Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I need to preface this interview with an apology to the author Ms Lara & the publisher Head of Zeus – as I didn’t receive the interview until mid-day on Friday, the day of my tour stop. However, due to weather conditions & life in general – I wasn’t able to showcase this until the following morning – Saturday after hosting my Romance, Women’s Fiction & Feminist Lit book chat called @SatBookChat. When Spring & Summer turns into storm seasons I sometimes have a bit of irregularity with my connectivity and thereby sometimes I have issues in getting posts to go live on my blog. I am thankful I was able to participate on this blog tour and am wicked thrilled I can bring this conversation to the tour and to my readers alike.
I’ve been enjoying my focused concentration of spotlighting Contemporary & Historical novelists from Head of Zeus throughout the Spring months this year. It has allowed me to select new authors to seek out and new series to feature on Jorie Loves A Story. Whilst at the same time, I’ve had the chance to interview the authors, host extracts and see which of these lovelies is available in audiobook. The latter is a bit of random joy whenever I spy one of the audiobooks available on Scribd. Some are being released digitally first for those who have a preference for reading via ereaders – for the rest of us, who traditionally read in print and/or opt for audio, we have to wait a bit longer for an edition we can read too.
This particular story is similar in scope to one that I’ve been contemplating myself for quite a long while – about how time & separation doesn’t necessarily mean what you think it means and how uniquely life can happily surprise you when you’re least expecting it too. I loved how Ms Lara talks openly about how the fictional story of ‘Someday in Paris’ is following a line of reality in her own romance story. It is one of those mergers of Biographical Fiction and the artful joy of seeing where a writer’s mind can fuse their imagination into a story which has the effect of touching the hearts of every reader who finds it.
I am adding the two blog tour banners under our conversation – this way, you can follow the route of book bloggers who took part on the blog tour – finding reviews &/or guest features to help you decide if this is a story you’d like to be reading yourself.
Be sure to brew your favourite cuppa and enjoy this delightful convo we shared!
Someday in Paris
Subtitle: Fate brought them together. Life kept them apart.
by Olivia Lara
Finding the one is only the beginning...
1954. Zara is fifteen the first time she meets Leon. During a power cut in a small French museum, the two spend one short hour in the dark talking about their love for art, Monet and Paris. Neither knows what the other looks like. But both know their lives will never be the same.
1963. In Paris, Leon no longer believes he will ever find the girl he lost that night. Zara thinks she has already found him. When they meet at an exhibition, they don’t recognise each other – but the way they feel is so familiar...
Over the course of thirty years, Zara and Leon are destined to fall in love again and again. But will they ever find a way to be together?
'It's about dreams and taking chances. Missed opportunities and mistakes. Loss and sacrifice. But above all, it is about love. The kind of love that survives time, distance… even death. The kind of love I wish for you.'
Genres: Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Women's Fiction
Places to find the book:
ASIN: B07ZWFLBB7
Published by Head of Zeus
on 14th of May, 2020
Published By: Head of Zeus (@HoZ_Books)
Available Formats: This is a Digital First Release
Converse via: #SomedayInParis, #Contemporary #TimeShift & #WomensFiction
I personally love time shift narratives – wherein you get to visit with characters at different points of their lives and hug closer to their own personal journey as you walk through time with them. What inspired the shifts in time for Leon and Zara and how did you build the arc of their romance over a twenty-year period?
Lara responds: I am a firm believer in fate and true, once in a lifetime love. I believe with all my heart in soulmates and one person out there for each of us. This is probably not a surprise for anyone who has read Zara and Leon’s story. There’s so much of me and my beliefs in their journey through life. There is also so much of my personal story in theirs.
I, too, have met ‘the one’ when I was a teenager, but then life happened, and we went our separate ways. It wasn’t until our early twenties that we found each other again. A few years later, we were separated again when I moved to France, and he stayed in Romania. Yet, again, we found each other. And interestingly enough, these significant events in our lives seemed to be happening around the same dates. Sometimes, what happens to us seems stranger than fiction.
I knew we were meant to be from that first meeting, although we were just friends for a long time after. Just as I knew we were going to be together forever, even when life decided it had other plans for us for a while. It’s now been eighteen years since our first date and twelve since we got married. And he is the one for me, just as I felt decades ago. This unflinching belief in fate and a love that is meant to be is what drove Zara and Leon’s story too. They have their own special date when important things happen, both to them together and separately.
