You Always Find the Good Stuff...

after you've finished writing your story.  I was looking around on the internet, searching for some interesting tidbits to post about in the runup to the release of India Black and the City of Light, when I stumbled upon Victorian Paris.  Parisian whores!  Parisian food!  Parisian sewers!

And don't forget, City of Light is available tomorrow, October 1st.

Pastries

India indulges herself with thoughts of chocolate and pastries at one of Paris's patisseries.  Alas, she's destined not to have any treats while she's in Paris.

"La Patisserie" by Jean Beraud (1889).  Yes, I know there's a diacritical mark missing from his name.  There's one missing from "Eugenie" in an earlier post, as well.  I confess, I'm too lazy to putter around until I figure out how to add it.

The Great Game

India Black and the City of Light is set against the backdrop of the "Great Game" between Russia and Great Britain.  For nearly a hundred years, from approximately 1813-1907, the Brits and the Russkis conducted a contest to see who would be master of Central Asia.  The Brits wanted to protect India (the country, that is, not our heroine) from Russian advances, and so spent a significant amount of time bribing the tribes living north and west of the colony to stay loyal to Britain.  When that didn't work, Britain brought out the guns.

For their part, the Russians kept probing south and east toward India.  The two never came to blows, but the Russians devoted quite a bit of time to poking Britain and watching the folks in London and Delhi jump.

French is off to Paris to exchange a Russian spy for a British agent, who has been picked up by the Russians while spying on their military in a Central Asian country.  India gets to play a small role in the Great Game.

The Great Game is the subject of one of the finest novels of espionage ever written:  Kim, by Rudyard Kipling.

Les Egouts de Paris

Did you know that you can take a tour of the sewers of Paris?  India takes one in the forthcoming India Black and the City of Light, but she doesn't pay for the privilege.

Perfume

While she's in Paris, India wants to stop by the House of Guerlain (est. 1828) for some perfume.  She will likely select the Eau de Cologne Imperiale, which was created for the Empress Eugenie in 1853.  It sounds quite nice, with its "rich lime and lime flower notes" (per Wikipedia).

Guerlain is still in business today, with thirteen locations in Paris, including their famous shop (pictured above) at 68, Champs Elysees, opened in 1914.  

City of Light

Ahem.  I was looking at my calendar the other day and realized that my digital short India Black in the City of Light will be available on October 4th, which is a few short days away.  The "City of Light" is, of course, Paris, where the story is set.  French is on his way to the city to exchange a Russian spy for a British agent, and India inserts herself into the assignment.  Much of the action takes place on Montmartre, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

It's beautiful today, but at the time of the story it was just under construction.  Here's what the site looked like when India and French were there.

Victorian Oddities

Can I interest you in a few desktop accessories?  How about this?

Or this?

Or perhaps your taste runs to this?