More on How Gabriela Sees Richard

[...] "Can you suggests any places?" he asked and turned on the charm, his smile warm enough to melt the wax of unlit candles.
Gabriela found herself mesmerized.  This was the man she had met for the first time yesterday--charming, witty, and simply fascinating.  Sensing her eyes on him, his smoky gaze turned her way, warm and intimate.  Captivated, Gabriela reciprocated.
She tore her eyes away, but not before Richard had seen the response in hers.  What the hell was the matter with her?  How could this man affect her like this?

Article on hunting for dandelion leaves - As promised

Like I learned from my neighbor in France while I was writing The Coin, this gentleman learned it from his Belgian mother-in-law, who learned to live off anything from the land during WWII. Now he hunts for dandelion leaf for salads. I think I'll go hunt some myself.  Just click on the link.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/benefits-of-dandelion-greens-zmaz08amzmcc.aspx#axzz2vwBVeFaJ

Madame Degaut - my inspiration for her character

All my readers have asked what inspired me to flesh out my characters in The Coin.  I usually invent them, with a very clear idea of who they are and look like, rarely basing them on real people whom I've met.  There is one exception in The Coin:  Madame Degaut.

Brief Hiatus -- Book Signing Event

Hope to see you there tomorrow at the book signing and reading!!!  Books & Books, Coral Gables.

Narrow streets plot element

In the novel, one of the chase scenes takes place on the country roads.  This is the descriptive paragraph:
  They continued at a reckless speed down the narrow road where more private driveways branched out like river tributaries, some of them perilously concealed.  [...] The winding road began a steep descent and was in some places so narrow, the car seemed to scrape the rough stone walls.

Coin Plot Element

In the novel, Gabriela explains to Richard about the coins in her bracelet. She points out several, including a commemorative coin her son has suggested she place on her bracelet.
I got that idea from the French coins that I used every day.  In one instance, I got change back from my purchases and saw a very pretty coin, new to me.  So I started thinking and I added it to that section.
This is a picture of the coin in question:

10 Franc coin - recto

10 Franc coin - verso

The Safe House Plot Element

In France, throughout the hiking trails peppering the Maritime Alps and Pre-maritime alps, there are rest houses for those hikers who will walk those trails for more than one day.  You can rest for a few hours or you can stay overnight to continue your trek and stay away from the bad elements, should you encounter some.  They are very basic: you bring your own food, change of clothes, etc.
In the novel, I used one of these rest houses as my safe house plot element in the middle of the mountain.  Here is a picture of what some look like.

Event - Mark Your Calendars

http://www.booksandbooks.com/event/maria-elena-alonso-sierra-gables

More on the Event at Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL

Sorry I have not been able to post, but I've had a family emergency that needed immediate care.

Here is more on the posted information on the event at Books & Books on Sept. 5th.  This information is from their website.

http://www.booksandbooks.com/event/2013/09/05/day

Plot Element - the Oratoire

When I first began the novel, I had a different prologue.  My first plot point thought was--in this newly expanding era of technology (remember the novel takes place in 1993 -- the iPhone was just a dream of Jobs) -- where would a bad guy hide important information that would remain protected and untraceable?  Well, when I thought about the clearing and finding the coin, I also used another element of the region -- the oratoires.
Oratoires are found EVERYWHERE in the hiking trails of France, around the roads, and in the middle of nowhere, actually.  They are usually built of pierre seche (no cement used) and are erected to place a saint, or usually the Virgin Mary, in the small niche.  This is used by the farmers of the region to give thanks for a good harvest, or by anyone who wanders the place who wants to say prayers of protection on their travels.  Sometimes they were erected as stopping points in pilgrimages to also give thanks to the saint protecting the region.  When traveling the region, I found quite a few of these and used it for my original prologue.  And although I changed the prologue completely, I kept this plot point.

Le Bac - What is it?

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I have been writing, writing, writing.  And when you are in the "zone" as I call it, you can't get away from your words.  Second novel coming along nicely.

I have a small scene in The Coin where the grandson of the jeweler is not happy at his new responsibility.  He says:

Humor and Another Character

Apart from Richard and Gabriela, another of my favorite characters in the novel is Maurice Nôret, Richard's counterpart in French intelligence.  I had a blast creating him, especially his idiosyncracies, his cynicism, and dry humor.  This is the first encounter with Richard.

