Lucie Simone

I am thrilled to have author Juliette Sobanet on the blog today. Paris & Chick Lit just go together so beautifully, and Juliette is a girl after my own heart with her love of chocolate, cheese, Chick Lit and yoga! Welcome, Juliette!

Thanks so much for having me, Lucie! Today we are celebrating the release of Episode 3 of my Kindle Serial novel, Midnight Train to Paris! You can find the novel on Amazon. 

Here’s a little more about the book:

When hard-hitting DC reporter Jillian Chambord learns that her twin sister, Isla, has been abducted from a luxury train traveling through the Alps, not even the threat of losing her coveted position at The Washington Daily can stop her from hopping on the next flight to France. Never mind the fact that Samuel Kelly–the sexy former CIA agent who Jillian has sworn off forever–has been assigned as the lead investigator in the case.

When Jillian and Samuel arrive in the Alps, they soon learn that their midnight train isn’t leading them to Isla, but has taken them back in time to 1937, to a night when another young woman was abducted from the same Orient Express train. Given a chance to save both women, Jillian and Samuel are unprepared for what they discover on the train that night, for the sparks that fly between them…and for what they’ll have to do to keep each other alive.

Midnight Train to Paris is a magical and suspenseful exploration of just how far we will go to save the ones we love. 

Readers often ask why I choose to base all of my novels in France, and more specifically in Paris. My answer is simple: I want to sweep my readers away just as Paris first swept me away.

My love affair with Paris began when I was only fifteen. I first visited the city on a high school trip to Europe, and it was amour at first sight. I fell head over heels in love with the beautiful language, the pastries, the boulangeries, the winding cobblestone streets, the Seine, la Tour Eiffel, the bustling sidewalk cafes, and of course, the cheese! After a quick three days in the City of Lights, I knew I would be coming back.

In college, I majored in French and spent a semester studying in the charming city of Lyon, which is only two hours south of Paris by train. Lyon stole my heart the minute I stepped foot on its beautiful rues, but my love affair with Paris wasn’t over by any means. 

Enjoying a pastry picnic with author Sophie Moss on our most recent trip to Lyon

After I graduated from college, I returned to Paris to complete my Master’s degree. I spent one year living, studying, eating, and exploring in this magical, exciting city, and it was during this time that I came up with the idea for my first novel, Sleeping with Paris. 

I knew that I wanted to sweep my readers away to the most romantic, gorgeous, charming city in the world, and in doing so, help them to forget about real life for a while. What better way to do that than to travel to Paris, even if it is only in the pages of a book? 

Although I must admit, it’s not all about my readers. Writing novels based in France is a way for me to stay connected to a place that I miss every day, a place that truly feels like home to me, and a place that I am certain I will always be madly in love with…Can we say research trips to Paris anyone?

View of the Seine River on my last research trip to Paris

To celebrate the release of Midnight Train to Paris, I’m giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and a Kindle copy of the book to one lucky winner, and 3 more winners will be chosen to receive Kindle copies of the book as well! To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below, and let me know if you have any questions.  

Also, if you already have a copy of Midnight Train to Paris, feel free to enter the giveaway, and if you win, you’ll have your pick of one of my other Paris Kindle books! 

And, if you haven’t heard of Kindle Serials, here’s the scoop:

A Kindle Serial is a novel released to your Kindle in episodes. When you purchase Midnight Train to Paris, all existing episodes will immediately appear on your Kindle, and as future episodes are published each week, they will update automatically. 

On June 18th, once all episodes have been released, Midnight Train to Paris will be released as a full-length novel in print and e-book. So, if you’d rather wait to read the entire novel at once, you can do that too. 

Also, for my wonderful readers abroad, Midnight Train to Paris will be released on Amazon UK, France, Germany, and all other Amazon sites as a full-length novel this June. So, not to worry, it’s coming to a Kindle near you very soon

About Juliette:

Juliette Sobanet is a former French professor who writes sassy, romantic women’s fiction with a French twist. Juliette holds a B.A. from Georgetown and an M.A. from New York University in France, and she has lived and studied in both Paris and Lyon. She recently relocated to sunny San Diego where she lives with her husband and their two massive cats. When she’s not writing, she’s eating chocolate, practicing yoga, or scheming on when she can travel back to France.  You can find Juliette on her website, Twitter or Facebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am thrilled to have the fabulously talented, funny, and charming Liza Palmer on the blog today. If you don’t already know, I have a huge literary crush on Liza. Her books are simply brilliant and she is absolutely marvelous! If you haven’t read her yet, you must! I recently reviewed Liza’s latest novel, Nowhere But Home, which quite literally moved me to tears, and I just had to have her by to share some of that magic with all my readers. Welcome, Liza!

Lucie: Nowhere But Home features some real Texas cooking. What kind of research did you do to get the ‘flavor’ of Queenie Wake’s down home recipes?

