Author: Vanessa in France

We moved to an 18th-century farmhouse in SW France in 1997. I'm fascinated by French history, rural traditions and customs. I also write historical novels and short stories.
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Marie-Thérèse’s France 1: Rural Aveyron

Ocelot Press author Vanessa Couchman shares with us some of the lovely settings in Southwest France in her latest release, Overture, to be published on 28th May.

Vanessa in France's avatarVanessa Couchman

Today, I want to take you to some of the settings that
Marie-Thérèse, my main character in Overture,
would have known. In this first post, I’ll focus on Aveyron, which is one of
the most rural départements (counties)
of France. I live just over the border in an adjoining département, but I’m very attached to the landscapes and villages
of Aveyron, which is named after the river that flows through it.


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‘Overture’ is Available Now in Paperback

We’re pleased to announce that Overture, Book 1 in Ocelot Press author Vanessa Couchman’s L’Alouette Trilogy, is now available in paperback! The ebook version is on pre-order on Amazon at a special pre-order price of only 99p, or equivalent, and will be released on 28th May.

What if you had a unique talent, but everything conspired against your dreams?

France, 1897. Born to a modest farming family, Marie-Thérèse has a remarkable singing voice and wants to become a professional singer. But too many obstacles, including her parents’ opposition, stand in her way. And, through no fault of her own, she makes a dangerous enemy of the local landlord.

When the family circumstances change suddenly, Marie-Thérèse and her mother must move to Paris to work in her aunt’s restaurant. Her ambitions rekindle, but the road to success is paved with setbacks until a chance meeting gives her a precious opportunity.

She is close to achieving all her dreams, but the ghosts of the past come back to haunt her and threaten Marie-Thérèse’s life as well as her career.

Overture is the first in a trilogy set in France, starting in 1897 and finishing at the end of World War II.  

Read more about the historical background to Overture and the series on Vanessa’s website.

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From Rural France to Paris: Les Bougnats

In a series of posts about the historical background to Overture, to be published on 28th May, Vanessa Couchman looks at the exodus from rural SW France to Paris in the late 19th century.

Vanessa in France's avatarVanessa Couchman

Les Monts du Cantal in France’s Massif Central. A region noted for its beauty, but not for agricultural prosperity

The odd-sounding combination of coal merchant and bistro
owner was quite common in Paris during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. These establishments were usually the métier of immigrants from the Auvergne and northern Aveyron, where
the poor soil made farming a thankless task.

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You can soon listen to, as well as read, The Ghostly Father

Congratulations to Ocelot Press author Sue Barnard, whose wonderful novel, The Ghostly Father, will soon be produced as an audiobook by Spectrum Audiobooks. The Ghostly Father is an alternative version of Shakespeare’s well-loved classic, Romeo and Juliet. We’ll provide more details of the audiobook in due course.

Think you know the world’s most famous love story? Think again. What if the story of Romeo & Juliet really happened – but not quite in the way we’ve all been told?

This part-prequel, part-sequel to the original tale, told from the point of view of the Friar, tells how an ancient Italian manuscript reveals secrets and lies which have remained hidden for hundreds of years, and casts new doubts on the official story of Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers. 

If you love the Romeo & Juliet story but are disappointed with the way it ended, this is the book for you.

And if you can’t wait for the audiobook, you can read The Ghostly Father in ebook or paperback formats. Available from Amazon.

You might also like:

No More Woe for Juliet and Her Romeo?

Two Ocelot Press Titles Shortlisted for Book of the Month

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Overture Cover Reveal

Here’s the cover for Vanessa Couchman’s latest, Overture, the first in a trilogy set in France between 1897 and 1945. And it’s now on pre-order on Amazon in Kindle format!

Vanessa in France's avatarVanessa Couchman

I’ve reached a very exciting stage in the genesis of my latest novel, Overture. I can now reveal the cover, and the Kindle version is on pre-order on Amazon.

As ever, my designer JD Smith has come up with a great cover design, which I believe really conveys the flavour of the Belle Epoque period in France.

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