Romance And Murder In The City Of Light

Writers in Paris are a dime a dozen. Always has been and likely always will be. Guess that’s because Paris is so damned inspirational. And because Paris is so inspirational, the writers in Paris are exceptional.

Every day I pinch myself that I’ve come to know so many of them…these gifted authors who have brought us so much pleasure, so much information, so much guidance and so much of their own inspiration.

Regularly, the English-language bookstores in Paris bring these wordsmiths to their tiny Paris nooks among the shelves of hardcovers and paperbacks to let us learn for ourselves who’s really the person behind the type. This is one of those weeks we will be enlightened.

Cara Black is back in Paris with her series of murder mysteries that each take place in some corner of the city she helps us get to know a little better. This time, her sassy detective, Aimée Leduc, searches for the link between French neo-Nazis, an EU trade agreement, and a killer whose victims span 50 years in “Murder in the Marais”…her latest novel from which she will be reading at the Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore Wednesday night.

Saturday afternoon on Valentine’s day, at Shakespeare and Company, how perfect to hear Thirza Vallois speak about “Romantic Paris,” her most recent publication. Interwoven with charming as well as outrageous anecdotes and stories of the city’s love life throughout the ages, Romantic Paris is beautifully designed and filled with stunning photos. Thirza talks of passion in the city where passion was born:

A WALK BY THE SEINE (excerpted from Romantic Paris, Sentimental trails)

How would you like to be,
Down by the Seine with me?
Under the bridges of Paris with you,
I’ll make your dreams come true.

If you can take but one romantic walk, it must be along the river Seine. You will have to come back, in all seasons and in all kinds of weather, at sunrise, sunset and by night. You will never tire of it and you will never cease to be moved.

Lucky for us, we have Cara and Thirza here in Paris this week enjoy and even luckier for those who will be attending the Living and Investing in France Conference in San Francisco this coming March…as both of these Paris-inspired literary artists will be speaking there! They open the event Friday night sharing their own insights on France and Thirza Vallois will take our imaginations even further on Saturday night with her tour of Paris Past, Present and Future (open to non-conference participants, too!).

See you at the readings…

Cara Black
http://www.carablack.com
Reading from “Murder in the Marais” and More
Wednesday, February 11th, 7 p.m.
The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore
22, rue Saint-Paul, 4th
M° Saint-Paul, Sully Morland
Tel: (+33) 01 48 04 75 08
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Thirza Vallois
http://www.thirzavallois.com
Reading from “Romantic Paris” and More
Saturday, February 14th, 4 p.m.
Shakespeare and Company
http://www.shakespeareco.org/
37, rue de la Bûcherie
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 26 96 50
Email: [email protected]

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
E-mail: [email protected]

P.S. The deadline for the Early Bird Discount to the Living and Investing in France Conference is February 15th. Take advantage by registering now — and to attend Thirza’s dinner and lecture on Paris, sign up soon as seating is limited. All details can be found at /frenchproperty/conference/LIFhome.html