Vanessa Couchman

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About Vanessa Couchman
Vanessa never thought she'd end up in the south of France, but she moved there in 1997 and hasn't looked back. She is passionate about French and Corsican history and culture, which provide endless inspiration for her books.
THE HOUSE AT ZARONZA and THE CORSICAN WIDOW are both loosely based on true stories and set on the captivating Mediterranean island of Corsica. Vanessa is working on a novella about vendetta in Corsica and plans a sequel to The House at Zaronza, set during World War II.
Vanessa's short stories have won, been placed and shortlisted in creative writing competitions. They have also been published in anthologies and on websites. FRENCH COLLECTION: TWELVE SHORT STORIES, stories inspired by and set in France, was released in November 2017.
Vanessa is a member of the Historical Novel Society, online, ex-pat writing group Writers Abroad and the Parisot Writing Group in France.
Find out more on her website: http://vanessacouchmanwriter.com.
Sign up to her free quarterly newsletter, read exclusive content and hear about new releases: http://eepurl.com/comA9v.
THE HOUSE AT ZARONZA and THE CORSICAN WIDOW are both loosely based on true stories and set on the captivating Mediterranean island of Corsica. Vanessa is working on a novella about vendetta in Corsica and plans a sequel to The House at Zaronza, set during World War II.
Vanessa's short stories have won, been placed and shortlisted in creative writing competitions. They have also been published in anthologies and on websites. FRENCH COLLECTION: TWELVE SHORT STORIES, stories inspired by and set in France, was released in November 2017.
Vanessa is a member of the Historical Novel Society, online, ex-pat writing group Writers Abroad and the Parisot Writing Group in France.
Find out more on her website: http://vanessacouchmanwriter.com.
Sign up to her free quarterly newsletter, read exclusive content and hear about new releases: http://eepurl.com/comA9v.
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Blog postLife on La Lune passed its 9th birthday last week on 14th February. A few things have changed since then, not least our ability to access the internet. When I published my first post (the present one is the 628th), we … Continue reading →4 days ago Read more
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Blog postIn Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the loud ringing of the cathedral bells has turned Quasimodo, the bell-ringer, deaf. Some of you will no doubt have seen Charles Laughton hamming it up inimitably in the 1939 film. I … Continue reading →1 week ago Read more
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Blog postSaint-Florent on the island of Corsica appears in my books under a different name.
A sense of place in fiction is very important to me, both in my own work and in the novels I read. Some of my favourite authors, such as Hannah Kent, Helen Dunmore and Tracy Chevalier, excel at weaving the setting seamlessly into the story. Novels are about people, of course, but they are the product of their environment and culture, so the setting is an indispensable part of the story.
But shou2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postToday is la Chandeleur or la fête des chandelles. I had never heard of it before we moved to France, but I had heard of Candlemas – lovely name – which is the British equivalent. To those of you in … Continue reading →2 weeks ago Read more
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Blog postIt’s always a pleasure to welcome my friend and fellow author Jennifer C. Wilson to the blog. Jen specialises in writing “historical fiction with spirit” that speculates on what’s happened to the ghosts of well-known historical figures since their own era. She’s about to launch an addition to the Kindred Spirits series, in which the ghosts are based in famous historic places. This time it’s York. I’ll let her tell you more about it.
In the Kindred Spirits series, we meet the ghosts of3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postBefore you ask, flic is colloquial French for a police officer. Commissaire Jules Maigret is probably the best-known French fictional detective, created by the novelist Georges Simenon (who was actually Belgian). When we first moved here and my French was … Continue reading →3 weeks ago Read more
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Blog postThe Brits have a reputation for talking about the weather. Hardly a surprise, since you can experience four different seasons in one day in parts of the UK. It was a surprise to us initially that French people also talk … Continue reading →1 month ago Read more
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Blog postNow that New Year’s Eve has passed, I can wish you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful 2019. In France, it’s considered bad luck to do so before midnight on 31st December. Although we have turned the corner of … Continue reading →2 months ago Read more
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Blog postI hope you had a lovely Christmas if you celebrate it. How did you get on with the quiz? Now is the time of reckoning. The answers are below. And there were a couple of trick questions, but if you’ve … Continue reading →2 months ago Read more
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Blog postA very happy Festive Season to all my readers. Thank you for reading the blog this year and for your stimulating comments and emails. Welcome to the 2018 – and 8th – Edition of the Life on La Lune French … Continue reading →2 months ago Read more
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Blog postWhen I lived in the UK, mistletoe was a rarity, only to be found in over-priced bunches in garden centres during the run-up to Christmas. Moving here, I saw that it grows abundantly in our area. Some species of tree … Continue reading →2 months ago Read more
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Blog postThere’s been a slight hiatus in posting, as I’ve been dealing with some family health issues. However, this week, I’m delighted to bring you another interview in the Ma Vie Française series. Chris Bockman has been keeping his finger on … Continue reading →2 months ago Read more
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Blog postHave you read The Corsican Widow yet? If not, for a limited time, you can enter this autumn giveaway to win the book plus 25+ other Book Club Fiction novels from a great collection of authors, including Patricia Sands, Kate Braithwaite and Laura Bradbury.