Liza: My step-dad is a Cordon Bleu chef and my mom is born in Amarillo, so the food in this book had to be PERFECT.  I also ran everything by a friend’s mom who is born and bred in Texas.  I scoured the internet, asked tons of questions and even made the infamous Number One from the book. 
 
It was a mouth-watering endeavor to be sure.

Lucie: I’m a vegetarian, and even I was drooling over the Number One!
 
Lucie: Along the lines of research, did you visit any penitentiaries to get the feel for what Shine Prison might be like? How did that impact you and your story?

Liza: The Texas Penal System has an amazing website, of all things.  They have all of the dates, pictures, names and even last words.  There’s a speech Hudson gives in the bar after Queenie makes her first last meal about not wanting to know what the person did who spoke those usually beautiful last words, but knowing that when you do…it stays with you.  That was definitely my way of getting a little bit of my experience with that world out…even just a bit. 
It was a grizzly and intense world that I was happy to leave. 

Lucie: And those scenes in Shine Prison are wrought with deep emotional drama. I can imagine not wanting to spend too much time in that world!
 
Lucie: Many activities in the town of North Star revolve around their winning high school football team. What kind of research did you do to capture that team spirit in the novel?
 
Liza: I went to Texas for a few weeks to finish writing the book and stayed in the small town of Smithville.  While I was there, I absorbed as much as I could.  The football was everywhere … and it doesn’t hurt that I’m a huge Friday Night Lights fan.  I even added a few Easter Eggs in the book – Cal Wake’s football jersey number (#5) is a shout out to one of my favorite FNL characters:  Vince Howard.  
I knew football had to play a major role and was happy to thread it in as authentically as I could.
 
Lucie: I’m not much of a football fan myself (though I’ve been dragged to a few games in my day), however, Nowhere But Home really made the sport seem like so much more than just a game. It was a way of life!

Lucie: What is your writing method? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Liza: I am a reformed pantser.  I now outline and I have never been happier.  I love knowing where I’m going, so when that saggy middle hits I can lean on the work I’ve done to push me through.  This also lends itself to even more exploration – and I love finding surprises even with the outline.

Lucie: I’m a reformed pantser, too!

Lucie: Do you have any writing rituals to help set the mood before sitting down at the keyboard?

Liza: Rending my garments and copious amounts of tea.

Lucie: Ah, yes. Nothing like a good cuppa tea at writing time!

Lucie: What was your first car?

Liza: I shared a bright red Chevy Chevette (with a manual transmission???) with my mom and sister for YEARS.  The passenger seat wasn’t hooked down properly, so it was more of a rocking chair than anything else.  It was the worst (best.)

Lucie: I love it! My first car was a 1976 Dodge Magnum. It had T-tops that leaked and a driver’s side window that wouldn’t roll down.

Lucie: What is your favorite holiday and why?

Liza: I am a big fan of the expanse of time between Halloween and New Years.  It’s just… magical.  The twinkle lights, the fireplacey smell in the air and I don’t know… I just love it.  People are different.  Happier. Maybe that’s just me. 

Lucie: Ah, a girl after my own heart. I adore the winter holidays. The sparkle and shine and the cheery colors. It’s intoxicating.

Lucie: Who was your first celebrity crush?

Liza: Pony Boy from The Outsiders.  Full stop.  Stay gold.  (quiet sobbing) Stay gold.

Lucie: OMG! Pony Boy! I haven’t thought about him in years! Will have to rent The Outsiders ASAP!

Lucie: What was the first concert you went to and how old were you?

Liza: I went to see Janet Jackson’s, Black Cat tour.  It was epic.  I can’t remember how old I was… old enough to know IT WAS AWESOME.

Lucie: I have to say that is a fabulous first concert!

Lucie: If you could give just one piece of advice to your 16-year-old self, what would it be?

Liza: Take your time.  Don’t be so busy trying to blend in that you miss the experience.  No one is pointing and laughing at your attempts – they’re all just as much of a wreck as you are.
 
Be here now. 

Lucie: Excellent advice. And I do wish I’d gotten that when I was sixteen.

Thanks a million, Liza, for stopping by my blog! So wonderful of you to share your time with me!

To learn more about Liza and read her completely awesome books, visit her website!

Ciao!

Lucie

My Thoughts:

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that had me sobbing like a baby in the middle of the night, unable to tear myself away from the pages. But that’s what happened with Liza Palmer’s Nowhere But Home.  Liza is one of my favorite authors, so I had no doubt that she would deliver a stellar read. But wow, I wasn’t expecting it to hit so close to…well, home. Palmer’s writing is so subtle yet digs so deep. Written in first person present tense, Palmer takes the reader into the world of North Star, a small Texas town, and into the mind of Queenie Wake, one of North Star’s most notorious residents. Queenie returns home after several years of trying to escape her past, one filled with tragedy and a forbidden love. But coming home, she is forced to face the dark parts of her life and those of others’ when she is asked to cook last meals for the local prison. Palmer creates a world so authentic and characters so true to life that you not only feel like you’re part of the story, but that the author is actually in your own head, revealing your darkest fears and your deepest hopes. Blending humor with heartache, Nowhere But Home is a loving tribute to the power of family, love, and the places we call home. A beautiful story that will keep you turning the pages until late into the night! A must read!

