by: Gloria J. Goldsmith
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 6, 2021
Publisher: Plum Products
Amazon | Goodreads
I was DONE! I ditched graduation, dumped my repressed college boyfriend, and dropped my sexual insecurities for a wild ride with Destiny. Unpredictable Fate beckoned with a European adventure!
In a chance encounter, I met Jean Louis. From the instant we met, the dashing young Frenchman soothed my bruised heart, rejuvenated my spirit, and convinced me that leaving my old life was no mistake. Together, we set out to explore southern France.
Jean Louis was torn from my life almost as quickly as he had entered it, yet leaving the haunting memory of his caress permeating my every thought. Driven by love and passion, I journeyed to find my lover, even if it meant scouring all the hidden corners of France.
Would I ever reunite with the man I believe to be my one true soulmate? Would I ever hear him say he feels the same for me as I do him? What twist of Fate will it take for me to find him?
Hello! I am doing well. I am very excited to be here today. This is my very first blog tour, and it is meeting my expectations!
Well, congratulations. I’ve read the blurb for French Kiss. What can you tell me about the book, that isn’t a part of the blurb?
Several incidences are simply what happens when you travel. I based a lot of the book on things that happened to me when traveling. Weird things happen to you. Little jewels of events that are the thing you write to your friends and family back home. Like when Nora jumped on a VW car’s running board containing a man who had stolen some of her property. In two other scenes, she uses her “universal language” skills. First, when a French Bus driver tried to intimidate her. Then again, in Germany, a guy got a little “too close” for comfort in a subway car. Plus, there is the adventure when confronting a pickpocket on the London subway system.
But the most memorable was a chilly January Sunday morning hiking up the foothills of Mount Puget on the outskirts of Marseille. All of these events are mentioned in the book.
Please tell me about Nora and Jean Louis and what makes them right for each other?
This isn’t a love-at-first-sight situation. Nora has been hurt in the past and is trying not to get hurt again. She resists allowing herself to fall entirely for Jean Louis for some time. Nora needed to experience other men and their lack of authenticity. She discovers through contemplation that they simply don’t match up to Jean Louis’ sincerity of emotion. Finally free of the past, Nora knows he is the one she loves and is determined to share her joy with him, but he hasn’t written back. Where is he?
Tell me about one of your favorite scenes from the book. Why is it a favorite scene?
Nora is in Munich coming home from work on the subway system. She uses her ‘universal language’ to ward off a ‘too familiar’ guy. There was no physical contact, no ungracious words, yet the message was received. You learn when you travel alone and cannot speak the language, you must be proactive. Acting bizarrely, going to the extreme, is sometimes the best defense. It’s my favorite because every woman I have told that story tucks it into her ‘safety-first’ memory box and knows she can use that herself if needed.
In the book, Nora thinks Jean Louis is her soulmate. What’s your definition of a soulmate?
I think the lyrics from a song always described it best for my sensibilities.
I would like him to be,
More interested in me,
Than he is in himself.
And more interested in us,
Than in me.
What was your favorite part of this book to write?
My favorite scene is in the Bistro Fabrice. They are using the payphone on the wall to call friends and relatives asking if they know a Jean Louis Descartes or his friend, Laurent. The Bistro, inside and out, is crowded with people waiting to see if they have helped find her lost love? The radio station plays love songs between describing Jean Louis and asking all of their listeners, “Where is Jean Louis?” Every man that walks past the shop is regarded as a possibility.
Oh. I LOVE that! When a reader finishes French Kiss, what do you hope their initial reaction is?
I hope their initial reaction is the feeling of happy satisfaction. It would please me if people felt wanderlust and think seriously about the need to see different countries and experience other cultures.
The best advice I can give any traveler is to ‘roll with the punches’, adapt yourself to the circumstances, no matter where you travel. When something you planned doesn’t happen … find something else to do, and enjoy it without bemoaning the plans that fell through. You can tell a lot about someone’s true personality when you travel with them.
Is there anything else you would like to say about French Kiss before you go?
I want to return to Europe one of these days. I won’t be having the same type of adventures. But I know some plans won’t work out. That is the opportunity to embrace life, for something mysterious but exciting can happen!
Gloria, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
It has been my pleasure. Thank you for hosting my book, French Kiss, on Read Your Writes.
We decided to have a small summer vacation and go to France. With our winter coats, his duffel bag, our food provisions for the road, and carrying the suitcase, our arms were full. Standing at the busy corner waiting for the light to change, a green VW bug pulled up, expecting to turn.
“That’s Him!” I roared. The luggage and coat dropped from my hands as I advanced on the car.
