"Lost in Paris"

"Lost in Paris" by Elizabeth Thompson

Hannah Bond cherishes the quiet, sedate life she's created for herself in

London. Her expertise as a guide for Jane Austen-themed tours in the 

picturesque countryside, is the ideal career to showcase her love of books. 

After a chaotic childhood in Florida, with her flamboyant, alcoholic mother, 

this calm, peaceful life suits her just fine. 

So imagine Hannah's surprise and dismay, when she finds her estranged

mother, Marla, at her flat on New Year's Eve, making easy, casual 

conversation with two affable roommates hanging on her every word.

Other than sporting a beauty of a black eye from her latest boyfriend, 

Marla hasn't changed at all. With her gorgeous, auburn hair, and glittering 

knock-off jewelry, that magnetic charisma is on full display. 

How can Hannah begin to explain that her often absent mother was the

reason she fled the United States to start anew? It was the stabilizing 

influence of her grandmother and great-grandmother, that molded her 

into the woman she is today, and those memories can never be erased.  

Marla soon reveals her compelling reason for showing up unannounced

at her daughter's doorstep. She has uncovered a long-lost, mysterious deed

to an apartment in Paris, an eclectic, valuable piece of real estate the duo 

has unexpectedly inherited. Along with an ancient key, and an assortment

of yellowed, newspaper clippings, Marla and Hannah have quite suddenly

become part of a mystery just waiting to enfold.

With meticulous research, Hannah and Marla begin to piece together the 

secret, unabashedly exciting, and sometimes dangerous life, of Hannah's

great-grandmother, Ivy. Fascinating, diary entries starting in the 1920s, 

speak of raucous, bygone years that are a window into the feisty matriarch's 

life in Paris as a young girl. She writes of keeping company with literary, 

eccentric giants like Hemingway, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and her undying

devotion to a famous writer. 

Why then, was she so intent on never revealing this bold and enticing part of 

her life, and how did she become the epitome of decorum in Florida, after 

experiencing the exhilaration of Paris? 

Perhaps you've visited the City of Lights in person, or just closed your eyes

and envisioned the thrill of seeing the beauty of vibrant Paris in your dreams. 

This mellow, debut novel, will take you there by simply turning the pages.  

Set to be released on April 13th, it's a romantic, historical fiction story about 

a mother and daughter putting aside the bitter past to seize upon an amazing

gift bestowed upon them, from a heart filled with love.