To celebrate my 20 years in France, I’ve decided to publish a collection of a dozen of my short stories. They are all linked by being set in France, many of them in the southwest region, where I live. This part of France has rich and varied landscapes and a strong tradition of separatism and independence.
France remains an endless source of fascination for many people, with its enthralling history and culture and its fabulous scenery. It’s an everlasting happy hunting ground for authors. France certainly does it for me: I discover new things all the time.
I am a history enthusiast, so most of the stories are set in the past, especially during defining eras such as the two World Wars, which still weigh so heavily on the French psyche. A few take place in the present but they draw extensively on the legacy of bygone days and on French people’s profound attachment to their rural roots.
I’ve never thought of myself as a ghost story writer, but I notice that four of the 12 also contain an element of the supernatural.
The book is entitled French Collection – Twelve Short Stories and will be published in paperback and ebook formats towards the end of October. And, of course, there’ll be a virtual launch party with fun and games, prizes and guest appearances.
The wonderful Jane Dixon-Smith is designing the cover for me. I love her covers and so I can’t wait to see what she comes up with. Watch this space for a cover reveal and for further publication details.
You might also like:
Revisiting Inspiration on Corsica
The Story Behind ‘The List’: Occupied France 1941-42
Scent of Corsica: the Maquis
Copyright © Vanessa Couchman 2017, all rights reserved.
Vanessa Couchman 
Congratulations on your 20 years in France and the collection sounds like a great idea to celebrate it, which I’m looking forward to reading. Let me know when the book launch etc is and if you need any further help with publicity and promotion, do let me know and I’ll be more than happy to help. http://www.melissalawrence.co.uk/publicityservice.html
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Thanks, Melissa. I’ll certainly keep you posted and I may well take you up on the publicity and promotion.
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I love the sound of short stories revolving around your adopted home. Looking forward to reading them. Understand that completely. I’ve lived in Germany all my adult life and it is almost always the inspiration for my writing.
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I find great inspiration in France (and also in Corsica, which of course is part of France). I can understand that you find the same in Germany.
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