”

4. Your secondary characters, such as the Secretary General Piis, and even characters who figure only momentarily in the novel, like Pulchérie Fontaine, seem as real and three-dimensional as your main characters. Do you do a lot of work developing your characters before you begin writing? What, in your mind, is the "secret" to creating believable characters?

Thanks, Julianne! For historical characters, I do my biographical research beforehand. I love to work with lesser known figures like Piis, where there is little more than a sketch of the real person. Then, as I write, they come to life by themselves, and sometimes they quite surprise me. For purely fictional characters like Roch, I have no idea of what they will become when I begin writing. That’s the magic of the novel: characters are pretty much autonomous from the author.

5. How has your training as an attorney influenced your writing style and/or habits?

In many ways. For instance, in FOR THE KING, it was fascinating to follow the sweeping legal changes that followed the Rue Nicaise attack, and to deconstruct the many outrageous miscarriages of justice that ensued.

6. What advice to you have for aspiring authors? What do you see as the future of historical fiction?

My advice to aspiring authors? Brace yourself! This is not a business for the faint of heart. Publication is only one step on a long, long road… The future of historical fiction? I wish I knew the answer, with the business of publishing at large very much in flux. Frankly I don’t think anyone can answer the question at this point.

7. Which of each of the two choices best describes you? Comment as you see fit.

-- tea or coffee? I am a self-confessed tea addict. I like coffee, but the feeling is not mutual.
-- mountains or seashore? I love both! My mixed Auvergne and Normand ancestries, I suppose…
-- morning or evening? Evening.
-- soccer or tennis? I usually prefer soccer, but after the performance of the French team at the World Cup… enough said.
-- kir or pastis? Kir.
-- designer boutique or bargain basement? With your permission, Julianne, I will stick with the bargain basement until FOR THE KING hits the NYT list.
-- millefeuille or bagel? Millefeuille, hands down.
-- Balzac or Hugo? Balzac, a childhood –and lifelong- love. I read EUGENIE GRANDET dozens of times, always with a renewed sense of wonder.
-- longhand or computer? I am dyslexic, which makes it very difficult for me to handwrite. Computers are a blessing for people like me.
-- carriage or horseback? Horseback. More flexibility!

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Catherine has surrendered all her secrets, but the characters in FOR THE KING are much harder nuts to crack. See if you can figure out what they're hiding before Roch solves the case. Enter the drawing to win a copy of Catherine's fabulous book or pick one up one at your local bookstore.

Thanks for playing, Catherine!

Review and Giveaway: FOR THE KING by Catherine Delors

In the aftermath of 9/11, talk of sleeper cells and suicide bombers has become daily fare in the news media, making it all too easy to assume terror attacks are events particular to twenty-first century life. However, London's failed Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and Chicago's 1886 Haymarket Square bombing are but two incidents historians could cite to disprove this assumption. A conspicuous third would be the Christmas Eve bombing in 1800 on the rue Nicaise in Paris -- the subject of historical novelist Catherine Delors's riveting new novel, FOR THE KING (Dutton, July 8).

Six years after the end of the Reign of Terror that culminated the French Revolution, Napoleon has overthrown the constitutional government and installed himself as First Consul. This power grab pleases neither the radical Jacobins, whose egalitarian philosophy fueled the Revolution, nor the royalist Chouans, who want to reinstate the monarchy and recenter the country on its Catholic foundations. So when an "infernal machine" hidden in a cart explodes along Napoleon's route to the Opera, sparing the Consul but killing twenty-two bystanders, maiming fifty-six and destroying the forty-odd houses that line the street, either group could conceivably be responsible. Convinced the Jacobins organized the attack, Napoléon orders over one hundred of them arrested, including the outspoken but harmless aged father of the city's Chief Inspector, Roch Miquel. The powerful Minister of Police, Fouché, blames not the Jacobins but the Royalists. Roch's self-serving mentor grants the young inspector one month to prove him right, ensuring Roch's assiduity in cracking the case by threatening to deport Old Miquel to Guiana. In a race to save his father, Roch quickly links two suspects proposed by Fouché to the crime, but the suspects' whereabouts -- as well as the identity of a mysterious third man, mastermind of the attack -- prove frustratingly difficult to determine.

