Today, I would like to extend a huge welcome to Olga Swan, and say congratulations on the launch of From Paradis To Perdition. Olga has joined me to discuss the themes of her latest novel.
Thank you Jo for hosting me on your blog. I am very pleased to be here on this, the second day of the launch of my book From Paradis to Perdition. A Year in France. Here are my answers to your points:
Did your characters develop naturally or planned?
To answer this, I need to firstly give an idea of what it’s about. It’s released under publisher Crooked Cat’s non-fiction line, written in factional style. Here’s the blurb:
The acclaimed first book in the series, Pensioners in Paradis, was written entirely from the point of view of the woman in the house. So, it’s only fair to give Him Indoors his say on a self-deprecating English couple’s life in France. Be prepared, therefore, for an irreverent account, written in his own dry, inimitable style as he recounts, month by month, how their French dream fell apart.
What on earth could have happened to change their joie de vivre and their love of all things French? Did they hit that je ne sais quoi that essentially divides the French from the English? Or was it that dratted Brexit referendum that threw a spanner in the works? We all want to know! So, draw up a chair, pour a tot of whisky or a glass of French wine and enjoy the fine art of self-disparagement as all will be revealed.
So, Jo, as you can see, the characters are real: my husband and myself! The book relates in diary form, month by month, how our French dream fell apart.
How do they relate to me personally or to current events in the world?
From January to December it’s a time where self-humiliation and realistic comedy battle against a rising tide of Brexit and angst. So yes, Brexit was certainly a factor. Staying in France would have meant losing our health care (previously covered by the reciprocal agreement between Britain and France) plus many other things like annual pension increases etc.
So this series is a composite of our life over the last 12 years. Everyone contemplating moving to another country needs to read both books before making that final decision!
Thank you Jo for allowing me onto your blog, and the best of luck with your own writing career.
Read my weekly blog: olgaswan.blogspot.com
Paradis to Perdition. Now available in paperback and e-book. authl.it/9v7.
Pensioners in Paradis. authl.it/86j. 4 times international best seller, 500,000 pages read
Lamplight. authl.it/4q0
Vichyssoise. authl.it/52l
3rd Degree Murder. authl.it/4i
