1.)
Do you use pictures as inspiration at the start
of a book?
I don’t usually start with a picture in mind… except for the
French book I am working on now, tentatively titled FUR GRRL. It’s a paranormal
comedy about a shape-changer debutante in modern France and the 16th
century portrait of Antonietta Gonsalvus by Lavinia Fontana in the Château de
Blois struck a chord with me. The royal courts of the period ‘collected’ people
like Antonietta as pets. Alice Fauvet, the hairy little heroine of my book,
will definitely NOT let herself be used by any one in any way.
2.)
What is your favourite period drama?
As I fell – and fell hard – for Downton Abbey, ‘Brideshead
Revisited’, Lord Peter Wimsey and all of the Nancy Mitford novels, my ‘period’
is early 20th century England although it’s a world that never shows
up in my own writing.
3.)
Are the titles of your books important?
Yes, but authors don’t always have control over that. I
wrote a Cape Cod romance called “Perfect Stranger” and the publishing house
wanted it to be called “Summer People.” Never understood the logic since there
are whole shelves of novels called “Summer People”. I think authors shouldn’t get too hung up on
the titles.
4.) If you’re struggling with a scene or difficult character, what methods help you through it?
If there’s a huge roadblock on a character or a scene, it’s often because it’s the wrong character or the wrong scene. I let it go and continue writing the next chapter.
5.)Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Definitely an early bird. I probably worked as a farm-hand/milk maid in all my past lives.
6.) Who’s your favourite author? Why?
Too many to list, so I’m going to single out Stella Gibbons, who is not as well-known as she should be. Her hilarious “Cold Comfort Farm”, published in 1932, makes me laugh every time I re-read it. (And I’ve re-read it about 100 times.)
7.) Do you have a pet peeve?
You’re asking someone who’s half-French and lives in Paris? We’re peeved at EVERYTHING… ALL THE TIME… not just the bed-bugs.
8.) Can you tell me a little about your next project?
‘French Toast’, the sequel to my cozy mystery ‘French Ghost’, will be released in Spring 2024. While the first book plunges Melody Layne, our ghostwriter heroine, into the ego-driven world of French cinema, this time she’s working with a celebrity chef on his cookbook. Well… until his restaurant falls prey to culinary sabotage.
Right now, I’m putting the finishing
touches on ‘Hekate’, an fantasy about a fading fashion model (46-year-old
Kaitlyn Parr) whose retirement goes awry when the Greek Goddess of Witchcraft
(Hekate) invades Kaitlyn’s Parisian pied-à-terre.
Magic doesn’t have to stop at the first grey hair, does it? Middle age is when you REALLY need it.
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Ghost-writer
Melody Layne is stranded in Paris when the over-sexed but unloved French movie
star who hired her to produce his memoir accidentally drowns before the
interviews begin.
It’s a
major financial relief when his enigmatic Spanish son re-hires her, but the seductive
Carlos Ortega is strangely silent about his reasons for funding a feel-good bio
about a father that he clearly despised.
There's enough
amour in the air for Melody to ignore this apparent paradox… at least
until she uncovers a hidden cache of death
threats addressed to the actor.
For the
French police, the sexy, secretive Spaniard – and sole heir to the actor's immense
fortune – is suddenly a prime murder suspect.
Can
Melody’s research into the Ghosts of Carlos-Past be enough to save her lover
from prison?
Amazon Link: https://shorturl.at/pyRW3
Bio:
Corinne
LaBalme lives in France and loves everything about it… except eating snails.
Her articles about European fashion, food and fun destinations have appeared in
The New York Times Travel section, Diversion, La Belle France and France
Revisited. Her favourite place to write? Any Parisian café with a good
croissant connection…
Website: https://corinnelabalme.com/
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