- This event has passed.
Scenes From Paris: A Virtual Adventure by the Book
October 25, 2020 @ 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
$19.00 – $78.94
About the Event
The Eiffel Tower, Shakespeare & Co., the Louvre, and Notre Dame, all iconic landmarks that lure 30 million tourists to Paris every year. Since this year COVID has temporary put a halt to travel, why not join us to virtually walk the famed City of Lights at our upcoming Scenes From Paris Adventure featuring New York Times and bestselling authors Cara Black, Liam Callanan, Mamta Chaudhry, and Alex George. Join us on Zoom* to “meet” these tres magnifique authors as they share their Paris-themed books.
This Virtual Adventure was designed not only to support creative artists whose book tours and events were cancelled due to COVID-19, but also to provide readers with our signature Adventures by the Book® multi-sensorial experience that brings literature to life in exciting and unique ways. Event admission is included with your purchase of any of the authors’ books, or purchase all four and not only will you receive a special bundled discount, but you will be entered into a drawing of Paris-themed goodies donated by each of our authors and Adventures by the Book!
Your Adventure includes your choice of any of the authors’ books, shipping within the US, signed bookplate(s), a virtual book discussion with 4 bestselling authors, and a brief presentation about Paris by Avant-Garde Travel that is sure to transport you to this magical city in your dreams. And if you envision yourself indulging in a delicious macaron or two during the event, we can help make that dream come true. Courtesy of Le Parfait Paris, you can order a box of macarons to be shipped right to your door in time for the event (with a Scenes From Paris special discount). See below for details.
*Instructions to join the Zoom virtual Adventure will be emailed to you three days prior to the event. Please note that no technical assistance will be available during the event, so we highly recommend you practice using Zoom with friends and family prior to the event.
About the Authors
Cara Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 books in the Private Investigator Aimée Leduc series, which is set in Paris. Cara has received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, a Washington Post Book World Book of the Year citation, the Médaille de la Ville de Paris—the Paris City Medal, which is awarded in recognition of contribution to international culture—and invitations to be the Guest of Honor at conferences such as the Paris Polar Crime Festival and Left Coast Crime. With more than 400,000 books in print, the Aimée Leduc series has been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew.
Her love of all things French was kindled by the French-speaking nuns at her Catholic high school, where Cara first encountered French literature and went crazy for the work of Prix Goncourt winner Romain Gary. Her junior year in high school, she wrote him a fan letter—which he answered, and which inspired her to make her first trip to Paris, where her idol took her out for coffee and a cigar. Since then, she has been to Paris many, many times. On each visit she entrenches herself in a different part of the city, learning its secret history. She has posed as a journalist to sneak into closed areas, trained at a firing range with real Paris flics, gotten locked in a bathroom at the Victor Hugo museum, and—just like Aimée—gone down into the sewers with the rats (she can never pass up an opportunity to see something new, even when the timing isn’t ideal—she was headed to a fancy dinner right afterwards and had a spot of bother with her shoes). For the scoop on real Paris crime, she takes the flics out for drinks and dinner to hear their stories—but it usually turns into a long evening, which is why she sticks with espresso.
In her most recent novel, Three Hours in Paris, Cara reimagines history in a masterful, pulse-pounding spy thriller. In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light—abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why. Kate Rees, a young American markswoman, has been recruited by British intelligence to drop into Paris with a dangerous assignment: assassinate the Führer. Thrust into the red-hot center of the war, a country girl from rural Oregon finds herself holding the fate of the world in her hands. When Kate misses her mark and the plan unravels, Kate is on the run for her life—all the time wrestling with the suspicion that the whole operation was a set-up.
Liam Callanan is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Cloud Atlas, All Saints, and Listen. His work has been translated into Chinese, German, Italian, and Japanese. Liam was the winner of the 2019 Edna Ferber Novel Prize, the 2017 George W. Hunt, SJ Prize in Arts, Letters & Journalistm, was long-listed for the 2019 Simpson Literary Prize, and he has also been an Edgar Award finalist.
