Talking Location With … Stephanie Dray / Laura Kamoie: WASHINGTON DC
French-themed GIVEAWAY across Social Media
26th April 2022
To mark publication of Vanda by Marion Brunet, set in Marseille, we are pleased to offer a terrific French-themed giveaway, which will be appearing across Social Media. Book translated by Katherine McGregor.

Vanda by Marion Brunet
Set in Marseilles, this is the story of Vanda, a beautiful woman in her thirties, arms covered in tats, skin so dark that some take her for a North African. Devoted to her six-year-old son Now, they live in a derelict shed by the beach. She had wanted to be an artist; she is now a cleaner in a psychiatric hospital. But Vanda is happy living alone with her boy. ‘The two of them against the world’, as she says. Everything changes when Simon, the father of her son, surfaces in Marseilles. He had left Vanda seven years earlier, not knowing that she was pregnant. When Simon demands custody of his son, Vanda’s suppressed rage threatens to explode. The tension becomes unbearable, both parents fully capable of extreme violence.
Contents of the giveaway:
A bottle of Rose wine from Provence
A copy of Vanda by Marion Brunet
Bonne Mamam Madeleines
A bottle of Pernod from Paris
Lavender soap from Marseille
HOW and WHERE TO ENTER (you are welcome to enter on every platform)
- You can enter here by leaving a comment below. Just tell us what you love about France!
- Enter on Twitter via our pinned Tweet
- Enter on Facebook via our pinned post
- Enter on Instagram
And simply show the publisher and author (oh, ok and us) the book love that you are all so good at!
T&Cs
- Open only to over 18s as alcohol is involved
- One winner will be chosen at random from across all platforms
- Enter by midnight 28th April 2022
- UK ONLY
GOOD LUCK!
Catch the publicist with whom we organised this giveaway on Twitter @AHippisleyCox / Facebook alex.presleyhippisleycox/ / Instagram @alexhippisleycox
And the publishers Bitter Lemon Press Twitter @bitterlemonpub / Facebook @bitterlemonpress / Insta @bitterlomeonpress
Join Team TripFiction on Social Media:
Twitter (@TripFiction), Facebook (@TripFiction.Literarywanderlust), YouTube (TripFiction #Literarywanderlust), Instagram (@TripFiction) and Pinterest (@TripFiction)
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I love the sheer variety of the country – from Alps to sea and marshes, cities to countryside. Then you have art, culture and museums as well as theme parcs and everything in a relatively compact area.
The winner is:
Paul Martin-Lawrence who entered via Facebook
We love France, there is so much to enjoy. The Food & Wine is amazing, my favourite dish being Moules-Frites!! Many thanks
I love French breads and pastries – crispy, soft-centred baguettes and flaky, buttery croissants are the best! I’m also a big fan of French fashion.
On another note, I adored Summer of Reckoning by Marion Brunet and I’m thrilled to learn that this author has written another book.
I love France because they have the best red wine and bakeries and I love their customs traditions !
I like the alcohol
The thing i love about France, and Paris specifically, is they are unapologetically French. There’s no attempts to make themselves bend or change to match and fit in i just love their attitude to the world. Take us as we are or go away.
I love the pastries!
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I love the baguettes, brie and camembert!
Where to begin!
French Chardonnay, cakes, pastries, breads, cheeses – basically everything French Foodie!
Long lunches in small bistros, where you make your own parking space and no one counts the dents in their cars!
Only a Frenchman would stop his car in the middle of the Arc de Triumph roundabout, stand on its roof and wave to us so we didn’t get lost in the horrendous traffic – and not one person tooted him, although they did us!
I’ve not been there yet but I love their slow style
I love the food and the wine.
We went to Poussey in France for a local football tournament. We stayed at a little hotel and they never took any money for drinks or food until end of holiday. We had a great time, didn’t stop laughing, everyone was so friendly even with the language barrier. When we got the final bill we were so shocked that it wasn’t very much. We thought it would be three times what it cost. The town also had a little bakery where I had the best apple pastry ever
The food, language and different types of scenery
I LOVE the joie de vivre
The flea markets x
The delicious food
We when to Paris about 9 yrs ago. I loves the street cafes and the who vibe that was going on
Everything, the smells, the sounds, the buildings, it’s such a lovely city.
I love it’s gastronomy and it’s scenery(especially in the South East of the country)
I love the wine
The Côte d’Azur, bouillabaisse, Réligieuses, the French language, the sun, les marchés, French literature, hypermarkets, patisseries….I could go on forever!
I love the cheese, wine and historic buildings
Love Paris and the landmarks
I love the food, the wine and the architecture. Such a beautiful country
love the food and cooking it!
What I love most about France is my daughter and grandchildren who live there!
I’ve never been to France! If I did I’d want to seek out all the historic beautiful palaces. They are outstanding!
We had a fabulous holiday in La Rochelle and found the French people so kind and welcoming.
Lovely giveaway! Love the French riviera and French wine and food!
The cheese!
Love French food x