Spotlight & Giveaway: After Paris by Mary Ellen Taylor

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Mary Ellen Taylor to HJ!

Hi Mary and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, After Paris!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

After Paris introduces Ruby Nevins, a 25-year-old cancer survivor navigating life after remission. While cautiously embracing her future, Ruby takes on a new project focused on Cécile, a French cinema star who mysteriously disappeared from Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942. With the help of Cécile’s dressmaker and confidante, Sylvia Rousseau, Ruby discovers old diaries and letters that reveal the women’s courageous roles in the Resistance. As Ruby learns more about their bravery and sacrifices, she finds unexpected parallels to her own survival story.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

He kissed me back. “When did you fall for me?”
I swiped away a tear. “When you hired the marching band to play outside my hospital room.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• While hiking in southern France, a woman I was walking with shared a story about someone who was angry at her parents for hiding their true heritage. Immediately, I found myself wondering: why would parents keep such a secret from their child? I spent the rest of the trip turning that question over in my mind—and, in my defense (an apology to the other hikers), I slowed to a crawl because I was busy plotting a novel.
• After Paris is one of the few books that kept its working title. After returning from France, I did a deep dive into history books, losing track of how many I read to capture the time period accurately. I’m also a big fan of cooking, so in the spirit of all things French, I made plenty of crêpes and lemon tarts with pâte sucrée.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Ruby is a vibrant fashionista who lights up every room she enters, while Jeff is a quiet computer genius who prefers to stay behind the scenes. They’re complete opposites — and that’s exactly what draws them together. Ruby admires Jeff’s steady, calming presence, and Jeff is captivated by Ruby’s unstoppable zest for life.

When Ruby was diagnosed with cancer at just 23, Jeff became her greatest champion, standing by her through the darkest days. Now that she’s in remission, Jeff is ready to take a leap of his own. This time, he’s not just reaching out as a friend — he’s finally ready to tell Ruby how much he loves her.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I stepped toward him and, rising on my toes, pressed my lips to his. I savored hints of bourbon and traces of chocolate cake.
His hand came to the small of my back as he stared at me. Was he steadying me or himself?
“You can kiss me back,” I said, my lips close to his.
He tilted his head and kissed me. It was slow and steady, executed with the technical precision of a computer expert, and it felt good.
“Is this part of helping me find a date on the app?” he asked.
“A girl likes a guy who can kiss.” I pressed my body against his and wrapped my arms around his neck. I’d missed intimate human contact.
“Practice makes perfect?” His voice was rough.
“Exactly,” I murmured as I kissed him harder.

I’m drawn to this scene because it’s the first time the hero and heroine have kissed. It also symbolizes that Ruby is coming back to life after her cancer treatment and it also shows that Jeff’s restraint because he loves Ruby and wants more than a night in a hotel room.

Readers should read this book….

If you love dual timelines, slow-burn romances, and stories filled with hope, AFTER PARIS is a must-read.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m excited to share a little sneak peek of the next Mary Ellen Taylor novel! While we don’t have a title just yet, the story is set against the stunning backdrop of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It weaves together a modern-day journey of healing with the haunting story of a ship that sank off the coast in 1942. In the present day, our heroine must find the courage to scuba dive again after a tragic accident — one that’s deeply connected to the shipwreck’s long-buried secrets.

I also looking forward to my next Mary Burton title WHAT SHE SAW, a cold case thriller, which releases in August.
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A finished copy of AFTER PARIS by Mary Ellen Taylor 

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Book Info:

From the author of The Brighter the Light comes a moving story of hope, resilience, and connection across generations. After surviving cancer, Ruby Nevins uncovers a forgotten diary that leads her to Cécile, a vanished French actress, and Sylvia, her brave confidante during WWII. As Ruby pieces together their story of courage and survival, she finds the strength to embrace her own uncertain future—and the love still waiting for her.
Book Links: Amazon |

Meet the Author:

A southerner by birth, Mary Ellen Taylor has a love for her home state of Virginia that is evident in her contemporary women’s fiction. When she’s not writing, she spends time baking, hiking, and cycling.
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