Updates

Although I’m not currently working on a medieval fantasy, Carcassonne Castle is the perfect place to research for my Laksa Media series. We got a hotel room inside the Old City walls! And of course, I toured the castle itself, as well as taking tons of video in the early mornings when the tourists are not in the streets!

Although we can–and did–ride in wet, cold weather, we are not here just to check off certain countries on a list. We’re here to enjoy ourselves, and riding in sun is much preferable to the cold! Hence: we’ve come back to Italy where we heard the Tuscany region has amazing roads for motorcycles. There is also a lot of WWII history here, that I can use for motivation for my villain: in 1944, Germany had to pour a lot of resources in here, as the Allies made their way up the boot, leaving a leadership vacuum that could allow my villain to aspire to filling. Yay!

The roads in Greece, specifically at the Vikos Gorge, are spectacular. This is definitely holiday time…the novel is percolating, and I come up with new ideas once in a while, but I’m letting it rest for a little in my brain.

The research in France was incredible, but we’ve moved on to Corsica where we can’t catch a ferry to Sardinia because the wind in the Mediterranean makes sailing too risky. However, while sitting on the back of the motorcycle, my research is going around in my head, and I find myself solving–and discovering new–plot problems. The novel is progressing!

I am immersed in my research in Lyon, Grenoble, and Valance, staying in a tiny village called Les Echelles in the Chartreuse Massif. This is Resistance country, and we have seen the little village of Izieu, where Klaus Barbie sent 44 Jewish orphans to Auschwitz, the high passes where the Allies parachuted supplies to the SOE, and interviewed two amazing historians about the Resistance. Jutta and Rupert are a German mother and son who invited us into their home for drinks, appetizers, and dinner. Inspiration for my book is everywhere!