The window was rolled down, and the man in the passenger seat looked startled, and then his eyes opened in recognition. It was the dildo thief.
“YOU!” I took a last step to the car. The man screamed at the confused, young woman driving the vehicle, “Gehen! Gehen!” Go, go!
“You Thief!” I jumped on the running board of the car and grabbed a handhold on the open sunroof. The scared woman looked up through the sunroof and leaned away. The man was screaming at her, “Go, go!”
I leaned down and yelled at the thief, “Where’s My Dildo? You Thief! I Want My Dildo!”
The man was pushing at me, trying hard to dislodge my grip, while the woman was demanding, “Was möchte sie? Was ist das ‘dildo’?” What does she want? What is this ‘dildo’?
“Fahren! Schnell, schnell!” Drive! Fast, fast! The woman let out the clutch, and the VW bug surged around the corner, gaining momentum.
It was now or never; I had to release my grip or get hurt falling at high speed. I let go and jumped off, running and yelling, “You Thief!”
The woman in the car was sure I knew the man sitting next to her. I could hear her demanding to know, “Who was that woman, and what did she want?” I saw his hand stick out the window in a shrug as he pretended to have no idea.
As I stood watching the car speeding away, I smiled, hearing the woman’s high-pitched voice screaming at the dildo thief.
I turned around to see Jean Louis utterly confused and probably questioning my sanity. I had never told him about the theft. I realized he had witnessed me acting the madwoman when I had dropped all my possessions, jumped on the running board of a car, and clung to it while screaming at a stranger.
I started laughing at the situation. Enraged one minute and laughing the next, I must have looked like a lunatic. That realization made me laugh even harder, and I couldn’t stop laughing, which probably also looked somewhat suspiciously close to crazy. I did not have enough command of the French language to explain what had happened or why I was laughing, which only made me laugh more.
“That’s Him!” I roared. The luggage and coat dropped from my hands as I advanced on the car.
The window was rolled down, and the man in the passenger seat looked startled, and then his eyes opened in recognition. It was the dildo thief.
“YOU!” I took a last step to the car. The man screamed at the confused, young woman driving the vehicle, “Gehen! Gehen!” Go, go!
“You Thief!” I jumped on the running board of the car and grabbed a handhold on the open sunroof. The scared woman looked up through the sunroof and leaned away. The man was screaming at her, “Go, go!”
I leaned down and yelled at the thief, “Where’s My Dildo? You Thief! I Want My Dildo!”
The man was pushing at me, trying hard to dislodge my grip, while the woman was demanding, “Was möchte sie? Was ist das ‘dildo’?” What does she want? What is this ‘dildo’?
“Fahren! Schnell, schnell!” Drive! Fast, fast! The woman let out the clutch, and the VW bug surged around the corner, gaining momentum.
It was now or never; I had to release my grip or get hurt falling at high speed. I let go and jumped off, running and yelling, “You Thief!”
The woman in the car was sure I knew the man sitting next to her. I could hear her demanding to know, “Who was that woman, and what did she want?” I saw his hand stick out the window in a shrug as he pretended to have no idea.
As I stood watching the car speeding away, I smiled, hearing the woman’s high-pitched voice screaming at the dildo thief.
I turned around to see Jean Louis utterly confused and probably questioning my sanity. I had never told him about the theft. I realized he had witnessed me acting the madwoman when I had dropped all my possessions, jumped on the running board of a car, and clung to it while screaming at a stranger.
I started laughing at the situation. Enraged one minute and laughing the next, I must have looked like a lunatic. That realization made me laugh even harder, and I couldn’t stop laughing, which probably also looked somewhat suspiciously close to crazy. I did not have enough command of the French language to explain what had happened or why I was laughing, which only made me laugh more.
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My secret pleasure-writing has always been focused on romance. French Kiss is a Contemporary Romance based on a fictionalized version of experiences during eighteen months of living and working abroad before the formation of the European Union.
Next year, my first Historical Regency Romance That Wylde Woman will be published. It has allowed me to indulge my curiosity and enthusiasm for history by incorporating in the storyline a historical geologic event which affected weather and farming and even how England’s war with Napoleon impacted clothing styles.
Places to find Gloria J. Goldsmith:
You can follow the French Kiss Blog Tour here.
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting by book on your blog.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteSounds like a great book! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNicole K,
ReplyDeleteI had a wonderful time in Europe, lot's of adventures and strange events. Recalling the occasions was a pleasure so it felt very natural to include them as background for French Kiss.
Sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sherry. It was fun to write.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like fun! I enjoyed the author interview and excerpt
ReplyDeleteI had a genuine blast in Europe. Many of the events used in French Kiss were taken from real life happenings.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read!
ReplyDelete