Enter Samantha Vérant's Seven Letters from Paris. It's not your typical love story. Yeah, she met a Frenchie that set her pulse racing, but she left him in the dust and didn't resume their relationship until 20 years later. Talk about a heartbreaker! And talk about a story I couldn't wait to hear the rest of.
Samantha is here with me today to answer a few questions about her life and her memoir.
Your story is so romantic - rekindling a romance after all these years, and with a French guy nonetheless. Being married to a Frenchman myself, I sometimes feel like I'm in a movie. Do you ever feel like a walking cliché? And do you care?
There are many days where I feel like a walking cliché. And an American girl falling in love with a Frenchman at a café could be one of the biggest clichés of them all. (Then again, I dumped Jean-Luc on a train platform at Gare de Lyon and we didn’t reconnect until twenty-years later.)
Sometimes, I also feel like I’m starring in a movie, specifically a Lucille Ball-like comedy, which makes Jean-Luc my French Desi Arnaz. I think it all has to do with the American girl marrying a foreigner–all the language mishaps, miscommunications, and daily mistakes. Do I care if I'm a cliché? No. I’ve learned to laugh at myself. Which means I laugh a lot.
If you'd never gone to France in the first place, your life would have likely turned out very differently. Had you considered living anywhere else besides France?
My parents moved around quite a bit when I was younger–from Chicago to Boston to London to Virginia to Tucson to California, then back to Virginia again. Every time I flew home for the holidays, it seemed, I came home to a new room and a new house. Now, my parents call southern California their home and my mother refuses to move ever again. With that said, I never set out to live to France; I landed here, thanks to falling in love with Jean-Luc. Now, there is no place in this crazy world of ours I’d rather be... and I think all of my parents' moves prepared me to deal with big changes.
If Seven Letters From Paris were a drink, what would it be?
My book would have to be an American sized glass of red wine. Just like a glass (fine, make it a bottle), Seven Letters From Paris is a bit “complex” at times and comes with a very satisfying “finish.” A “lively” story, a reader can savor the pages or enjoy it in one sitting. Cheers!
When is the next time you're coming to Paris? We definitely need to have a glass (or three) of wine!
Can you believe it? I’ve been living in France for nearly five years and I’ve yet to make it Paris, save for the airport. Wouldn’t it be utterly romantic if Jean-Luc and I retraced the steps we took when we met way back when in 1989? I hope to make this happen soon. Then, I could meet up with you for that glass (or three of American pours) of wine with you. I’ll keep you posted! Of course, you and yours can always come down to Toulouse. Jean-Luc is not only a wonderful husband–he’s an EXCELLENT tour guide. The spare room is ready. No reservations required–just an advance notice!
Thanks for stopping by, Samantha! I'm going to start looking into a trip to Toulouse... In the meantime, I recommend everyone check out Seven Letters From Paris, available now. And be sure to stop by her Facebook event for giveaways, behind-the-scenes looks, and tons more great stuff!
Watch the book trailer:
About Seven Letters From Paris
About Samantha Verant
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| Photo credit: Stephen Fisch |