Christmas in August.... Roxanne Rustand

While most of us here write suspense, some have written in other genres.  That's the case with a novella I wrote this summer, Christmas in Paris. It's part of the 2018 Sweet Christmas Kisses anthology being released in September....and it's on sale right now as a pre-sale  for just 99 cents! 

Nine authors were part of the anthology, and all are either sweet romance writers (meaning they write chaste stories but without an inspirational element) or are inspirational writers.

It's always fun to be a part of this annual project, which is a nice opportunity for readers to "meet" authors new to them for a bargain price.

What was even more fun, was that I got to do my research by traveling to Paris this spring with our daughter,  Emily. 

It isn't always possible to travel to the setting of a new novel before settling down to work on it, and sometimes online research, reference books, and contacting people who live there can provide a wealth of information.

But it's so much more accurate and interesting to actually absorb some of the culture in person.  Sometimes I find I have believed something totally inaccurate!

For instance,  I'd long heard that the French didn't have a high opinion of Americans, and could be quite rude or unhelpful.  That is so untrue! 

We were there for two weeks, and everyone we met was friendly, helpful and so nice to talk to.

 We did learn that it's considered rude to enter a store, an uber or even a bus, without saying Bonjour  to the clerk or driver--a simple courtesy that is expected at every new encounter.  But otherwise, our travels went well without knowing how to speak French. Whew! 
During the entire trip, we only encountered two people who didn't speak any English, and even then, we managed to get by.

The top stained glass photo is from Notre Dame, by the way, and the second one down if from Saint Chapelle.

Have you traveled to other parts of the USA, or to other countries, and found any cultural differences that were interesting and unique?   I would love to hear about them!

All the best,
Roxanne Rustand