Marie Laval's Blog, page 14

Teri Riggs and Resolutions!

Exciting day today! I am hosting Teri Riggs, author of the thrilling and fast-paced romantic suspense Resolutions (part of the Honor Guard Series).

Hello Teri and welcome on the blog. I really enjoyed Resolutions and have a few questions for you.

Can you tell us a little about you?
I live in Marietta, Georgia. I’m married to my high school sweetheart…we met when we were both 15. How’s that for romance? I’ve been writing for about 15 years now. I’m truly addicted to reading. I love to paint, but haven’t done it for a few years—I’m having too much fun writing.
What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to write? 
The usual girl stuff. A teacher. A nurse. (Which I was before we had children) And of course I wanted to be a princess. I never dreamed of being a writer. I didn’t even enjoy reading until a few years before I decided I wanted to write.
Where do you get your ideas for your stories?
I get inspirations from TV shows, movies, songs, dreams, people I meet. Just about anything can spark a plot bunny.
In three words - What kind of man is Mac, your hero? 
Pig-headed. Demanding. Alpha.
Yes, I do agree. I found him extremely sexy too! In three words - What kind of woman is Eve, your heroin?
Hard-headed. Strong. Independent.
What did Mac think the first time he saw Eve?
Love at first sight! He knew she was the woman for him and he would do whatever was necessary to protect her.
What did Eve think of Mac the first time she saw him? 
Love at first sight! She knew Mac was the only man she’d ever love. But, she had no intention of letting him rob her of her hard-won independence.
Thank you so much Teri for visiting the blog day.


My review of Resolutions
If you like action-filled romantic novels, brave heroines and stubborn but sexy Alpha male heroes, then Resolutions is for you. From the very first page, the pace is fast and never falters as we follow agent Eve Taylor in her mission to destroy Columbian drug baron and would-be terrorist Mendoza and her bid to prove that she is every bit as good as her fellow agents. The man she needs to convince most of all is over-protective super agent Dillon MacKenna, whom she once loved but had to leave after he issued a typically macho male ultimatum. It's me or your job. She chose the job.
When Eve is taken hostage by Mendoza and Mac comes to her rescue and the spark between them flares into a burning passion once again. As they fight Mendoza and his ruthless killers, Eve and Mac realise they never ceased loving each other. Their past and their pride however stand in the way of a future together. Will Mac demand once again that Eve choose between him and her career? And will Eve's love for him be enough for her to give up the job she trained so hard for?
Although the scenes of violence and torture and some strong language may not be to everybody's tastes, I found Resolutions an extremely enjoyable read.  
Resolutions Blurb
DEA agent Eve Taylor has had her fill of alpha males. When Resolutions’ operative and former lover, Dillon “Mac” McKenna, threatened her hard-earned independence, she ran. On a mission to gather evidence against a Colombian drug-lord, Eve discovers the drug-lord is helping terrorists plan an attack on American soil. Before she can escape with the vital information, she’s captured and comes face to face with her mortality…

As a teen, Mac watched his family fall apart after his mother died doing dangerous U.N. work. The possibility of losing Eve to a mission ignited an overwhelming need to protect her. When he forced her to choose him or her job, she walked away. Two years later, it seems all his nightmares have come true and he’s tasked with rescuing her from a Colombian prison. Mac has never stopped loving Eve, but does he dare risk his heart when he’s so terrified of losing…

On the run, Mac and Eve must learn to trust each other again in order to stay alive.

* * * * * * * * * *

Note: Resolutions is a private black ops agency specializing in the near-impossible extractions of kidnap victims, hostages, and all forms of intelligence other agencies have failed to retrieve.

Fairytale Lights of Lyon 2013!

The Fête des Lumières is held every year in Lyon, the town I grew up, on December 8th.


Although originally held for one night only it now lasts three whole nights and has become a spectacular event. Gone the days when people lit up candles in coloured glass 'lumignons' and placed them on their window sills before going for a stroll in the old town and up to Fourvière, the basilica dedicated to the Virgin Marie on top of the hill.

