Lila Johnson's Blog - Posts Tagged "paris"
All Things-Paris
As words like le Tournesol, le Metro and le Croissant zip pass my brain through the use of French audio, I'm entertaining myself and possibly my downstairs neighbor.
Why so much madness? I plan to return to Paris, France again in the fall. More research for the second book in The Fat Girls Club series and the need to escape and land softly on the grounds of one of my favorite places in the world.
As Angela, Nicki and Sissy explore, grow and of course get into a bit of mischief, they pull me into their world and as their writer I must find a way to bring them back to reason. At the same time, I'll have a chance to expand my "little grey cells" and become a better person because of it!
Au revoir!
Why so much madness? I plan to return to Paris, France again in the fall. More research for the second book in The Fat Girls Club series and the need to escape and land softly on the grounds of one of my favorite places in the world.
As Angela, Nicki and Sissy explore, grow and of course get into a bit of mischief, they pull me into their world and as their writer I must find a way to bring them back to reason. At the same time, I'll have a chance to expand my "little grey cells" and become a better person because of it!
Au revoir!
Paris is still...Paris
A deep yawn, a heavy sigh and eyelids that want to close for a long, deep sleep.
I'm still in recovery mode after my trip to Paris. My five days whisked by so quickly that I thought I was dreaming. With each morning, I spent it either writing in the lounge of the Victoria Palace Hotel at 5:30 in the morning or I was chasing down subways to my next destination.
Sometimes disappointment would set in as I revisited a diner that I enjoyed last year and upon this visit, the service was poor and the food bland. A shop that I purchased several scarfs from last year, this time around the clerk chatted on the phone and looked at me in surprise to find me waiting for him to finally cash me out.
But I did not allow those things to distress me and continued to search out my subjects to research for the book. The Pantheon was just as majestic as its photos as Saint Chapelle is breathtaking.
The 15 stained-glass, 50 foot high windows are enough to make you say a little prayer. If I could, I would have spent two hours just in the Upper Chapel with the 1,100 scenes surrounding me.
I found my way through back streets with twists and turns to find The Abbey Bookshop run by a kind French-Canadian gentleman.
I stepped into a world of art, history and wealth when I visited the chateau Vaux Le Vicomte and Fontainebleau.
A train ride to London placed me at the doorsteps of the British Library. With a collection that extends to 160 million items, it continues to grow on a daily bases. To view the works of Bach, Handel, Jane Austin's writing desk and glasses or the lyrics to the Beatles song, Help is priceless.
So my five days of research were full of disappointments but the good, the wonderful and the beautiful surpassed the bad. I have collected postcards, tickets, papers, pages of notes, several thick, beautiful scarfs and chocolates and delightful, sinful macarons from Laduree.
But the most wonderful gift of all is the blessing to be able to experience it all and to share those stories with others.
I'm still in recovery mode after my trip to Paris. My five days whisked by so quickly that I thought I was dreaming. With each morning, I spent it either writing in the lounge of the Victoria Palace Hotel at 5:30 in the morning or I was chasing down subways to my next destination.
Sometimes disappointment would set in as I revisited a diner that I enjoyed last year and upon this visit, the service was poor and the food bland. A shop that I purchased several scarfs from last year, this time around the clerk chatted on the phone and looked at me in surprise to find me waiting for him to finally cash me out.
But I did not allow those things to distress me and continued to search out my subjects to research for the book. The Pantheon was just as majestic as its photos as Saint Chapelle is breathtaking.
The 15 stained-glass, 50 foot high windows are enough to make you say a little prayer. If I could, I would have spent two hours just in the Upper Chapel with the 1,100 scenes surrounding me.
I found my way through back streets with twists and turns to find The Abbey Bookshop run by a kind French-Canadian gentleman.
I stepped into a world of art, history and wealth when I visited the chateau Vaux Le Vicomte and Fontainebleau.
A train ride to London placed me at the doorsteps of the British Library. With a collection that extends to 160 million items, it continues to grow on a daily bases. To view the works of Bach, Handel, Jane Austin's writing desk and glasses or the lyrics to the Beatles song, Help is priceless.
So my five days of research were full of disappointments but the good, the wonderful and the beautiful surpassed the bad. I have collected postcards, tickets, papers, pages of notes, several thick, beautiful scarfs and chocolates and delightful, sinful macarons from Laduree.
But the most wonderful gift of all is the blessing to be able to experience it all and to share those stories with others.
A New Year, A New Book
The New Year is off and running at full speed and so is THE FAT GIRLS CLUB PARIS BOUND!
The second book in the series is special for a couple of reasons. First of all, this was a way to get my writing legs back on the ground after several personal issues sidelined my work. Once I found my way, I knew that my love for the written word would never die and that no one or thing would stop me again.
Second, I returned to France and England in 2014 and 2015 to do the research for this book. It had been many years since my first visit and I wanted to touch, taste and feel all the things that my characters would explore when they arrived in Paris and London. Although it was fun to be in my favorite cities, it was just as exhausting. I had to cram a lot of research into a very small amount of time; rising early in the morning while staying up until midnight in some cases.
I wrote a lot of the scenes during my visits and took copious amounts of notes and photographs. At times I felt as though I had returned to my part time job as a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers. All in all, it was so worth it for all the knowledge I gained along the way.
For Angela, Sissy and Nicki, this trip was an eye opener for them too. It was the first time the friends had traveled together overseas while revealing things about each person’s character that they were never aware of. Isn’t that how it goes in real life? The people we are closest to, that we think we know so much about does an about face and surprises us with an opinion, action or behavior that we never had a clue about?
I hope you enjoy THE FAT GIRLS CLUB PARIS BOUND as much as I enjoyed writing it. Au revoir!
The second book in the series is special for a couple of reasons. First of all, this was a way to get my writing legs back on the ground after several personal issues sidelined my work. Once I found my way, I knew that my love for the written word would never die and that no one or thing would stop me again.
Second, I returned to France and England in 2014 and 2015 to do the research for this book. It had been many years since my first visit and I wanted to touch, taste and feel all the things that my characters would explore when they arrived in Paris and London. Although it was fun to be in my favorite cities, it was just as exhausting. I had to cram a lot of research into a very small amount of time; rising early in the morning while staying up until midnight in some cases.
I wrote a lot of the scenes during my visits and took copious amounts of notes and photographs. At times I felt as though I had returned to my part time job as a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers. All in all, it was so worth it for all the knowledge I gained along the way.
For Angela, Sissy and Nicki, this trip was an eye opener for them too. It was the first time the friends had traveled together overseas while revealing things about each person’s character that they were never aware of. Isn’t that how it goes in real life? The people we are closest to, that we think we know so much about does an about face and surprises us with an opinion, action or behavior that we never had a clue about?
I hope you enjoy THE FAT GIRLS CLUB PARIS BOUND as much as I enjoyed writing it. Au revoir!