He serves in the English department of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and was previously its chair, as well as coordinator of its Ph.D. program in creative writing. He’s also served on the faculty at the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Liam has regularly contributed to local and national public radio, and is possibly the only person now living (but consult your own Venn diagram) who has written for all of the following: the Wall Street Journal (on zeppelins, jetpacks, and touring Paris and Greece with children’s books), The Awl, Commonweal, Esquire.com (on swimming and flying), Slate, the New York Times, Washington Post Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes FYI, Good Housekeeping, Parents, Milwaukee Magazine, Brain,Child and elsewhere.
Liam’s haunting and charming new novel, Paris By the Book, follows one woman’s journey of self-discovery as her story is being rewritten, exploring the power of family and the magic that hides within the pages of a book. When eccentric novelist Robert Eady abruptly vanishes, he leaves behind his wife, Leah; their daughters; and, hidden in an unexpected spot, plane tickets to Paris. Hoping to uncover clues—and her husband—Leah sets off for France with her girls. Upon their arrival, Leah discovers an unfinished manuscript, one that Robert had been writing without her knowledge . . . and that he had set in Paris. The Eady women follow the path of the manuscript to a floundering English-language bookstore whose weary proprietor is eager to sell, but Leah’s biggest surprise comes when she hears herself accepting the offer on the spot. As the family settles into their new Parisian life, they can’t help but trace the literary paths of some beloved Parisian classics, including Madeline and The Red Balloon, hoping for more clues. But a series of startling discoveries forces Leah to acknowledge that she may not be ready for what solving this mystery might do to her family—and the Paris she thought she knew.
Mamta Chaudhry lives with her husband in Coral Gables, Florida, and they spend part of each year in India and in France. Much of her professional career was in television and classical radio at stations in Calcutta, Gainesville, Dallas, and Miami. Mamta has studied with Marilynne Robinson and has also taught literature and creative writing at the University of Miami. Her early fiction, poetry, and feature articles have been published in newspapers and magazines in the States and in India.
In her debut novel, Haunting Paris, it is 1989: Alone in her luminous apartment on Île Saint-Louis, Sylvie discovers a mysterious letter among her late lover Julien’s possessions, launching her into a decades-old search for a child who vanished in the turbulence of the Second World War. She is unaware that she is watched over by Julien’s ghost, his love for her powerful enough to draw him back to this world, though doomed now to remain a silent observer. Sylvie’s quest leads her deep into the secrets of Julien’s past, shedding new light on the dark days of Nazi-occupied Paris. A timeless story of love and loss, Haunting Paris matches emotional intensity with lyrical storytelling to explore grief, family secrets, and the undeniable power of memory.
To schedule a book club visit with Mamta or any of our authors on NovelNetwork:
Alex George is a writer, a bookseller, a director of a literary festival, and a lawyer. He was born in England, but presently lives in the midwest of America. His novel, A Good American, was a national and international bestseller, a #1 Indie Next Pick, a Barnes and Noble Discover New Writers Pick, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, a Midwest Connections Pick, and a Library Journal Best Book of the Year. His Setting Free The Kites was an Indie Next Pick, a Barnes and Noble Best Fiction Pick, a Library Reads Choice and a Midwest Connection Pick. It also won the Missouri Prize for Fiction in 2018.
Alex read law at Oxford University and worked for eight years as a corporate lawyer in London and Paris. He moved to the United States in 2003. In addition to writing, he owns an independent bookshop, Skylark Bookshop, in downtown Columbia, MO. He is also the founder and director of The Unbound Book Festival, which will be holding its fifth annual festival in April 2020. Past guests have included Michael Ondaatje, Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, and George Saunders. He is also a practicing attorney in his spare time. Alex has been named as one of Britain’s top ten “thirtysomething” novelists by the Times of London, and was also named as the Independent on Sunday’s “face to watch” for fiction in its Fresh Talent feature.
His most recent work, The Paris Hours, an instant national bestseller, is set in glittering 1927 Paris. Josephine Baker dances with Ernest Hemingway, Maurice Ravel plays a lonely piano, and Gertrude Stein hosts her legendary salons. Yet alongside these creative geniuses, a quartet of ordinary men and women are forging their own extraordinary stories. As the hours tick toward midnight, the City of Lights pulls these four characters ever closer, until their paths collide in an unforgettable climax. Symphonic and profound, The Paris Hours shows us that even the forgotten residents of Paris are as dazzling as the glorious city they inhabit.
