The Art of French Kissing (27 page)

About the Author

S
ix years ago, I moved to Paris on a whim, just like Emma, the main character of this novel. I didn’t speak French. I had been there only once before, on a family vacation. I had never imagined living there. It was the most impulsive thing I’d ever done, and it changed my life.

That summer was a turning point for me in terms of everything. It’s hard to explain, but I think that along with encountering delicious pastries, curious cheeses, incredible wines, and charming Frenchmen, I also somehow stumbled upon the best, most authentic version of myself. I wrote every day in the Champ de Mars or along the Seine River, I shopped with my roommate Lauren, picnicked in the park, experimented with cooking French food in our tiny kitchen (which, unbelievably, overlooked the Eiffel Tower), sampled wines beyond my wildest imagination, and fell in love with the city and its people. I started writing my first novel there, and I formed a lifelong friendship with Lauren, who is also a writer. That summer in Paris changed my life.

In this book, you (along with Emma and Poppy) can visit some of the places that meant the most to me. Emma’s apartment, beside the American Library on the Rue de Général-Camou near the Eiffel Tower, for example, was based loosely on the apartment that Lauren and I lived in. Café le Petit Pont, where Emma and Poppy go on Emma’s first night in Paris, was one of my favorite restaurants in the city. The Long Hop and Bar Dix were two of my favorite bars. Le Refuge des Fondues is, just as Emma finds out, a crazily wonderful fondue restaurant where patrons actually
do
sip wine out of baby bottles.

I thought for a long time that it was Paris itself that had changed me and instilled in me a new sense of freedom and self-confidence. But I’ve realized in the years since then that my summer in Paris simply served to bring those things to the surface because, for the first time in my life, I let go and gave myself permission to simply be
me.
You don’t need to go to Paris like Emma and me to become a better version of you. You simply need to open your mind, to step out of your comfort zone, and to believe you can do anything you set your mind to. As the French say, “
À coeur vaillant rien d’impossible
.” Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.

As Emma discovers, the “art of French kissing” isn’t about the kisses themselves (although they are, admittedly, nice!); it’s about letting go and giving yourself permission to live and love without fear and without preconceptions about what you
should
be doing. That’s the piece of my Paris summer that I try to keep with me always, and every time I see a picture of the Eiffel Tower or hear the beautiful music of a French accent, I can’t help but smile.

You can find out more about me and my other novels (
How to Sleep with a Movie Star
and
The Blonde Theory
, both from 5-Spot, and
When You Wish
, a novel for teens) at my Web site,
www.KristinHarmel.com
, or on my page at
www.myspace.com/krisdh54
. I’ll also post some photos of life in Paris on my site so that you can see for yourself the world that Emma and Poppy call home. Please drop by and say hello!

Kristin

5 SPOT SEND OFF

FIVE PLACES
YOU MUST VISIT ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO
PARIS

S
ure, you know you have to go to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and you’re planning to take a little cruise up and down the Seine. But to get a taste of Paris behind the scenes, follow in Emma’s footsteps and check out these perfectly Parisian locales:

1.
Rue Cler:
This cobblestone pedestrian market street, overflowing with colorful flower stalls, produce stands, bakeries, cheese shops, butchers, and wineries, is the perfect place to practice your
bonjours
and
mercis
, soak in the atmosphere of Parisian daily life, and pack a picnic to enjoy in the nearby Parc du Champ de Mars, which sits in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

2.
Montmartre:
This bohemian Paris neighborhood sits on a hill overlooking the city and is full of mysteriously beautiful winding streets and alleyways, some of which suddenly dead-end in breathtaking vistas over the sprawling city below. Buy a
crêpe au sucre
at the base of the hill and climb up the picturesque steps leading to the glistening SacréCoeur basilica, where you can perch on a step and overlook all of Paris spreading out below you.

3.
The Latin Quarter:
Perhaps my favorite neighborhood in Paris, this area, enveloped by the Seine River and the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, overflows with little shops, relatively inexpensive restaurants, and some of my favorite places, including the Long Hop pub (located at 25–27 Rue Frédéric Sauton—a favorite of Emma, Poppy, and lots of English-speaking expats) and Café le Petit Pont (located at 1 Rue du Petit Pont), the perfect place to settle with a bottle of wine and a great meal while overlooking Notre Dame.

4.
Some Favorite Places to Eat:
One of the most famous cafés in Paris, Café Les Deux Magots (at 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés), was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre. It’s a great place to enjoy a kir or a rich hot chocolate while watching the world go by. On the other end of the spectrum is the Cockney Tavern (at 39 Boulevard Clichy), in the heart of the fascinatingly seedy Pigalle area that is also home to the famed Moulin Rouge. Owned and managed by my friend Jean-Michel Colin, it is, to me, the quintessential Parisian eatery. Drop by and say hello to Jean-Michel!

5.
Great Places Overlooking the Seine:
There’s something intensely beautiful and peaceful about finding your own way along the river that runs through the city. Take a book to the Square du Vert-Galant, a tiny triangular park that juts into the river from the tip of the Île de la Cité, just west of the Pont Neuf, or plan a sunset picnic on the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge that spans the Seine from the Louvre on the Right Bank to the Institut de France on the Left. Enjoy!