From time to time we like to ask authors some pretty quick, pretty personal rapid-fire questions. Today, author Kelly Bowen is in the hot seat. Her new book, The Paris Apartment, is out now!]
AM or PM? Â
AM
Wake up and go, or gotta get your motor running?
Wake and go. We are an early rising household all around!
TV, Books, Movies or Podcasts?
Books. They can accompany you everywhere and never run out of batteries.
Quiet night in or big night out on the town?
Generally, a quiet night in. Though the pandemic has me thinking that I’ve now stockpiled a lot of quiet nights in so ask me this question in another year…
Favorite writing drink?
Bubly
Must-have snack for writer’s block?
Ice cubes. Weird, I know.
Lounge by the pool or hike a mountain?
Pool. With a book (see question 3).
Hike, run, walk, nap?
Hike. We do a lot of backcountry trips during summer here. Most of the time we have a canoe over our heads while we’re doing the hiking bit.
‘Personal revenge’ or ‘karma will get them’?
No one ever sees the karma bus coming, but it always comes. Always.
Favorite way to sweat?
Swimming.
Online shopper or gotta try things on?
Must try things on. I’m just shy of 6ft and for the most part that still seems to be an aberration in women’s clothing.
No. 1 Bucket List wish?
Travel (Italy, Bali, Peru. Not picky about the order.)
All-time favorite comedy movie?
A Knight’s Tale
All-time favorite drama movie?
Saving Private Ryan
Dark, milk or white chocolate?
Dark. Even better if it’s covering fruit.
Favorite crunchy snack?
DoritosÂ
Do you have a nickname?
Nope
Least favorite holiday and why?
I don’t have a least favorite holiday. In fact, I’m of the opinion we need more holidays.
Best alcoholic beverage?
Gimlet (with gin, NOT vodka)
Favorite meal ever?
Anything that someone else cooked for me.Â
Something no one knows about you that you feel you want to divulge?
I can’t eat cooked peas, even to be polite.
Any tattoos?
Yes, and that’s all I’ll say.
Aside from phone, laptop, writing device (or charger!) what is something you can’t function without on a day-to-day basis?Â
My notebooks. Ideas strike at very peculiar times and if I don’t write them down then they never happened.Â
Best way to relax?
On a paddleboard in the middle of a lake on a hot day. With a book (again, see question 3).😊
Title of your next book or work-in-progress?
Not titled yet, but a WWII historical fiction set in both the Netherlands and France, inspired by the Jedburgh teams dropped behind enemy lines.
About the Author:
Award-winning author Kelly Bowen grew up in Manitoba, Canada, and attended the University of Manitoba, where she earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in veterinary studies. She worked as a research scientist before realizing her dream to be a writer of historical fiction. Currently, Kelly lives in Winnipeg with her husband and two sons.
The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen, out now!
This heart-wrenching novel about family and war unearths generations of secrets and sacrifices—perfect for fans of The Paris Orphan and The Lost Girls of Paris.
2017, London: When Aurelia Leclaire inherits an opulent Paris apartment, she is shocked to discover her grandmother’s hidden secrets—including a treasure trove of famous art and couture gowns. One obscure painting leads her to Gabriel Seymour, a highly respected art restorer with his own mysterious past. Together they attempt to uncover the truths concealed within the apartment’s walls.
Paris, 1942: The Germans may occupy the City of Lights, but glamorous Estelle Allard flourishes in a world separate from the hardships of war. Yet when the Nazis come for her friends, Estelle doesn’t hesitate to help those she holds dear, no matter the cost. As she works against the forces intent on destroying her loved ones, she can’t know that her actions will have ramifications for generations to come.
Set seventy-five years apart, against a perilous and a prosperous Paris, both Estelle and Lia must summon hidden courage as they navigate the dangers of a changing world, altering history—and their family’s futures—forever.