I knew I wanted to start the story with their first meeting and continue to follow them throughout life and use that date as an anchor. Although not everything happens on December 9, it is still a reference point throughout their story. A day when their lives keep taking turns that either bring them closer or further away from each other. It was fascinating to watch them grow as people, from teenagers into young adults and then ‘grown-ups’. To witness how they changed and evolved, how they reacted to setbacks or success, and how they handled the incredible adventure of life. And while their plans changed, and their reality was different through the years, there was always that one constant: their love for each other.
It grew with them, it evolved as they did. We love one way when we’re fifteen, and a different way when we’re twenty-five or thirty-five. While it is a ‘mega romantic’ story as a reader pointed out, I didn’t want to tell a fairytale story where two people meet, get together and live happily after. That is not how life works. It has ups and downs and unexpected storms—sometimes hurricanes— that alter the course. As I told Zara and Leon’s story, I wanted to show what they did through all those and how they never gave up on each other or their love. The course of true love never (or rarely) runs smooth, but love is worth fighting for. Just like your dreams are worth fighting for. And happiness. It makes you appreciate them so much more once you do get them.
What drew you to set your story in Paris with the backdrop of the art world? I must admit, I love visiting Parisian art culture in fiction – either Contemporary or Historical narratives due to how inspiring those stories are to read. What first drew your eye to set art behind the story but also to fuse the story with another layer of romance as art in of itself is a romantic gesture of artfully illuminating humanity?
Lara responds: It was only fitting that the story of my heart would take place in Paris, the place of my heart. As for art, and using it as a thread throughout the story, the idea formed in my mind started very early.
I had had this image playing around in my head for a long time— way before I first sat down to write the story— of two people in a dimly lit museum, looking at the same painting at different times. Two lonely people, perfect for each other. Not knowing that if they only stayed longer or returned later, they would find each other. Art can bring people together in itself; people who love the same kind of art seem to gravitate towards each other. And art has always played an important part in my life, in all its forms, whether paintings or music or books.
It’s been my passion for as long as I can remember. I think back at my time in France and all those hours spent in front of a painting, imagining what the artist intended, feeling all these feelings I wanted to share with the world. I wondered if maybe an Art History major was something I could or should pursue, but for me, writing has always been the one thing I’ve always dreamed of doing. Although museum curator came as a close second in my college years. What sealed the deal for me and brought ‘the book’ inside the book was a happenstance. I was in the early days of writing Someday in Paris when I found the book with lilies on the cover at an estate sale. The same book I had used as part of my research but never owned. And it had a dedication inside. I took that as a sign and never looked back.
How did you want readers to feel bewitched by how Leon and Zara’s lives become entwined and connected – despite the distances and the absences of their lives?
Lara responds: Zara and Leon’s initial meeting, that magical hour they spend in the dark, is life-changing. The bond, the connection they share is not only one of a kind but the kind that is stronger than anything else. I feel it is the kind of connection we all hope for or at least dream of. That connection, those feelings they have for each other —even when life gets in the way or they get in their own way— is what guides them. It pushes them not only towards each other but also towards following their dreams and ultimately listening to their hearts. As I was writing the story, I could feel the magic in everything they did— in all the events in their lives, in dreams, meetings, missed connections, and in their decisions, no matter how small or big. And I tried and hope I have succeeded in making readers feel it too.
I do believe in magic. Not the Harry Potter kind —although it is one of my favorite book series—, but the one in small things, the magic in our lives. I am convinced our hearts know all the time what the right answers are to all the questions we have, but we most always ignore it and go with our minds, following our rational self. If we followed our hearts more, we’d open ourselves up for more magic in our lives.
What was the most challenging part of writing their story and what did you love most about the process of telling their story?
Lara responds: I think my main challenge in writing Someday in Paris was not something in their story, but something that had to do with my life. A mundane problem if you will, and that is the lack of time. I wrote the first draft (and all subsequent drafts and revisions) at night or very early in the morning, before work, on our car rides to wherever we were traveling during the weekend and on my commute to work.
It is something I am still challenged by today, as I write my second novel (like all writers with a day job, I’m sure). It’s a juggling act, one that forces you to prioritize, cut back on sleep or outings with friends, and make little pockets of time where you didn’t know you could. But it was so worth it. I have enjoyed so much writing their story. I have loved spending all that time (months, even years) with them. I absolutely loved everything about the process. Putting the finishing touches on my last edit was bittersweet though. Sweet, because I knew I would soon get to share their magical story with readers everywhere, and a bit sad because I felt I would miss them terribly. So much so that I think I might just have to re-read my own book soon.
What part of Paris do you personally feel the most connected to – the art, the culture, the history and/or heritage, the food or the lifestyle? Or a combination of what makes it individually unique? What parts of those feelings and sensations of Paris did you want to include in the story?
