It is my pleasure to bring to you a virtual book tour from Nikki Leigh Promo 101 Promotional Services!
Please join me in welcoming David LeRoy with his debut novel, The Siren of Paris!
A Native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. The degree served him well while selling women’s shoes, waiting tables, or working odd jobs after college until settling in the field of telecommunications, where he has worked for the past 18 years. Early on, he demonstrated artistic abilities. For many years, David marketed a line of fine art photographic prints through various galleries and retail outlets.
In the past few years, his focus has shifted to painting and drawing, which included the development of a children’s e-book in the Apple Itunes store under “David Tribble” title “Lord of the Scribes.”
After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life.The Siren of Paris is his first novel.
Upon Marc’s death, he finds himself in the company of ghosts trapped in limbo, reliving his experiences in World War II. He must revisit his past and answer one question successfully before passing into eternal peace. The reader is transported to World War II-era France. In 1939, 20-year-old Marc Tolbert has reached a turning point in his life. He abandons his plans of going to medical school to study art in Paris, which is the place of his birth. As he boards a ship and heads to France, he chooses to ignore signs that Europe -- along with the rest of the world -- is on the brink of an especially devastating war.
When he arrives at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, more ominous signs surface. There are windows covered with tape, sandbags shielding the fronts of important buildings, whispers of Parisian children leaving the city, and gas masks being distributed. Marc has a long journey ahead of him. He witnesses, first-hand, the fall of Paris and the departure of the French government. Employed by an ambassador Bullitt, a friend of his family, he visits heads of state, including the horribly obese gray-haired Mussolini and the charismatic Hitler. He witnesses the effects of the tightening vise of occupation, first-hand, as he tries to escape the country. He also participates in the French resistance, betrayed, spends time in prison camps, and sees the liberation of the concentration camps.
This is a blend of carefully researched historical fiction and a spiritual journey inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It includes many actual historical figures and events, including Ambassador Bullitt, Sumner Wells, Sylvia Beach, Jacques Lusseyran, and Joan Rodes, known as the Angel of Saint-Nazaire. It is both a realistic novel of a civilian caught in a brutal war, and working with the French resistance, and a story of a man seeking release from a past that never goes away.
Marc lay in the back of the truck with the others from the YMCA, along with some British soldiers and a few employees of a Belgian aircraft company. It was about 1 a.m. and though they had been traveling for hours, they were not yet ready to bed for the night. And they were not alone. All along the valley road were others still on the move. Everyone seemed to be going someplace, anyplace, wherever they could get in a hurry, with a great determination. “I am really looking forward to getting out of France. When I get home, I am going to go straight to Elizabeth’s house and spend the night. I have not been able to write her for two weeks. She probably thinks I am dead,” Allen said to Marc. Marc stirred from his self-loathing mood. He played over and over in his head the number of times he could’ve left France. He resented himself for staying too long, just for Marie. He even doubted the sincerity of the promise of engagement.
“How long have you been together?” Marc asked.
“Two years now,” Allen said, looking up at the stars. Marc could see his mother, father and sister in his mind’s eye. Sadness washed over him as he remembered how Marie had promised to make him dinner this night.
“I am twenty-one, now,” Marc said, more as an afterthought.
“Really? Well, cheers to that, my friend. Bet you will never forget this birthday, will you?” Allen said.
“No, I don’t believe I will,” Marc said as they drove toward Saint-Nazaire. “Marie and I are engaged,” he then said.
“What? When? You never said anything,” Allen said, looking directly at Marc.
“I know. It is just a promise for after the war. We were not going to tell anyone,” Marc said next. “It probably means nothing.”
The truck then pulled off the road and the officer driving it said, “Let’s sack down for the night, but someplace off the road away from the truck just in case.”
“Marc, don’t say that,” Allen said, surprised by his friend’s attitude. “You’ve been in a mood for a while now. Are you stewing?”
“What do you mean?” Marc said as he climbed from the truck. He and Allen began walking away from the road with the others.
“You’ve been in a mood since the bear hit you,” Allen said cautiously. “You think too much.”
“What does that mean? The little shit knocked the wind out of me, Allen.”
“That little shit rides a motorcycle, Marc.” Marc turned toward Allen. “While you were analyzing the entire situation, trying to make the best decision, that bear knew it needed to run for its life.” Marc sat on the ground with the others gathering to bed down for the night. Allen looked closely at Marc. “Are you feeling okay?”
Marc looked up, tears in his eyes. He laughed to himself and said, “I can’t even ride a motorcycle. You’re right, Allen,” he continued laughing while others looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “The bear did put me in a bad mood.”
“He needs some rest,” Sister Clayton said as she passed with the little Belgian boy and his sister and their two dogs. “He is going slaphappy from the strain.
You can purchase The Siren of Paris from Amazon -- http://www.amazon.com/The-Siren-Paris-David-LeRoy/dp/0983966710/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
For more information about this virtual book tour, please visit -- http://bookpromotionservices.com/2012/05/22/siren-of-paris-tour/
For more information about this virtual book tour, please visit -- http://bookpromotionservices.com/2012/05/22/siren-of-paris-tour/
Well folks, I hope you've enjoyed this VBT- stay tuned for more great things to come in 2013!
PamT