FOR THE KING is a thriller, not a mystery, for unlike Roch, the reader knows from the outset who orchestrated the crime: Joseph de Limoëlan, a member of the royalist insurgency, aided by two accomplices, the men fingered by Fouché. Delors paints a fascinating portrait of Limoëlan, a nobleman whose father and kin were guillotined during the Revolution and whose anger and hatred allows him to disregard the suffering he causes in his quest for revenge. In contrast, Roch, a parvenu struggling to establish himself in the new republic, displays an honor and integrity his father ingrained in him despite years of poverty and wandering. In committing the crime, Limoëlan fights for his father in a figurative sense; pressed to prosecute it, Roch fights for his in a literal one. Antagonist and protagonist are further linked through the protean Fouché, father to nothing but his own interests, and the beautiful, secretive Blanche Coudert, trapped in marriage with a man old enough to be her father. Place all this in the context of a country that has just executed its king and whose inhabitants now consider themselves "children of the fatherland" (enfants de la patrie, according to La Marseillaise) and FOR THE KING becomes a rich exploration of identity, loyalty and the dynamic tension between past and future in the creation of self and nation.

Delors, an attorney, spent many hours researching the rue Nicaise attack in the archives of the Ministry and Prefecture of Police Paris and it shows. Her meticulous research allows her to reconstruct with convincing verisimilitude what has been called the first modern police investigation. Even readers who do not usually choose thrillers or mysteries (like myself) will find themselves fascinated as the investigation unfolds and Roch pieces clues together. The realities of life in the early nineteenth century become achingly real as Roch struggles to solve a crime without the benefits of modern forensic technology. Victims die of their wounds before they can be interviewed; witnesses stand in line for hours at the police station for the chance to tell their tales; blacksmiths are forced to examine the putrifying carcass of the wagon horse in the hope that one of them will recognize the animal and identify its owner. Police procedure aside, Delors, without ever resorting to didactic exposition, manages to make sense of the confusing political factionalism that both inspires the crime and determines the course of the investigation. In so doing, she opens up an era of French history little familiar to modern American readers.

Detailing the attack from the perspectives of both perpetrators and police gains Delors entry to all corners of early nineteenth century society, from Napoleon's elegant drawing room to the cramped offices of minor functionaries, from the noisy, wine-stained taverns of the working class to the damp, infested prison cells of the condemned. With a sharp eye for detail and a keen ability to depict nuances of convention and behavior, Delors resurrects the gritty, turbulent, and often dangerous Paris of the common man at a time when egalitarian ideals are struggling to survive. Her characters, even minor ones, are fully fleshed beings with quirks, habits, and histories of their own. Fictional characters prove indistinguishable from historical ones, interacting as equals in the interstices of the historical record where the novelist gives her imagination free rein.

FOR THE KING is quite different from Delors's first acclaimed novel, MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION (Dutton 2008), and in my opinion, ultimately more satisfying. Roch comes to recognize and appreciate the love of a devoted woman in the course of the novel, but readers looking solely for romantic adventure will be disappointed. Delors shatters readers' expectations as thoroughly as the infernal machine blows a gaping hole in the Parisian street. Bucking current trends in historical fiction, she abandons the frolics and foibles of the royalty to offer an intelligent and compelling depiction of common people struggling to make sense of an uncertain new world. A writer to watch, Catherine Delors continues to delight and surprise. I, for one, can't wait to see what she offers us next.

********

Catherine has provided a copy of FOR THE KING to be awarded to one lucky reader. If you're looking for a compelling summer read, leave a comment with your email address by 10 pm PST Sunday, July 18. US and Canadian readers only, please. Winner's name will be drawn at random and posted by noon on July 19.

Check back tomorrow for an interview with Catherine. In the meantime, be sure to visit her website and her always informative and entertaining blog, Versailles and More.

"Hot Summer Read" For Sure!