Although there is some confusion regarding the origins of the Fête des Lumières, there is no doubt that it was always dedicated to the Virgin Marie, under whose protection the city was placed in the Middle Ages. Even though some claim that the festival dates back from the Renaissance, when the Virgin Marie answered the prayers of the people of Lyon and saved the city from the plague which affected the rest of the country, the tradition really started on 8th December 1852. when a statue dedicated to the Virgin was inaugurated on top of the Fourvière hill. The celebrations planned for the event had to be cancelled because of a violent storm, so when the storm finally stopped later in the evening, the people lit up candles they placed on their window sills and took to the street to celebrate. The tradition has carried on until this day.  Nowadays extravagant light displays are held throughout the town. Just look at these from the 2013 edition of the Festival!



It's just like being in a fairy tale, isn't it?

 I    This one is called 'Le Petit Prince',  no doubt as a reference to the author Saint-Exupéry.   I would have loved to return to Lyon for the weekend and see all this for myself, but I can't help feeling a little nostalgic for the days when all we needed to be happy were little candles on the window sills. It was such good fun to meet up with friends, have a drink in cafés and stroll through the old town and try to avoid the flour and eggs people used to throw down at passers-by through their windows!

Childhood Memories...

The power of words and music, the power of memories and love...
The pain never goes away.
No one else could have said it better than Barbara.

Il ne faut jamais revenir
aux temps cachés des souvenirs
du temps béni de son enfance.
Car parmi tous les souvenirs
ceux de l'enfance sont les pires,
ceux de l'enfance nous déchirent.

Oh ma très chérie, oh ma mère,
où êtes-vous donc aujourd'hui?
Vous dormez au chaud de la terre.
Et moi je suis venue ici
pour y retrouver votre rire,
vos colères et votre jeunesse.
Et je suis seule avec ma détresse.

Hélas
Pourquoi suis-je donc revenue
et seule au détour de ces rues?
J'ai froid, j'ai peur, le soir se penche.
Pourquoi suis-je venue ici,
où mon passé me crucifie?
Elle dort à jamais mon enfance



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP6EwJpKSiI

October poems...

I can't believe it's one year today since I became a published author and my debut historical romance ANGEL HEART was released by Canadian publisher MuseitUp Publishing.

I dreamt of that day for so long, and at times despaired it would ever happen.

One year on, and I still have the same feeling of pride and disbelief when I look at the cover and tell myself that it is true, I have published not one, but two novels!


But if October now reminds me of the publication of my first novel, it is also melancholic...It's the approach of winter with dead leaves swirling in blustery winds and darkening skies.

Whenever I think of Autumn poems, Paul Verlaine's 'Chanson d'Automne' always springs to my mind first.

Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l’automne
Blessent mon coeur
D’une langueur
Monotone.

I also love 'L'Automne' by Alphonse de Lamartine

Je suis d’un pas rêveur le sentier solitaire,
J’aime à revoir encor, pour la dernière fois,
Ce soleil pâlissant, dont la faible lumière
Perce à peine à mes pieds l’obscurité des bois !

Oui, dans ces jours d’automne où la nature expire,
A ses regards voilés, je trouve plus d’attraits,
C’est l’adieu d’un ami, c’est le dernier sourire
Des lèvres que la mort va fermer pour jamais !

But there is one song which above all others symbolises for me the melancholy of Autumn, and it's 'Les Feuilles Mortes' which was written by French poet Jacques Prévert in 1945. I always preferred Yves Montand's rendition of the song, even if many artists, including Edith Piaf, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra recorded their own version of it - and especially this clip from his concert at the Paris Olympia.

I remember showing this clip to my sixth-form French students one day we were talking about what they thought was 'boring old French music'. They were all in tears after watching this clip...

It always makes me cry too, but then again, I do tend to cry a lot!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLlBOmDpn1s

I couldn't leave out the immensely talented Serge Gainsbourg, who pays tribute to the song in 'La Chanson de Prévert'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzuTdVJG-ck








 So what is October for you? If you have any favourite October poems or songs to share, I would love to read them.