Chat with Authors for Free
Are you in a book club, or do you have a group of friends, colleagues, or other social group who are seeking fabulous authors who are excited and available to meet with you? Then you will be delighted to know that Mamta Chaudhry is just one of the members of our wonderful community of over 125 NovelNetwork® authors, available to meet with book clubs via video chat, and you can even do so via Zoom (for free) from the safety and comfort of your own homes.
NovelNetwork is the nation’s first and only match(dot)com for authors and book clubs to find each other, so check it out today. Book clubs join for free and gain access to our database of dozens of authors, from NYT and international bestsellers, to debut authors, cookbook authors, mystery and non-fiction authors, and representing various regions of the United States, and even Alaska and Hawaii, all of whom want to meet with you!
To schedule a visit with Mamta or any of our authors, join for free here.
About the Artwork
His work has been exhibited in the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, Smithsonian Institute, The Cartoon Museum of London, Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University. Eckstein has spoke in over a 100 TV and radio shows and at The Mount, Milford Readers & Writers Festival, Stroud Mansion, NYPL, Miami Book Fair, MOCCA Arts Festival, NCS, Millbrook Literary Festival, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and The Grolier Club. He is the editor of the series The Ultimate Cartoon Book by the World’s Greatest Cartoonists, Contributing Editor at Writer’s Digest and teaches at New York University.
Check out Bob’s latest books, The Elements of Stress and the Pursuit of Happy-ish in this Current Sh*tstorm, a humorous handbook to help readers better deal with the challenges and headaches of our times, from overeating, to love problems, money woes, global warming, night sweats, winter itch, general anxiety, and so much more, and All’s Fair in Love and War: The Ultimate Cartoon Book, a curated collection of the best and brightest New Yorker cartoonists.
Macarons from Le Parfait Paris
The story of Le Parfait Paris started in 2014 with the opening of family run Patisserie & Boulangerie in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp quarter. Today, Le Parfait brings its French savoir-faire throughout its San Diego locations, inviting people to taste the French Art de Vivre and celebrate its Gourmet Parisian heritage. Now known for our award-winning desserts, macarons and pastries, they offer a variety of savory and sweet fares all made from scratch.
Order here from their online store to enjoy these iconic Parisian treats, and don’t forget to use our Scenes From Paris promo code “frenchnight” for a special event discount. Your order will be shipped directly to you from Le Pafait Paris. Enjoy a brief video about the art of macaron making.
About Avant-Garde Travel
Avant-Garde Travel is a boutique travel company located in San Diego, California, that specializes in group travel, custom vacation planning, escorted tours, river and ocean cruising and luxury hotels. Avant-Garde Travel designs once in a lifetime experiences for our clients based on their individual needs and interests. Allow Avant-Garde to help plan your next adventure to Paris when travel once again opens up!
French Wine from Splash Wine Lounge
Why not go all out and pair your Paris-themed books and macarons with a lovely French wine. Our friends at Splash Wine Lounge in San Diego have recommended a 2019 Commanderie de la Bargemone Provence Rosé which pairs well with macarons for the perfect Parisian experience.
Featured wine: Commanderie de la Bargemone Provence Rosé 2019
Founded by Templar knights in the 13th century, the property was named “Bargemone” after the wealthy Provencal family that owned it for 200 years. It passed from their hands in the 1800s, with the vineyards finally succumbing to phylloxera, temporarily ending a proud 800-year tradition of winemaking. In 1973, French industrialist Jean-Pierre Rozan purchased the property, restored the Commanderie, and replanted the vineyards.
Tasting Notes: Strawberry, melon, grapefruit
Location: Aix-en-Provence, France
Varietal: Rosé Blend – Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault
Winemaker: Marina Garin
Order a bottle, to be shipped directly to you. Place your wine order by October 18, 2020, to receive in time to enjoy during the event (COVID delays notwithstanding).