Today my author friend Catherine Delors's new novel, FOR THE KING, was named a "hot summer read" by Kristin Contino of the Philadelphia Examiner. I heartily concur--Catherine's gripping new book, which will be released on July 8, is even better than her first critically-acclaimed novel, MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION. Be sure to look for it in stores on the 8th, or pre-order a copy so you can start your summer off with a bang (hmm, was that a firecracker or a carriage exploding on a busy Parisian street?). I'll post a review on release day, along with a special interview with Catherine.

Catherine Delors: For the King trailer

My friend and fellow historical novelist Catherine Delors, author of the acclaimed Mistress of the Revolution, has a new book coming out this July : For the King, a thriller set in Napoleonic Paris. Catherine just posted the link to a marvelous trailer for the new novel. Go watch, and be sure to mark your calendars for the release of For the King on July 8, 2010!

Paperback Release of Delors's MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION

Exciting news! Today the paperback edition of Catherine Delors's MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION goes on sale. When the hardback was released last March, the Associated Press declared MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION "[d]efinitely a contender for one of the best reads of the year." I couldn't agree more.

If you haven't already read Catherine's wonderful first novel or would like to give a copy as a gift, you can get a copy at your local bookstore or order it online. You can read my interview with Catherine here or check out the extensive list of reviews Catherine has posted on her always interesting blog, Versailles and More. 

Congratulations, Catherine, on this next milestone, and best wishes for a successful release! 

Literary Stocking Stuffers

There has been much internet talk about buying books as Christmas gifts in order to bolster the publishing industry. Lucy Pick has started a meme describing ten books she's enjoyed this year in order to give people ideas of books they might like to read themselves or buy for another. Here's my contribution to the effort:

Lawrence Hill, Someone Knows My Name: A beautifully written fictional account of the life of an African woman during the colonial era: her abduction by slave traders as a child, her harrowing journey to South Carolina and its indigo plantations, her escape to New York and relocation to Canada, and her eventual return to Africa and work with British abolitionists. I learned many new things about British involvement in both the slave trade and the abolition movement. The colonial timeframe is a nice change from the standard Civil War setting.

Vanora Bennett, Portrait of an Unknown Woman: Although I haven't finished this one yet, I'm finding it an engaging account of the interaction between the painter Hans Holbein and the family of Sir Thomas More, with an intriguing twist on the story of the Princes in the Tower. The depiction of sixteenth century life and thought is quite detailed and accurate.

Irene Nemirovsky, Suite Française: The interrelated stories of a vast cast of characters caught up in the German Occupation of France. Beautifully executed characters detailed from a wryly ironic perspective; the author explores human weakness and the heroic self-sacrifice in ways that makes both extremes sympathetic. 

Alice McDermott, After This: A lyrical account of the inner lives of the members of an Irish Catholic American family during the Vietnam War era. McDermott captures the dynamics of the large Irish Catholic family so perfectly as she charts the course of the various Keane siblings during a turbulent era.

R. J. Knecht, Renaissance Patron and Warrior: The Reign of Francis I:  A thorough account of the life and times of François I, who ruled for thirty-three years as the Renaissance blossomed in France. The author shies from a strictly chronological approach and organizes the material thematically within loose boundary dates. Well chosen photographs and artwork support the text, which introduces many major figures the sixteenth-century Europe. If you've always wondered when or why something happened in Renaissance France, this is the book to start with.

The other books I've loved this year I've already blogged about: Catherine Delors's Mistress of the Revolution, C.W. Gortner's The Last Queen, Michelle Moran's Nefertiti.  If I can remember others (why do I always go blank when someone asks me for book suggestions?) I'll add them to the list. 

Happy book browsing. I hope you find lots to like this season at your neighborhood bookstore!

Lyon's Musée des tissus

One of modern Lyon's main attractions is the Musée des tissus et des arts décoratifs, a museum devoted to textiles and the decorative arts. Housed in a mansion dating from 1730, the museum traces the history of both oriental and occidental textiles. It houses four permanent collections: Coptic Textiles and Tapestries, Eastern Textiles (Persian, Byzantine and Ottoman), Far-Eastern Textiles, and Western Textiles. The website describes this last collection as "A panorama of the history of European textiles, from Spain, Italy, England, Germany, France and notably Lyon, through woven and printed fabrics, ecclesiastical ornaments, embroideries, costumes, laces and trimmings." I visited the museum back in 1990 and remember it as a fascinating place.

