We’re so pleased to have author Catt Ford with us today to chat about her newest novel, Cross My Heart. She’s here to make a confession, so enjoy, and welcome, Catt!
I Have Never Been to Paris
I have a confession. I’ve never been to Paris. And yet I set the story Cross My Heart in Paris! Why? And how did I do it?
Why is because I’ve always longed to go to Paris. I’ve always wanted to visit the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay and see the tourist sights. When HGTV does House Hunters in Paris, I am glued to the tube. The city of romance and fashion! The allure of Parisian women and the treats in the pâtisserie windows! A river tour down the Seine to see the twinkle lights on the Eiffel Tower!
Because I’ve never been there, I enjoyed a wicked little giggle when one of the editors told me I’d made her want to go back and she didn’t even like Paris. That was a huge compliment on a big risk. I have been to Germany and England, but I only changed planes in Paris. Not even enough time to go outside the airport. So this story contains my impression of Paris, by which I mean, I’m sorry if I got it wrong.
Of course, I found a lot of pictures of Paris online and they gave me a sense of the colors and atmosphere, like the honey-colored stone buildings and gray slate roofs. Google maps proved to be a treasure. When I researched the various places I was writing about, I discovered video tours of the dinner boats on the Seine. By hopping from one to the next, I was able to virtually ride all the way up the river from Pont Neuf to the Eiffel Tower. When the boats go under the bridges you can see the lights and the traffic going by. You get to see the steps leading from the street down to the docks. And it was awesome.
From there I imagined how the air would smell. Possibly a bit fishy at times near the river unless the flowers were in bloom. In the morning, the scent of coffee and fresh bread from the boulangeries would fill the air.
For anyone who loves fashion (as Lana does) Paris would be their dream. I imagined she would walk to work just to take in the street fashion, whereas I look at it online.
Having worked in the fashion district in NYC, I am used to the bolts of fabric, racks of clothing and model photos in the offices and showrooms. I have art directed photo shoots and talked the somewhat silly conceptual-speak creatives use to sell an idea and get it across.
When I create a world for my characters, I am living there right alongside them. After researching Paris, I only hope that someday I’ll get to experience it for myself. Anyone want to come along?
About the Book
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Roland Reynolds—or Lana Renault, as she’s now known—knows that life is no fairy tale. Fortunately she has her trusted friends, nicknamed the dwarfs, to keep her company. She lives her life to the fullest while keeping what’s beneath her skirt to herself.
American painter Daniel Hunter is no stranger to adversity either, and it’s left him with not only strength but secrets. Unlike Lana, he remains aloof, content to observe life and beauty from the sidelines… until the first time their eyes meet on a crowded Paris street.
Cupid’s arrow finds its mark in Daniel, but while Lana longs for romance, she knows there’s no prince in her happy ever after. If their story is to have a fairy-tale ending, Daniel will have to convince Lana to let down her walls—and, in the process, reveal what he fears sharing the most.
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About the Author
Catt Ford lives behind the orange curtain in southern California with a partner and two familiars in the form of cats whose fur is as black as their evil little hearts. She is a graphic artist by day and a storyteller by inclination. Catt enjoys the research required for writing a believable story. She is a rabid card-carrying fan of bull riding and also enjoys swing dancing. She gets drunk on words and sometimes over imbibes, but loves to write about love and happy endings.
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