“Drop the apologies.  Seldon requested priority one, and when you’re given priority one in France, mon ami, you get everything you want, including me.”  Maurice couldn’t help the chuckle.  “That sly fox sent you out without telling you the whole story again, didn’t he?  Another favor, eh?”

More to Smile about...

I loved writing this scene.  Hope you enjoy the humor in it (I've left a few things out so as to not spoil certain things, hoping you will read the novel).

  "Damn it," he snapped.  "Never take your eyes away from your target unless you want to get killed!"
   Gabriela saw red.  She rounded on him, her eyes turning into a molten gold of heat and anger.  "And how the hell am I supposed to react, damn it!  Like I'm sniper material?  For your information, Mr. Harrison, the only dangerous things I've ever handled have been kitchen knives and India ink!

Something to Smile About...

A bit more humor...

She kept turning the bracelet on her wrist and looked up at him, her eyes a little sad.  "I remember so clearly the day my mother gave me this.  It was the most beautiful day in my life, even though when my parents announced I was going to participate in a debutante ball, I was horrified."

Moments of Humor

Many readers have commented that there were moments of humor in the novel, some of them outright funny.  I am sharing one of my favorites.

Desperately wanting to reach the refuge of her home, Gabriela opened the car door, but Richard pulled it shut.
"What the heck?"
Richard nodded toward the terrace.  "Do you usually leave your door unlocked?"
Gabriela followed his gaze.  Her front door was wide open, the curtains fluttering in the soft breeze.  She scanned the area and did not see her husband's car.  "Oh, God."

Just Your Regular Info

Unaware of the danger yet to come, Gabriela banters with Richard about the Riviera beaches.  She says, "Have you been to the beaches yet?" she asked, as they began bordering the bay.
"Yes.  It was one of the first things I did."
"Enjoy the view?"  A smile tugged at her lips.
Richard's eyes danced with humor.  "That, too.  Mainly though, I enjoyed the sun.  It may be the end of June, but the water here is damn cold."
Gabriela goes on to explain a paragraph later that she doesn't go to the beaches until late August, agreeing with him about the water.
This small anecdote I nipped from my own experiences in the region.  The water in that part of the Mediterranean is really, really cold, 68-77ºF (20-25ºC), especially to us Southern Birds.  Also, Nice has a very rocky beach, which makes it uncomfortable, except if you want to sunbathe.  Of course, in Europe, the women bathe topless, so the view for my husband and two boys was a nice experience.  To get sand, you would have to go to the very small beaches at Antibes, Cannes, and Beaulieu, and they get extremely crowded during the summer.  So, basically, we seldom went to the beaches there.  I am posting a photo of the beach in Nice and another of the rocky sand.  You have to wear plastic shoes in order to go into the ocean, if not, your feet suffer.  No nice view for the males of the species in these photos.

The beach along the Promenade des Anglais, with a beautiful backdrop of Nice.

The rocks instead of sand.  They go all the way into the water.  We wore rubber shoes, similar to today's crocs, in order to go into the ocean without killing your feet.

The Bracelet

In the novel, Gabriela is a Cuban-American woman who places a coin she finds in her favorite bracelet.  As I posted previously on the blog, everyone who is Cuban, or has Cuban relatives, knows and has worn bracelets made especially for them.  I have one, my sister has one, my mother has one, and my grandmother, great-grandmother, and so on had one.  Here is the bracelet that was part of the cover, my mother's.  And no Cuban bracelet is any good without the azabache, the onyx nugget on the right, which is traditionally worn to ward off the "evil" eye.  The box next to the cameo is a relic keepsake box.  It is usually used with saints' relics or with images of them or of Christ.

Grasse in the Novel

There is a scene where Roberto and Gabriela are on their way to the clearing and pass through the city of Grasse.  The narrative mentions that there is a roundabout (or a rond point as the French refer to them) where, in its center, there is a beautiful sculpture of a rose with a perfume bottle in it.  I am attaching a picture of that part of the setting.

La Poste Motorcycle as shown in the novel

Gabriela was left a nasty "gift" by La Poste, the post office in France.  The narrative describes the package being delivered by a postman in a motorcycle.

In the rural areas of France, sometimes the roads are very narrow and, oftentimes, they are difficult to access.  Since my character lived in one of those areas, the postman would have delivered the mail in that fashion.  Where I used to live, our mail was always delivered in this manner.  I am posting a picture of their motorcycles so that you can picture what it looked like.

Another Favorite Part from the Novel

Richard dragged her against the wall and flattened her body with his own.  Small tremors shook her, affecting him in a way he did not want to consider.