The website is a bit confusing to navigate at first. When you first enter the url, a peach colored page with few words in French appears; click on the underlined sentence in gold. This will take you to the home page, where you can choose between the English and French versions of the site. Once you choose English, click on "Collections of the Textile Museum." On that page, if you click on one of the labels at the top below the title, you can view samples from the collection. Unfortunately, most of the European fabric samples are from the 17th and 18th centuries, although there are some older tapestries. If you click on "Costumes," you can view some beautiful court dresses and coats from the second half of the 18th century (perfect for readers of Catherine Delors's Mistress of the Revolution).

Of particular interest to students of the Renaissance is an exhibit which runs from April 11 to September 7, 2008 titled "From the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent: Italian textiles from the Renaissance." Unfortunately, the English page hasn't been updated to include this exhibit. The French page describes it as "The first installment of a long series to come consecrated to Italian textiles from the Renaissance, from the end of the 16th century to the 1640's. From Lucca to Florence, from Venice to Genoa, the Italian silk industry supplied all of Europe with silk and gold velvets, with rich damasks and sumptuous lampas." There are concerts and other events associated with the show. If you happen to be in Lyon over the summer, it would definitely be worth a visit. And don't forget to tell me all about it when you get back!

Although it doesn't pertain to the sixteenth century, here is an interesting fact I gleaned from the website: In 1770, Charles Germain de St. Aubin wrote in his book The Art of the Embroiderer that women embroiderers were well-paid and that Lyons was the most important embroidery centre in France, with more than 6000 women embroiderers in 1778. Is there the kernel of a story here? Be sure to read the history of the silk industry in Lyons as the website outlines it (under "Lyon," click on the first sample box, the one that features text rather than fabric). Founded in the 16th century, the industry remained extremely important to Lyon's economy well into the 1850's.

MUSEE DES TISSUS ET DES ARTS DECORATIFS
34 rue de la Charité F-69002 Lyon
Tél. + 33 (0)4 78 38 42 00
Open every day except Mondays and holidays from 10 am to 5:30 pm.

The Cover Search is On!

For those following the cover debate, Catherine Delors has posted several possibilities for the cover of her forthcoming novel, For the King. She invites us to take a look and give her some input.

Cinderella at World of Royalty also joined in the cover discussion, speaking of her preference for the use of actual portraits for the covers of novels about historical figures. Check out what she has to say!

Interview with Catherine Delors

Catherine Delors's recently released historical novel, Mistress of the Revolution, has been garnering rave reviews all over. I had the opportunity to ask Catherine some questions about her book and the writing of historical fiction. Here is what she had to say.

*****

1. You wrote Mistress of the Revolution as a fictional memoir. Why did you choose the memoir format rather than describing the events as happening in "real time"? What were the benefits and disadvantages of choosing this format?

I realized how difficult it would be for me, living in the 21st century, to enter the mind of a heroine who lived two hundred years ago. As you know, it is not enough for a historical fiction author to get the costumes and furniture right. The characters must also think and act in a period-appropriate fashion. For me, the best way to avoid an anachronistic feel was to read as many memoirs of the times as possible. Those first-hand accounts, written by women, and men, showed me what it was to witness the events of the French Revolution, to live them. That inspired the first-person form of my own narrative.

I had a completely different research experience with my second novel, tentatively titled For the King. It is a historical thriller based upon a real "terrorist" attack in 1800 in Paris, so I had to read many police reports. In that case, it made a third-person narrative completely natural.

2. What is your favorite scene in the book? Which scene was the most difficult to write?

My favorite scene in Mistress of the Revolution is when Gabrielle interacts with her granddaughter, and the child, whom she loves, reminds her of her late husband, who left unfortunate memories. It is the mix of past and present, of different generations of the same family, of opposite feelings.

The most difficult parts to write were the love scenes. Frankly, I did not know how far to go. So, in the first version of Mistress of the Revolution, I solved the problem by not writing any. Then my beta readers said: "great book, but there are no love scenes??" So I reread every love scene ever written since the Bible and Homer, and finally I pushed myself...

