My upcoming release, titled A Forged Affair, will be the third written, though only the second published, in my Life is a Journey series about young women travelling or studying abroad who fall in love while discovering their true selves and getting embroiled in someone else’s problems. Check out Book 1, The Art of Enchantment, set in beautiful Tuscany!
This particular story was born on a family holiday in the south of France – in the province of Aquitaine – exactly ten years ago.
A Dream Come True Vacation
This was a dream-come-true trip for me. I’d just finished training for and cycling the 260 km Ride to Conquer Cancer, and I was eager to cycle the country roads of France, though at that point I could ride circles around my husband and nine year old son.
I absorbed enough memories in that one month to write a dozen books!
Adventure and Culture To Spare
Kayaking down the Dordogne River in France, cycling the country roads in Aquitaine, and enjoying costumed musicians at the annual Medieval festival.
We rented a charming 500-year-old farm house just outside the 600-year-old Plus Beaux Villages (“most beautiful villages”) of Montflaquin. There for over a month, we took a little side trip to Provence and a jaunt north to Chartres and Vimy. The same ancient limestone geography is responsible for the deep caves, the delicious wine and the gorgeous stone architecture in this region of France. (I can seriously geek out over limestone!)
Highlights of the trip included seeing a bit of the Tour de France (south of Lyon), exploring prehistoric cave art near Lascaux, zip-lining in a tall pine forest, and kayaking down the Dordogne river. See if you can recognize some of these adventures in the upcoming book.
We also enjoyed wine-tastings in the Bergerac and Vignobles du Sud-Ouest, farmers’ and artisans’ weekly markets, ancient castles, visits to Carcassonne, Avignon, Bordeaux, Chartres, spending plenty of time sipping cafe-au-lait and eating croissants in outdoor cafés, eating gorgeous French food like Cassoulet, Paella and grilled Merguez sausages (If these sound like Spanish dishes – you’re correct! there’s a lot of cultural cross-fertilization across the Pyrenees mountains) , and stumbling into the most amazing midsummer Medieval Festival – which was really the kickoff for this book. Read a wee excerpt below.
A Perk of Being a Writer ~ More Travel to Inspire More Stories!
There will be several research trips in my future as I plan more books in this exciting series! I see Ireland, Spain and Belgium on the horizon.
What kind of traveller are you? Where have you been that set your imagination soaring?
Reply to this email with your favourite or funniest travel-inspired experience or the best far-flung story you’ve ever read and I’ll share it with the group. I’m always looking for exciting travel books to fill in those gaps when I’m stuck at home in my chair.