Lara responds: I have traveled to France many times before I lived there in my twenties. And many times after. I experienced it differently every time, but there was always a thread. To me, France is magic. Paris is magic. Small French towns are magic. And the small town in Someday in Paris, Colmar, is one of my favorite places ever.
As a tourist in France, I was hungry to discover and go to all the ‘IT’ places, from the Eiffel Tower to the Champs Elysee. Try all the food, visit all the museums, see all the shows. All that changes when you live there and that desperation of cramming everything in three days or a week disappears. I saw a different France as a resident. I discovered their history and art, I spent time with locals, enjoyed their lifestyle, made amazing friends who introduced me to little known places. It was an experience that changed me profoundly. I definitely passed on my feelings about Paris and France to Zara (maybe even to Leon too).
As this story is being spoken about as this generation’s story for romantics – what did you first hope readers might take away from the story and what have you been happily surprised by with their reactions?
Lara responds: Great question! I remember a late night a few years ago, I was editing my novel and had to stop because I had tears in my eyes and couldn’t continue. Writing this story has truly impacted me. It solidified my faith in love, good things, and dreams that come true and in fighting for what you believe in. I too have had to fight really hard for everything I ever got in life and had to believe my dreams would come true, even if there were many moments when they seemed unattainable.
If there’s one thing I’ve wanted readers to take away from Someday in Paris is that dreams are worth pursuing. If you believe in yourself, if you persevere, if you don’t let life get you down, you will get there. It might take longer than anticipated, there might be obstacles and the unavoidable derailing, but if you keep at it, your dreams do come true.
As for love…true love. It exists. It’s everywhere around us. I know sometimes it’s hard to see it or believe in it, and we can become cynical and closed off, but if we just open our hearts to it…it’s there. And true love is magical, it makes everything worthwhile.
As I was putting the finishing touches on my book, not knowing what the future held for it, I thought— if one person who reads Someday in Paris will be inspired by it, if Zara and Leon’s story will make them believe in themselves and their dreams, or if it will make them take a chance on love and see the magic in it, then I have succeeded.
I have been floored by readers’ reactions to Someday in Paris. All the incredibly moving messages I have received in the last few months have been so humbling, and more than once I found myself shedding a tear (or two). It’s beyond my wildest dreams to have people telling me Zara and Leon’s story made them believe in love again, in following their dreams, in themselves. Hearing them describe is as the best book they’ve read in a long time, or saying it is magical…feels surreal. And also, seeing it on so many lists of books to read makes me so happy because that gives me hope it will reach many more readers and possibly having a positive impact on them.
When you are not researching and writing your stories what renews your spirit?
Lara responds: I work full time and have a very demanding and high responsibility day job. There’s nothing better than coming home, at the end of a long day, to the people I love and getting to spend time with them. Even if we don’t do anything special, just knowing we are together fills my heart with joy and love.
My husband and my daughter are my rocks and I’m thankful for them every single day. We love traveling and while right now we can’t go any further than our neighborhood, we’ve been on so many adventures together (near or far) and I know we will again. Hopefully soon. Both my husband and I are into photography (he does it professionally, I’m more of an enthusiast), and our daughter is beginning to show an interest in it which is wonderful to see.
I’m also an avid reader and devour any book I can get my hands on in pretty much any genre as long as it piques my interest. I drag them to bookstores, libraries and Estate Sales, in my obsession with books—which they have long accepted as one of my ‘quirks— and if I also happen to find an interesting (and unwanted) painting, I won’t hesitate to buy it. The walls in our house are getting pretty crowded with eerie landscapes and portraits.
I want to extend a note of gratitude to Ms Lara for giving us such a wonderful insight into “Someday in Paris” – how timeless love is and how despite everything which happens in our lives, true love can still find a way to thrive which is a such a wonderfully positive message to have to give as a storyteller. I enjoyed reading over her replies and felt hugged close to her characters as she introduced us properly into the context of how they are together and how strong they were not to let distance nor time erase their capacity to love.
About Olivia Lara
Olivia’s love for words started as a child when she spent all her summer vacations watching her grandfather, who worked for the biggest publishing house in Romania, edit hundreds of books. She is a former investigative journalist for a newspaper and a television network in Romania, now a Marketing Director in Silicon Valley - in between she lived in Paris where her love for the Alsace region was born.
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NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.
{SOURCES: Book cover for “Someday in Paris”, book synopsis, author photograph of Olivia Lara, author biography and the blog tour banners were all provided by Head of Zeus and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
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