About the Author:

Liza Palmer is the internationally bestselling author of Conversations with the Fat Girl , which has been optioned for series by HBO.

Library Journal said Palmer’s “blend of humor and sadness is realistic and gripping,..”

After earning two Emmy nominations writing for the first season of VH1’s Pop Up Video, she now knows far too much about Fergie. To learn more about Liza, visit her website at www.lizapalmer.com

I’ve blogged recently about my goal to drop some excess weight and the challenges that come along with that. And if you’ve ever been on a diet in your life, you know how hard it is to stay on track. I can’t tell you how many diets I’ve tried – everything from Weight Watchers to juicing – and the one thing they all have in common is that they work. Yep, they work. You know, just so long as you stay on them. I’ve probably lost and gained a hundred pounds in the past 20 years. Hell, maybe two hundred! But it never sticks. And I know it’s more than the mere fact that I have a sweet tooth. There are a whole lot of factors contributing to my eating behavior, and rather than just trying to solve my problems with a diet, I’m going on a journey of self-discovery. Working with a therapist (and I’ll probably recruit my acupuncturist, as well), I’m getting to the bottom of my bottomless stomach.

To get myself to a naturally healthy weight, I have to do more than count calories. In fact, I’m not even going to count calories at all. Instead, I’m focusing on the motivation behind my behavior. Am I truly hungry? Am I using food to comfort? Am I punishing myself? Am I rewarding myself? I’m asking myself these questions and more. And I’m also learning to nurture myself in healthy ways, but not by depriving myself. Oh no. That leads to no good. If I want a cupcake, I’m going to have a cupcake. But then I’m also going to figure out why I wanted that cupcake. I mean, in and of itself, a cupcake isn’t so bad. Five cupcakes in one sitting? Yeah, that’s not so healthy. But still, beating myself up for going on a sugar binge also doesn’t serve me.

This is a new way of thinking and behaving, and I’m not expecting to change overnight. It’s going to require some patience on my part, but also a real commitment to dig deep. To see beyond the calories and really figure out what food means to me. It’s hard work. Probably harder than any diet I’ve ever been on. But if I really want to be my best, I’ve got to understand what being my best truly is all about.

Wish me luck!

Lucie

Back in February, I posted about my decision to get serious about getting fit. Since then, it has been a case of “one step forward, two steps back.” I had started out strong. Working out 4-5 times a week, tracking my food, and even managing a few minutes of meditation here and there. But then my family suffered yet another tragic loss right after Valentine’s Day with the unexpected passing of my uncle. The entire family was in an utter state of shock. Family and friends from near and far descended upon the small Indiana town where I grew up to pay their respects. In all, over 400 people attended his funeral. Quite an incredibly heartwarming experience. But it was tough, not just because my uncle was such a benevolent and loving man, but because he was only 62. He had so much more love to give, so many more lives to touch.

My aunt’s home was filled with family, tears, laughter and food. Lots of food, most of which I couldn’t eat because I’m a vegetarian and Hoosiers haven’t yet figured out how to cook vegetables without meat. So, my only choices were breads and sweets. I’m not complaining. It was a free pass to drown my sorrows in brownies, cookies, mac & cheese, and cake. Such delicious cake! But seventy-two hours of traveling, eating, crying, family-bonding, more crying, more eating, more traveling and my body was beaten, bloated, and begging for some good nutrition.

However, I had to return to work the very next day where I was overloaded with reports to produce, an audit to prep for, and a board meeting to prepare. For nearly a month straight, I worked long hours, barely leaving my desk to get a drink or to eat. Once home, I was starving and didn’t have the patience to cook a healthy meal, so I just tossed a frozen dinner in the oven and snacked on popcorn, cookies, Easter candy, and whatever else would satisfy my ever-increasing hunger.

The other thing that screwed me up was the time change. You wouldn’t think that losing an hour would so adversely affect my energy, but there is statistical evidence that more people suffer heart attacks when we “spring forward” than any other time during the year, so clearly I’m not the only one who doesn’t react well to it. So, that missing hour put me in a stupor for two weeks. Yes, two full weeks during which I got no exercise because I couldn’t get up before the sunrise and had no energy to work out after work.

The thing is, I know these are excuses. There are plenty of people who persevere in their weight loss efforts under similar conditions. But you know what? It was one month. One month that I got off track. And the important thing is that I’m back on track. I think the lesson here is to give yourself a little slack from time to time, but to know when it’s time to get back to work. When it’s time to face the alarm clock blaring at 6am to get in your morning work out. When it’s time to walk away from the cookies and cakes and once again embrace nutritious foods. When it’s time to acknowledge that the only sure way to fail is to give up, and then don’t give up. Get up. Get going. It might be slow going, but it’s going. Slow, slower, slow. And that’s okay.

Ciao,
Lucie