In this contest organised by BookSweeps, there’s also a chance to win a brand new eReader – along with a collection of FREE reads just for entering.
You can enter the contest by clicking here bit.ly/bookclub-nov2018
G3 months ago Read more -
Blog postAlong with the Eiffel Tower, the baguette and the Citroën 2CV, the béret has become a (caricatured) symbol of French culture. Thus, it was adopted by people like Ernest Hemingway, who wanted to look French even if they weren’t – … Continue reading →3 months ago Read more
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Blog post
My second novel in the Tales of Corsica series, The Corsican Widow, is taking part in an Amazon Kindle Countdown deal today and over the weekend. *Please note that this applies only to the US and UK Kindle stores.* It will remain at the full price in other Kindle stores.
The countdown starts today at 8 am in the UK and at 3 am PST/6 am EST in the States.
The book will be reduced from the full price of £2.99/$3.99 to 99p/99c, rising to £1.99 or equiva3 months ago Read more -
Blog post
“But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand-grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade. We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony–Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?”
Erich Maria R3 months ago Read more -
Blog postI’m thrilled to welcome back to the blog Angela Wren, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting at an authors’ event in Carcassonne in September. Angela is a Francophile, who has visited many more corners of France than … Continue reading →3 months ago Read more
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Blog postFor a fortnight or so before 1st November (Toussaint; All Saints’ Day) pavements outside French florists’ shops and undertakers, and whole marquees at supermarkets, are heaving with chrysanthemums in pots. But don’t be tempted to offer a pot as a … Continue reading →3 months ago Read more
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Blog postRoses must have one of the loveliest scents of all flowers. They have been cultivated for more than 5,000 years and thousands of varieties now exist. Unfortunately, they don’t do well here in our poor soil and they didn’t … Continue reading →4 months ago Read more
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Blog postThe Tavignanu Valley in Corsica’s central mountains
Corsica’s terrain is a feature that has had a significant influence on its history and culture. The island is one big mountain range that rises 2,706 metres from the sea at its highest point, Monte Cinto. These are comparatively young, jagged mountains, not yet rounded by erosion.
Until quite modern times, the mountainous landscape has made communication between different parts of the island difficult. It was the bane of succ4 months ago Read more -
Blog postPisan church at Murato
Open any guidebook about Corsica and you’re likely to come across a picture of this exquisite Romanesque church in Murato. Prosper Mérimée, who was Inspector of Public Monuments, said in 1839 that it was “the most elegant and the most attractive church he had come across on Corsica.” We visited the site in 2014 and I heartily agree with him.
Legend has it that the church was constructed by angels in one night. More prosaically, it was built4 months ago Read more -
Blog postOcelot Press has been going for a couple of months, but now we have a shiny new website, so I can announce it officially and you can find out more about our authors and our books. We already have a number of titles published under the imprint.
What is Ocelot Press? It’s a group of experienced published authors who have teamed up to help each other edit, produce and promote our books to the highest professional standards.
We are all either former or current Crooked Cat Books au7 months ago Read more -
Blog postA few months ago, Alison Morton was my guest, talking about alternate history. Today I’m very pleased to welcome back my friend, author Sue Barnard, who’s talking today about alternative endings to famous stories. Her latest novel, Heathcliff, was published yesterday and it’s a great read. I know, because I had a sneak peek a while ago. Tell us about your inspiration, Sue.
Devising different endings A few years ago, I came across the prompt Write The Book You Want To Read. Ever7 months ago Read more -
Blog postMy first novel, The House at Zaronza, is four years old and to celebrate I have one signed paperback copy to award to a lucky winner. Read on to find out how to enter.
Set on the stunning Mediterranean island of Corsica at the beginning of the 20th century and at the Western Front during World War I, The House at Zaronza is based loosely on a true story that we found when on holiday on Corsica.
The main character is Maria, the daughter of a bourgeois family in a village on the7 months ago Read more
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Books By Vanessa Couchman
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by
R.V. Doon ,
Vanessa Couchman ,
Alexa Kang ,
Dianne Ascroft ,
Margaret Tanner ,
Marion Kummerow ,
Robyn Echols ,
Robert Kingsley
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The Corsican Widow (Tales of Corsica series Book 2)
May 10, 2018
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$4.00
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French Collection: Twelve Short Stories
Nov 9, 2017
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$2.94
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FOREIGN AND FAR AWAY
Mar 27, 2014
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Foreign Encounters
Feb 2, 2013
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