A Tryst in Paris follows a woman visiting a carousel who is swept into a time-shifting vortex and transported back to 1900 where she must help a stranger prove his innocence. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My love of Carousels, a French film pioneer, and YouTube videos of the 1900 Paris Exhibition, along with a friend’s passion for vintage coin purses, inspired Book One of The Carousel Time Traveler, A TRYST IN PARIS. The premise began with the idea of Mirabelle, in Paris to shop for antiques, finding an aged invitation to meet at the Luxembourg Carousel in a vintage coin purse advertising Alice Guy’s silent film La Fée aux Choux. When on a whim Mirabelle decides to visit the Carousel at that appointed time, it sweeps her back to 1900 Paris. The silent video in which a woman falls off the moving sidewalk of the 1900 Paris Exhibition prompted me to land Mirabelle on it, leading her to meet sexy, dangerous Jacques into whose life she is drawn and with whom her heart connects. 

Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?

Mirabelle’s loyalty and attachment to her mother relay mine toward my own late mother. Also, I enjoy being dressed comfortably, and I would feel as Mirabelle does when she wears the form-fitting fashion of 1900.

Mirabelle’s love of film history mimics my own. I am a devotee of Turner Classic Movies and love reading biographies of actors, writers, producers, etc., of the  “Golden Age of Hollywood’s Big Five Studios”.

Bernadette’s tendency to talk first and think later is a trait I have yet to tame in myself, though as I age, I am finding myself a bit more circumspect.

Overall, each of the main characters (Mirabelle, Jacques, Bernadette, Susette, as well as Mirabelle’s mom and godmother) try to make right choices in order not to callously or selfishly hurt others, which is a guiding principle I try to live by.

What draws you to the city of Paris, making it the perfect location for your story, and what is it about the time period of the 1900’s that appeals to you? 

I first visited Paris while on a creative writing residency, and its beauty empowered my creativity. When writing With Kisses from Cécile, I learned quite a bit about post WWI Paris.  I was drawn to study the city before the war, during La Belle Époque. The year 1900 marked the start of the 20^th Century and the introduction of inventions that changed our lives, including two that factor heavily into my story: automobiles and motion pictures. The 1900 Paris Exhibition was a spectacular event that showcased the dawn of the new century. The many available silent films on the internet of 1900 Paris transplanted me to Paris 1900 and its Exposition, glorious fashion, and events including the Olympics.

Can you tell us a little about where the story goes in book two and when the novel will be available?

A RENDEZVOUS IN PARIS, tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2024 release, will see Mirabelle again traveling back in time to Paris 1925, where she becomes entangled in solving the murder of a swindler who has ruined the lives of those endearing people she met in 1900.

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