I Left Some Books in Paris by Vonnie Davis

I'm sitting in the top floor of my stepson's condo building near the River Spree in Berlin, watching clouds quickly drift by the skylights. It's a brisk, windy day today. Calvin and his son, having talked themselves out, are both asleep on the sofa, a dog curled against each of them and idle iPads on their laps. I'm going to use this quiet period to talk to you about Paris.

We'd gone to the City of Light for two reasons--to enjoy the city once again and so I could do some research for a couple stories. Writing involves a lot of research, either online, in books, through piles of old photos or in person at a specific location. Some places I get to visit. Others I read about and take notes the old fashioned way. With both methods, my goal is to be as accurate for my readers as I can. You deserve no less. Right? So, settle in with a cup of coffee or herbal tea and lLet me tell you about a renown bookstore in Paris.

During the era of The Lost Generation, shortly after World War I, American Sylvia Beach opened a book store on the Left Bank. More than a bookstore, this narrow shop became the cultural center for artists, especially the American expatriate community. Authors, poets, artists and their supporters congregated both in the store and the lending library. Many Americans, with no permanent addresses, also used the bookstore as an unofficial post office, where they had their mail forwarded. This photo shows Sylvia, in the dark clothing, her life-partner in lighter clothing and author James Joyce.

The shop was located at 12 rue de L'Odeon and was frequented by Hemingway, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliott, Picasso, Modigliani and other members of the Paris art scene of that era.  Here's the building as it appears today, trimmed in red and full of women's attire.

Sylvia Beach and her partner Adrienne Monnier were a 1920s power couple – running two bookshops across the street from each other on the Rue de l’Odeon in the 6th arrondissement, or neighborhood zone. When the Nazi's invaded Paris, Sylvia closed her bookstore and left the city.

 

Shakespeare and Company's modern day descendant is now on rue de Bucherie in the 5th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Notre Dame Cathedral pictured above. It was opened in 1951 by American George Whitman. He operated it until his early nineties. His daughter Sylvia, named for the original owner of Shakespeare and Company, runs the literary institution now. Known worldwide, tourists stop to buy a book stamped with the famed Shakespeare and Company stamp.

There is a new book stocked in Shakespeare and Company now--my romantic suspense set in Paris, Mona Lisa's Room. I'd set a couple chapters in the bookstore and they appreciated the mention. To say I'm excited to have my book shelved there is an understatement. It was a rainy day and my hair was plastered from my hat, but I didn't care. I was achieving a dream...I left some books in Paris.

My Eager Tale of Two Cities by Vonnie Davis

I’ve got the suitcase open and a pile of clothes lying next to it. Every other day—okay, every day—I enter the spare bedroom to finger over them or add to the pile. My eagerness is rising. We leave for Paris and Berlin in fifteen days.

This will be my second trip to both cities. Each has her own energy and identity. Paris is like a fashion model, strutting her beauty and daring anyone not to adore her. The City of Lights sparkles day and night.

 

 

Berlin, having undergone a huge rebuilding after WWII, is more youthful and less status conscious. She shows little concern for the graffiti--or street art, as the Berliners call it--decorating her buildings, bridges and sidewalks, and in fact wears them like a badge of honor. The city takes pride in her speedy mass transit system and technological advances.

If it’s modern, Berlin loves it.

 

While Paris worships her history and preens her beauty.

 

Paris is my husband’s second home. He’s lived there twice, writing at sidewalk cafés and absorbing French culture. Soon we’ll be living like the French in a Left Bank apartment for two weeks. Then we’ll fly to Berlin to visit my step-son and his Berliner wife for a week. Needless to say, Calvin is very eager to spend some time with his only child. Kelly designs and maintains websites for the Bayer Corporation.

 

While my head will be on a swivel, taking in all the glorious sights, I’ll be researching some details for a couple books—historical and contemporary.  There's nothing like sitting at sidewalk cafés, watching streams of humanity pass by. Museums are great places to reach the creative and historical parts of our souls. At night, we'll return to our little apartment to cook dinner--we're both diabetics--and write notes from all we discovered during our daily walks down narrow and windy streets once traveled by chariots.

This is a picture of our living room in our little pad near the Sorbonne University in the part of Paris known as the Latin Quarter. Centuries ago, students spoke only Latin on these streets as they discussed literature, art and politics. Today, burdened by backpacks and carrying instruments, you can still find them in cafés and brasseries discussing these same age-old topics.

 

Located just a few blocks from our apartment is rue Moufftard, location of the oldest outdoor market in Paris once operated by monks. The French display fresh produce as if they were works of art. And don't even get me started on the pastries. I may have to forget I'm diabetic a time or two.

As you can guess, this is a trip we've been planning for a long time. I thank you for allowing me to bend your ear with all these little details. Writers love visiting where they plan to set their books. It's an important part of presenting you with stories full of accurate details and flavor.

Memories of our trip there five years ago anchor my romantic suspense series set in Paris. The Red Hand Conspiracy series involves two American sisters, French counterterrorism agents and a world-wide terrorist group called The Red Hand. Filled with suspense, sparked with passion and tempered with humor, you'll love your time in Paris as you read these two books.

Winner of the HOLT Medallion Award of Merit in two categories. Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book by a Virginia author.

http://www.amazon.com/Mona-Lisas-Room-ebook/dp/B00A553HLY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377490279&sr=1-1&keywords=mona+lisa%27s+room

 

Book two of The Red Hand Conspiracy.  http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Love-Song-Conspiracy-ebook/dp/B00BK9QV3K/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Please visit me at www.vonniedavis.com