Dear Reader,
First, I am delighted to know that you are a reader! Few other activities can offer such a reliable lifetime of pleasure and learning as reading does. As a character says in the wonderful novel The Last Bookshop in London: Reading is “going somewhere without ever taking a train or ship, an unveiling of new, incredible worlds.”
That has always been my goal as a writer—to give my readers a “you-are-there” experience. Background is of major importance to me whether I’m reading or writing. In any book I read I want to be able to put my feet down, see, taste, and smell a new world. And, when I write, I want to take my readers with me.
This is doubly true of my new book because Going There, Tales from the Riviera, is a travel memoir with short stories that grew out of my experiences in each place. I am hoping that you, my reader, will feel the warmth of the sun on a beautiful beach on the Côte d'Azur, feel the wind in your hair on a Mediterranean cruise, taste gorgeous food at Michelin-rated restaurants and at street markets, and hear the bells in a Swiss monastery.
Bon Voyage,
Donna
Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History, is an award-winning author who has published some 50 books in a career spanning more than 40 years. Her best-known work is Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England, a grail search epic depicting 1500 years of British history. The Celtic Cross is a 10-book series covering the history of Scotland and England from the 6th to the 20th century.
Crow writes 3 mystery series: The Monastery Murders, contemporary clerical mysteries with clues hidden deep in the past; Lord Danvers Investigates, Victorian true-crime stories within a fictional setting; and The Elizabeth and Richard literary suspense series, featuring various literary figures. Where There is Love is a 6-book biographical novel series of leaders of the early Evangelical Anglican movement. The Daughters of Courage is a semi-autobiographical trilogy family saga of Idaho pioneers.
Reviewers routinely praise the quality of her writing and the depth of her research. Crow says she tries never to write about a place she hasn’t visited and one of her goals in writing is to give her readers a you-are-there experience.
Donna and her husband of 60 years live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 children and 15 grandchildren, and she is an avid gardener.
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In the summer of 2021 my daughter-in-law and I slipped through a brief window of sanity in a world driven mad by
the Covid pandemic. Our purpose was to see my granddaughter Jane to a summer program in Monaco, then back to her ballet school in Switzerland. In spite of restrictions, protests, and nail-biting worries, the result was a marvelous experience.
I invited characters from my mystery series to join me in my imagination and have their own adventures in each setting. Their encounters are: Nice: “The Crime of Passion”; St Tropez: “The Mother Decrees”; Villefrance-sur-de-mer: “The Ghost Boy”; Monaco: “Fracas in Monaco”; The Loire Valley: “The Old Winemaker”; Saint Gallen: “Whispers of Legend”.
The final coda is “Home Another Way” As 2 years later I return from quite a different trip aboard the Queen Mary 2 and my characters join in the celebrations as worlds coincide.
More information on the book GOING THERE: TALES FROM THE RIVIERA AND BEYOND can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Going-There-Tales-Riviera-Beyond-ebook/dp/B0CPHBRVJH?ref_=ast_author_mpb.
Thank you so much for inviting me to write a letter to your readers! I love the format of your blog and love talking to readers!
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