Fall Into Romance Hop with The Romance Rewiews!

Looking for answers about THE LION'S EMBRACE and ANGEL HEART in the Romance Reviews Blog Hop?  Looking for the Blog Hop article about my favourite romance novel, THE ANTIQUE LOVE by Helena Fairfax?

Then you are in the right place! Please scroll down for the blurbs for THE LION'S EMBRACE and ANGEL HEART where you will find answers to the questions.

And just a little further down , you will find the Blog Hop rules and my article on THE ANTIQUE LOVE, a great contemporary romance by talented author Helena Fairfax.

If you leave a comment and follow my blog, you will be entered into the draw for a chance to win an ebook of either ANGEL HEART or THE LION'S EMBRACE. I will pick the winner and announce in on this blog after 21st September .


To answer the question on THE LION'S EMBRACE, please read this blurb:

Arrogant, selfish and dangerous, Lucas Saintclair is everything Harriet Montague dislikes in a man. He is also the best guide in the whole of the Barbary States, the only man who can rescue her archaeologist father from the gang of Tuareg fighters that has kidnapped him.

As Harriet embarks on a perilous journey across Algeriawith Saintclair and Archibald Drake, her father’s most trusted friend, she discovers a bewitching but brutal land where nothing is what it seems. Who are these men intent on stealing her father’s ransom? What was her father hoping to find in Tuareg queen Tin Hinan’s tomb? Is Lucas Saintclair really as callous as he claims—or is he a man haunted by a past he cannot forgive?

Dangerous passions engulf Harriet’s heart in the heat of the Sahara. Secrets of lost treasures, rebel fighters, and a sinister criminal brotherhood threaten her life and the life of the man she loves.

Does forever lie in the lion’s embrace?


THE LION'S EMBRACE is available from https://museituppublishing.com/Also from http://www.amazon.com/The-Lions-Embrace-ebook/dp/B00BACDSK6
And http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=marie+laval+the+lion%27s+embrace
    You will find the answer to the question on ANGEL HEART in this blurb: Devonshire, 1815A mysterious Templar relic.A web of intrigue and lies.A woman about to lose her heart. Marie-Ange, the young widow of an English officer, accepts an inheritance in Franceonly to find that everything in Beauregard is not as it seems. Why is the sinister Malleval so obsessed with her family? What exactly is this mysterious Templar Cross he believes Marie-Ange can lead him to? And could her darling husband Christopher still be alive?  Marie-Ange finds herself trapped in a dangerous web of lies, political intrigue and mystical possession, and the only person to whom she can turn for help is Captain Hugo Saintclair. Yet the enigmatic Hugo represents a danger of a different kind …ANGEL HEART is a lavish mix of romance, adventure and a hint of the supernatural, largely set in Franceagainst the turbulent background of Napoleon’s return from Elba and his ultimate defeat at Waterloo.  It is available from:  http://museituppublishing.com/http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Heart-ebook/dp/B009YJT194http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angel-Heart-ebook/dp/B009YJT194 AND NOW FOR THE BLOG HOP! Why I loved THE ANTIQUE LOVE by Helena FairfaxIf you leave a comment and follow this blog, you will be entered into the draw for a chance to win an ebook of either ANGEL HEART or THE LION'S EMBRACE! I will pick the winner and announce in on this blog after 21st September.   THE ANTIQUE LOVE is a wonderful and heart-warming contemporary romance that you won't be able to put down until the very last page.
 