3. What was something you learned that surprised you as you researched the Revolution for your novel?

Many things! The degree of hatred towards Marie-Antoinette astonished me. I knew, of course, that she was unpopular, but I had no idea how far pamphlets went, even decades before the Revolution.

I also had the impression that being tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal meant a quasi-automatic death sentence. I had not realized that, until the Great Terror, the majority of the accused were acquitted.

4. In all phases of her life, Gabrielle finds herself subject to the whims and dictates of men. Did the Revolution do much to improve the legal status of women?

Oh, it did. In the realm of private life women demanded, and acquired, a status equal to that of men. Marital authority, which had been almost absolute under the Old Regime, was abolished. Women could now hold and inherit property on the same basis as men. They could petition for divorce on the same grounds. But the evolution did not stop there.

Women participated in the main political events of the Revolution. They were present at the storming of the Bastille, they attended the sessions of the legislative assemblies. For a while female political clubs flourished. Some particularly forward thinkers began discussing female suffrage, something that would not be implemented until the 20th century. So yes, for women's rights, the Revolution was a time of decisive progress.

5. Did writing the novel in English, your second language, pose any particular problems? Do you think the novel would have been different if you had composed it in French for a French audience?

I had plenty of experience writing in English. Legal briefs, that is. Yet legal writing in a foreign language is, I guess, as good an exercise as any.

I certainly wrote Mistress of the Revolution with an American audience in mind. For a French readership, more familiar with the setting of the novel, I might have explained less about historical events, language, or customs.

6. What advice do you have for aspiring authors of historical fiction?

Be brave! Tough, resilient, optimistic... Take a hard look at your book. Is it as good as it could be, and should be? If the answer is yes, chin up! It will happen, sooner or later. If not, you know what to do.

7. Which part of the journey from unpublished to published has been the most exhilarating? The most difficult?

The most exhilarating part of the journey was finding an agent. Two at the same time, actually. I realized then that I would have a good chance of being published. The most harrowing time is right now, post-publication: breathlessly awaiting the verdict of my readers.

8. What one thing do you hope readers gain from reading your book?

First, I do hope people find Mistress of the Revolution an involving, moving, emotionally satisfying read. If in the process they gain a better understanding of the French Revolution and its legacy, a sense of the importance of politics in everyday life, so much the better.

*****

Thank you, Catherine, for sharing your thoughts with us. I wish you all the best as you await your "verdict." I'm sure anyone who reads Mistress of the Revolution will only have great things to say about your fine novel!

Forthcoming Interview with Catherine Delors

Catherine Delors, author of Mistress of the Revolution, has graciously agreed to answer some questions about her wonderful new novel and about writing historical fiction in general. Be sure to check back towards the end of next week to read the interview. In the meantime, start reading the novel itself...you won't be disappointed!

Mistress of the Revolution Pubs Today!

Catherine Delors's historical novel, Mistress of the Revolution, releases today! Please check it out here. Catherine has had an amazing journey to publication, all in little over a year. You can read about it on her blog and in the many interviews she lists there.

Best wishes to Catherine on her special day!

New Novel on the French Revolution

I would like to draw your attention to Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors, a new hardback coming out from Dutton on March 13, 2008. Mistress is the fictional memoir of Gabrielle de Monserrat, a French noblewoman. As a young woman, Gabrielle falls in love with a commoner, Pierre Coffinhal, whom her family forbids her to marry; years later, Pierre sits on the Revolutionary Tribunal that presides over Gabrielle’s trial. Advance reviews call Catherine “A stunning new talent in historical fiction.” You can read more details about the book here on Amazon.

I introduced myself to Catherine over the Internet; she and I share the same agent, Stephanie Cabot. Catherine graciously sent me a copy of Mistress to read; I’m about a third of the way in, and the book is as riveting as the early reviews portray. Catherine has agreed to do an interview here at Writing the Renaissance. As soon as I finish reading, I’ll send her some questions and post her responses. So check back soon to read Catherine’s thoughts on her book and on the writing of historical fiction. In the meantime, you can visit her website and blog at www.catherinedelors.com.