Because our daughter was in Paris, we visited her two and a half weeks the end of December, beginning of January. I’d just finished the third novel in my French series and planned to gather descriptions while in Paris, especially of restaurants.
We had some lovely meals, including at Michelin-starred restaurants.
I described some of the meals in books two and three since I’m still editing book two. Also managed to work in a museum visit or two.
Because I started this series before the Charlie Hebdo and other attacks in Paris in January of 2015, I wasn’t sure how to deal with this in my realistic novels. The November 13, 2015 attacks occurred while my daughter was living in Paris, making them feel more personal.
Do I set the series in 2014? Or do I attempt to bring in this horrific reality? I haven’t decided. Books two and three occur in April and May. Book one (which was released) ended in December. So I could address it. One thing I found was that while there were more police with guns walking around, the spirit of Paris continued strong. Paris is a lovely place to spend time whether you’re writing about it or not.