When American Kurt Bold walks into Penny's London antique shop one rainy Saturday afternoon, everything about him immediately captures her imagination and makes her dream of vast spaces and campfires under starry skies. She couldn't be further from the truth. Kurt may be from Wyoming, but he is no cowboy, and the name 'White River' printed on his business card isn't the name of his ranch at all. In fact, far from being a romantic hero, Kurt is the head of a large financial company, and has neither the time nor the inclination for dreams, love or romance. All he wants is a companionable relationship with a reasonable, level-headed woman - the total opposite of Penny. He only needs Penny to help him redecorate his new London house, certainly not to bring impossible dreams of passion and romance into his well-ordered life.  Or does he? Will Penny's smile and romantic outlook on life change his mind, and his heart, before it's too late and he loses his gentle dreamer forever?I absolutely adored THE ANTIQUE LOVE and the way Helena Fairfax draws the reader into the minds and hearts of her characters - her kind, artistic and deeply insecure heroin and her impossibly attractive, pragmatic and stubborn hero.Buy links:  Amazon US ; Amazon UK  ; Barnes & Noble ; Kobo  ; Apple iBooks ; Muse Bookstore and all major e-tailersa Thank you for reading my article! Please leave a comment and follow the blog!

Now don't forget to click on the Hop button to visit the next blog! You need to be logged in in order to hop via the button. If you haven’t registered at TRR and/or logged in, please click on the button and go to the top right side of the page on TRR to do so. Registration is free.


 

My Perfect Hero?

Misty grey, gunmetal grey or thunderstorm grey.  Clear like a dawn sky in summer, or the dark, rich blue of water irises. The warm amber of whisky or a deep, melting chocolate brown. What am I talking about? The eyes of my hero, of course! Dreaming up the hero of my story always starts with his eyes.
Alain Delon
I attended a romance writing workshop some time ago where the focus was on how to create the perfect hero. The workshop leader decreed that the hero of a romance novel should not be a nice man who wore a cardigan and who was happy with just holding the heroin’s hand whilst gazing at the stars. All these were definitely the attributes of an anti-hero, a man no reader in her right mind could ever fall in love with..
 But what exactly did she find so unattractive? Was it the cardigan, or that the man was content with holding the heroin’s hand instead of ravishing her? Or again that he enjoyed gazing at the stars in her company?   Jacques Dutronc
I remember thinking at the time that the most important quality a hero should have was to make me dream, to make me wish he was in my life for real. If it's true that I am not too keen on men wearing cardigans, they have actually become quite a fashion statement for younger men these past few years. Holding someone’s hand can be a most wonderful and romantic experience. As for star gazing, I only have to think of astronomy professor Brian Cox's soft voice, clever eyes and sexy smile for it to become the most exciting way of spending an evening!   


Brian CoxSo what kind of hero do I write about? I’m afraid he is rather predictable in that he is usually the tall, moody type. He is incredibly brave and confident, determined to carry out some important mission. If he is cynical at times, he does hide a dark, painful and haunting secret the heroin will, naturally, help him overcome. As I write historical romance, he is also a consummate rider and knows how to handle swords, daggers and pistols. And if there isn't a cardigan in sight, that's because they didn't exist in the time period I have chosen - honest!

He is the man I dream about, the man I write about and the man who lives in my head for weeks and months on end – in the case of my current work in progress, one year already!

But whichever country he is from, whatever occupation he has and whatever the plot, the background or the time period, the first and most important step is always for me to picture his eyes.

Robert HosseinAnd of course, to get his name right. From the moment he has a name, he is in my life. But the choice of the hero's name is the topic of another post... What about you? How do you create your perfect hero? And what type of hero makes you dream?  

Haunted Prison Tour with Victoria Roder

Today I am delighted to welcome talented author Victoria Roder at the start of her exciting Blog Tour for her novel The Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary, which will be released on August 23rd by MuseitUp Publishing.

Hello Victoria and welcome. What can you tell us about your novel and the fascinating world of penitentiaries?


