"Paris" by Marc Lavoine
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This song is one of my inspirations for the La Bohème series. Rob tries to sing it in What If It's Love? (the courtyard scene). Seeing as he's tone-deaf, I can assure you the original version performed by Lavoine is much better! |
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"Mad about You" by Sting
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Sting released this fantastic song in 1991. It's heart-rending and absolutely beautiful. Though all my kingdoms turn to sand And fall into the sea I'm mad about you I'm mad about you "Mad about You" has inspired Under My Skin. |
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La Bohème
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Legendary French chansonnier (singer-songwriter) Charles Aznavour first recorded this masterpiece in 1965.
It became his signature song, and an all-time favorite for many people in France and around the world (myself included). It's the reason why the bistro where my stories are set is called "La Bohème". |
Scent of a Woman
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"Scent of a Woman" is a 1992 drama starring Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell. It won a bunch of Oscars and Golden Globes, which it fully deserved.
The movie and, in particular, the exchange below have inspired Falling for Emma: Charlie: So you fucked up all right? So what? So everybody does it. Get on with your life would ya? Lt. Col. Frank Slade: What life? I got no life! I'm in the dark here. You understand? I'm in the dark! |
Mr Darcy / Colin Firth
I've watched every single screen adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice". Really. The 1995 BBC version is definitely the best. Not convinced? Try the following experiment.
1. Check your pulse.
2. Watch the video below made by a fan who collated the P & P scenes in which Darcy (Colin Firth) stares at Lizzy (Jennifer Ehle).
3. Now check your pulse again.
(*Fans herself, chest heaving*). Told ya.
Side note #1: Firth and Ehle had a romantic relationship when shooting the mini-series, which helps explain their off-the-charts chemistry on screen.
Side note #2: My enemies-to-lovers romance, Find You in Paris (Darcy Brothers, Book 1), is a tribute to Jane Austen's classic and to its 1995 BBC adaptation. It's also a love letter to Colin Firth. :-)
1. Check your pulse.
2. Watch the video below made by a fan who collated the P & P scenes in which Darcy (Colin Firth) stares at Lizzy (Jennifer Ehle).
3. Now check your pulse again.
(*Fans herself, chest heaving*). Told ya.
Side note #1: Firth and Ehle had a romantic relationship when shooting the mini-series, which helps explain their off-the-charts chemistry on screen.
Side note #2: My enemies-to-lovers romance, Find You in Paris (Darcy Brothers, Book 1), is a tribute to Jane Austen's classic and to its 1995 BBC adaptation. It's also a love letter to Colin Firth. :-)
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Cafés
I like them small and cozy, I like them big and bustling, I like them romantic, I like them funky, I like them chic and I like them shabby.
What can I say -- I just luuurve cafés.
But then who doesn't?
What can I say -- I just luuurve cafés.
But then who doesn't?
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10 little-known romantic gems
These movies are great. Some of them are a little "different" and edgy (for instance, J'me Sens Pas Belle, Love & Sex). A couple can be described as "literary" (e.g., North and South, Delicacy) and a few are mainstream (My Life in Ruins, Something New). But all are terribly romantic and heartwarming without being tearjerkers.
And they're funny, too!
And they're funny, too!
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My favorite romance, chick lit, guy lit
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Jane Austen, "Pride and Prejudice"
Marian Keyes, "Sushi for Beginners" Elinor Lipman, "Then She Found Me" Carol Snow, "Getting Warmer" Kresley Cole, "A Hunger Like No Other" Jane Green, "Bookends" Helen Fielding, "The Edge of Reason" Nick Hornby "High Fidelity" India Knight, "My Life on a Plate" Katarina Mazetti, "Benny and Shrimp" Julia Quinn, "The Duke and I" Lisa Lutz, "The Spellman Files" Jill Mansell, "Nadia Knows Best" Great Quotes Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires. -- Francois de La Rochefoucauld Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. -- Oscar Wilde Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -- Mark Twain It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone. -- Orson Welles Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you. -- Jean-Paul Sartre Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes. -- Jim Carrey |
Click on the cover to check out the book:
         
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