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The goal:   500 Fabulous Followers by July 7, 2011 I would love to have 500 followers by July 7, 2011 (which also happens to be the release date for my novel, Silence in the Mist ) and I am hoping you will help me achieve that goal! The details:   Do you see the sidebar to the right of this box?  Scroll down to where it says FABULOUS FOLLOWERS and FOLLOW THIS BLOG ON FACEBOOK .  All you have two do is sign up to follow this blog and you will be entered to win a fab prize (more on that in a minute). But wait!  I want to increase your chances.  So, I am giving you a second opportunity to enter the contest.  If you leave a comment in the comment section following my article, There's No Place Like Paris  you will be entered a second time!!  That's two chances to win a  fabulous prize!  Just by clicking a few buttons! The Goodies:   The winner(s) will win a French-themed box filled with fabulous goodies - and I do mean FABULOUS - and an autographed copy of my novel, Sil

I have exciting news!  Earlier in the year, I received a contract for my French Revolution set novel, Silence in the Mist.   Last week, I received an email attachment with the cover art.  I was in the grocery store when I heared the tell-tale bling letting me know I had a new email.  As soon as I saw the woman in the gorgeous gown, surrounded by a mist-shrouded Vendean forest, I screamed! In the next few weeks I will be posting book teasers, background articles, and a trailer.  I will also be holding a special contest in which the winner will receive an autographed copy of my novel, a copy of  Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance , and a box full of fabulous French goodies.  So be sure to check back or sign up to FOLLOW THIS BLOG .

  You might find this difficult to believe, but I have often been described as verbose.  (Honestly, is it my fault words flow like the Niagara from my head to my tongue?) So you would think writing an introduction to my interview with historical novelist Sandra Gulland, a writer I admire immensely, would be easy for me. That's not the case.  I literally agonized over every word I typed.  How does one go about describing Sandra Gulland?  Is it merely enough to say that she wrote three acclaimed, bestselling novels about Josephine Bonaparte and another about Louis XIV's mistress, Louise de la Vallière?  Do I tell readers that she was born in Miami, graduated college with a degree in literature, taught second grade in an Inuit Village, and then worked as a book editor?   Finally, I decided you, my clever, intelligent readers, would want to know why I was running an interview with Sandra Gulland.  After all, what does Sandra Gulland have to do with the Life, Love and

After reading about my adventures in London , Strasbourg , Paris , Mont Saint-Michel ,  Kyoto , and Salzburg , you must think I live the charmed life of a Disney Princess.  If that is true, I am about to shatter your illusion. Although I've been fortunate enough to travel to some of the world's most exciting cities, I promise you that a flock of tiny blue birds does not awaken me with their twittering or bring me my pelisse by holding the silken straps within their beaks.  In fact, my reality is far from glamorous. Take this morning, for example. I love the smell of jet fuel  in the morning, don't you? I woke to the roar of fighter jets lifting off the runway located a block from my home. Their supersonic blasts frequently rattle my windows (and nerves). I reluctantly rolled out of my warm bed, padded over to my closet, and slipped into my thick, thoroughly-unsexy, Alaska-practical robe.  Then, glutton for punishment that I am, I looked out the window to asse

Melanie Clegg, also known as Madame Guillotine , is a successful novelist, avid blogger, and a self-proclaimed gin-swilling Victorian prostitute.  She is also the author of The Secret Diary of a Princess , an exciting new novel about Marie Antoinette's early, carefree years in Austria.  The Secret Diary of a Princess offers Antoinette-enthusiasts a fresh pair of spectacles from which to gaze at her, painting the portrait of a fun, charming, light-hearted girl.   Ms. Clegg was born in  Forres, Scotland on October 10th (the day French physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, stood before the National Assembly and declared he could invent an efficient, humane killing machine.  Hence, her moniker, Madame Guillotine).  She has an Art History degree from the University of Nottingham. She bravely agreed to place her neck in the lunette, making herself vulnerable to my razor sharp questions.  (I can hear you all groaning.  I promise, no more guillotine puns)  So, without further ado, q