  Hello Marie and thank you for hosting me today.
Would you spend the night in an abandoned, haunted prison? Several, former penitentiaries offer tours with claims of paranormal activity. For my paranormal thriller, The Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary I researched prison history, former inmates and ghost stories of Moundsville, Alcatraz, Mansfieldand Eastern State Penitentiary. 
The word penitentiary means to be repentant, and that concept was taken seriously. Before prison reform, penitentiaries were based on a system of separation and torture which is believed to have fostered an atmosphere of insanity. Tortures from The Iron Gage, The Water Bath and in later years, violence among inmates seems to have left permanent spirits in the former prisons.  
Paranormal experts believe that building materials such as slate, stone and iron have properties that are similar to tapes used for recordings. As living entities, we release energy in everything we do. When some people pass, the environment holds onto that energy and it is stored in the building materials around them like a recording. The recording of the event is played over and over throughout time, known as a residual haunt. The experts aren’t sure what causes the playback, but some of the paranormal gurus believe in a theory that weather conditions or a person’s sensitivity are contributing factors. The paranormal investigators believe that some spirits are able to communicate with the living, by moving inanimate objects or in some cases speaking, which is known as an intelligent haunt.
Please join me in the Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary’s, Haunted Prison Tour. I will be choosing one winner from all the comments on the tour for an e-book copy of Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary. Each time you comment on my tour, you earn an entry, so don’t forget to leave your e-mail address! Please visit me at www.victoriaroder.com Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary ,  Available August 23rd sign up to be notified http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/haunting-of-ingersull-penitentiary-detail

 Haunting of Ingersull Penitentiary, Blurb:

Converting the former federal prison Ingersull Penitentiary, into the “The Big House Inn” swallowed Hailey Price’s inheritance from her murdered mother and deceased father’s estate. But, with any luck, the rumors of the federal complex being haunted will boost interest of the Inn. The abandoned Penitentiary, cursed by a witch, is in a constant battle of good verses evil, an eternal struggle for the souls that enter the complex.
The residual haunts are the least of the frightening occurrences at the Inn. An electrical storm traps the visitors with a possessed Ouija board and the spirit of a condemned witch with an ancient curse. The visitors spend a heart pounding night in the battle of good verses evil. It might be Heaven checking into “The Big House Inn”, but it’s Hell checking out.August 14th, Haunted Prison Tour Introduction
http://marielaval.blogspot.com/

August 16th, Haunting of Alcatraz
http://susanaroyal.wordpress.com/

August 23rd, Haunting of Moundsville
http://stormgoddessbookreviews.blogspot.com/?zx=dd702192c1e8525e

August 31st, Haunting of Eastern State Penitentiary  
http://victoriaroder.blogspot.com/
 
September 13th, Find Out How I Became a Writer
http://onewomanswrite.blogspot.com/

 Thank you so much Victoria, it was absolutely fascinating and very spooky! Good luck with your tour and the release of your novel.

Forever in Love...

Can love last a lifetime?   I don't know why but I woke up this morning humming the melody of 'Nous dormirons ensemble', in my opinion one of the most beautiful declarations of love ever written, and have been feeling all romantic and nostalgic ever since...

 A poem by surrealist poet Louis Aragon, 'Nous dormirons ensemble' was set to music and by Jean Ferrat in the 1960s.   Louis Aragon in 1925Aragon wrote it for his lover, wife and muse Elsa Triolet, among many other poems, and it was published in 1963 in the collection 'Le fou d'Elsa'.

Elsa was a Russian writer and poet, and the sister of Mayakovsky's lover Lili Brik. She left Russia at the outset of the Revolution after marrying a French cavalry officer she later divorced. After travelling to London and Berlin, she met Aragon in 1928 in Paris' Café de la Coupole, a famous haunt for artists at the time. Although they lived together straight away, they only married in 1939. They fought in the Résistance during the Second World War, travelled extensively after the war and stayed together until her death in 1970.  Elsa Triolet (she always kept the name of her first husband) was also the first woman to win the prestigious literary award Prix Goncourt in 1945 (when, by the way, women had just been granted the right to vote for the first time in France) for a collection of short stories 'Le premier accroc coute 200 Francs'.
Elsa Triolet
 I was unable to find an English translation for the poem. Sorry...Nous dormirons ensembleby Louis Aragon Que ce soit dimanche ou lundi Soir ou matin minuit midi
Dans l'enfer ou le paradis
Les amours aux amours ressemblent
C'était hier que je t'ai dit
Nous dormirons ensemble

