Author Inspiration in Paris

    Sometimes when I write, my scenes are completely from my imagination, but other times a real event is the spark for an idea. In the book I'm currently editing, Not Quite Mr. Darcy, there's an incident just outside of Notre Dame Cathedral that involves police and a mob. 

"As Kate turned, Declan threw an arm in front of her to protect her from what was escalating into a screaming mob running from the cathedral."

    To avoid spoilers, I won't explain that particular scene, but I will say that it is based on my family's actual experience during our first visit to Paris.  I'm not one to throw mobs and police into a story just to add drama, but both times I've visited the city there have been strikes and armed police in places that seemed alarming to me.  In fact on our first visit, the moment we got off the train we had taken from London to Paris, we heard screaming in the train station and people were running in from outside with smoke following them saying the police were trying to break up a protest.  In addition to strikes that were happening throughout the city during our trip the city was experiencing flooding from the Seine unlike anything that they had since the early 1900's. The flooding was so bad that the river was closed to boats because they couldn't get under the bridges, and some roads and trains exiting the city (including ones to Versailles) were closed.  Not only that, the Louvre and Musée D'Orsay were closed due to flooding in their lower levels and having to move artwork to safety. It was in the midst of that chaos that my family experienced the incident described in my book through the eyes of the main character, Kate, on her first visit to Paris.  

    Not Quite Mr. Darcy describes the experiences of Kate Thomas, a 29 year old recently widowed southerner who sets off to find herself in England. Kate works as a caregiver for a woman with dementia on the coast just north of Dover. Looking only to escape her heartache, Kate's journey takes her places she never thought she'd go -- finding faith, love, and family.  During her time there she takes a weekend visit to Paris and is entranced by the beautiful architecture and of course pastries.  I worked to capture some of my own feelings on my first visit, and just like me, in spite of the bad experience at the cathedral Kate still falls in love with what she sees of the city.  

    For me it is fun to incorporate some of my own experiences, particularly when they include beautiful architecture! By the end of that first visit my family and I were unfazed by policemen with bulletproof vests carrying large rifles. If you've been to Paris have you ever run into issues with strikes and protests?

In the pictures below, the top one shows Notre Dame with the spire that burned down. The one following it shows the Seine River flooded. Next is a picture of Sainte-Chapelle which has amazing stained glass with a completely different look that Notre Dame and is only a couple of blocks away. The last one is a favorite patisserie, Maison Mulot.