C'était hier et c'est demain
Je n'ai plus que toi de chemin
J'ai mis mon cœur entre tes mains
Avec le tien comme il va l'amble
Tout ce qu'il a de temps humain
Nous dormirons ensemble

Mon amour ce qui fut sera
Le ciel est sur nous comme un drap
J'ai refermé sur toi mes bras
Et tant je t'aime que j'en tremble
Aussi longtemps que tu voudras
Nous dormirons ensemble.

Jean Ferrat
Jean Ferrat set many of Aragon's poems to music. He is one of my all time favourite French singers. And on a lighter note, what a moustache! I always thought he looked like a Mousquetaire!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejvg0hDhYkQ












I can't resist including an extract of poem Aragon wrote after Elsa's death of a heart attack in 1970.

L’adieu à Elsa

Son cœur a cessé de battre, foudroyé
Au milieu de l’allée du Moulin et de ses rosiers
Te laissant seul, éploré
Par le départ de ta bien-aimée

La fulgurance inouïe de la douleur
La déchirure d’un esprit qui se meurt
Aragon, tu as su malgré tout
Relever la tête et rester debout

Cette main qui ne se posera plus sur la tienne
Avec ce doux accent lorsqu’elle parlait…
Comme elle a dû être grande ta peine
De perdre celle que tu aimais

Tous ces mots jadis murmurés
Aux frontières d’une autre contrée
S’envolent avec elle, cher amour
S’envolent malgré toi pour toujours

They loved each other for over forty years, and he wrote beautiful poetry for her. They are one of my most romantic, most inspiring couples.

Who is your most romantic couple?

Elsa and Aragon

What is the theme of your novel?

I was very fortunate to attend Julie Cohen's inspiring seminar 'Using Theme' during the RNA Conference in Sheffield last weekend. I am actually a little embarrassed to admit that I hadn't previously thought about the theme of my novels, whether the two historical romances already published, or in my work in progress. I just 'wrote' them! Having to focus on what was the theme - or themes - of my stories was a revelation, as well as an incredibly enjoyable experience!


So what is theme?
It can be the idea you are exploring, the emotional core of the book, or the question you keep returning to. The theme of a novel isn't the plot, but its underlying idea or problem, the pivot upon which the book turns. Identity, belonging, dealing with loss and justice are all powerful themes, but there are many more, and some authors find themselves drawn to the same themes over and over again.

There can be one or several themes in a novel. For example, one could argue that the themes in Pride and Prejudice are status, love and money, whereas Romeo and Juliet's themes could be love and hate, duality, or young love.

 How does theme drive a novel and make it unique?
The theme of the novel can appear in the title or the very first line. It drives the characters' conflicts and desires and makes the resolution of the story more satisfying. It also helps design secondary characters and subplots which can then deal with the theme in a different way than the main plot, and with a different resolution. The theme of the novel also helps choose the setting, or settings, of the story. And, of course, it will be present in the writing style, for example with the metaphors and the symbolism used.

I found this part of the workshop absolutely fascinating. I realised that if I had not articulated before what the themes of my current project were, I had actually subconsciously used them to determine the title - 'Dancing for the Devil' -, the moods, conflicts and even the names of my two main characters, not to mention the setting - Cape Wrath in the far North of Scotland.


So what are the themes of 'Dancing for the Devil'?  Overcoming the past and self-discovery.

Of course, having now determined what the themes actually were, I have been busy rewriting the first chapter. All I have to do now is finish the story...

For My Father: les gens du Nord...

Les gens du Nord
ont dans les yeux le bleu qui manque à leur décor,
Les gens du Nord
ont dans le coeur le soleil qu'ils ont pas dehors.



Because you were so proud to be from the North of France.
Because you absolutely loved that song.
Because I miss you today and always...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv8d5wHVWM8