Of all the book genres, historical fiction is by far my favorite. If it’s done well it allows you to completely immerse yourself in the events of another place and time, and when you finish the story you feel as if you’ve learned something too. From Bernard Cornwell I learned about the battle tactics of Danes and Norsemen fighting in late 9th century Wessex; and through Kathleen Winsor I became more familiar with the customs and politics of Restoration England. Though authors obviously take some liberties when writing these stories, they nevertheless give you a taste of the period. There’s nothing I enjoy more than delving into books like this during train rides to and from New York City, or at the end of a long, hard day at work.

Recently I discovered a new author in the historical fiction genre: Catherine Delors, whose first novel, Mistress of the Revolution, was published in March. Set in revolutionary France, it brought both the turbulence and the decadence of French society to life through the story of its fictional main character, Gabrielle de Montserrat. We first meet her as an impoverished young noblewoman who has the audacity to fall in love with a commoner named Pierre-André Coffinhal, then we accompany her through the court of Louis XVI and her subsequent struggles to hide her nobility from the French revolutionaries. Throughout the story, Gabrielle’s intelligence, indomitable spirit, and enduring love for Pierre creative a captivating narrative. Discovering what would happen to Gabrielle quickly became the highlight of my day, and when the novel finally ended, as all books must, I knew I wanted to learn more about the woman who wrote this story. Catherine agreed to let me interview her, and as it turns out, she’s something of a foodie as well. Continue reading below to learn more about French society, food, politics and Catherine herself.

What sparked your interest in the French Revolution?
Serendipity, or fate, or God’s will. In fact it all came from a conversation with my late father about the name of Coffinhal Street, in Vic, the little mountain town where I spent the summers of my childhood. When my father told me that the man had been the Vice President of the Revolutionary Tribunal, I had to research that character. That sparked my interest in the French Revolution.

While writing Mistress of the Revolution, did you have any writing rituals? For instance, a favorite place to write, a preferred drink, etc. Describe a typical writing day for us.
I work full-time as an attorney (you know, the aptly named day job.) So my “writing day” is practically nonexistent. I write at night, in bed on my laptop. My most productive time is after 10 p.m. Until when? It all depends on my sleep requirements, which are fairly elastic. My wake-up time remains fixed because my son needs to go to school in the mornings.

As for drinks while I am writing, I often fix myself a nice big pot of tea, which I set on my nightstand. It is there only for moral support, though, because I get so involved in writing that I forget all about the tea getting cold next to me. But sometimes I have a cup or two before turning off the lights when it’s shamefully late, or early, depending on how you look at it.

What would people be surprised to learn about 18th century French society?
My guess is that people would be surprised by many things! I was astonished myself by many details of everyday life. For instance, did you know that, during high society dinners, the guests sat where they chose and brought their own valets to serve them? It would have been deemed very rude for the hostess to tell her guests where to sit. There was no set menu either. Various dishes and wines were displayed on a dresser behind the guests (a bit like a self-serve “all you can eat” arrangement in a modern restaurant.) A noblewoman like my heroine, Gabrielle, would have ordered her valet, who would have been standing behind her chair during the whole meal, to go fill her plate and glass with the food and drink of her choice.

What would a typical meal have been for a commoner compared to someone of noble stock?
First let’s look at someone at the top of the social scale. That person would have eaten a very diverse, refined diet. For instance, I show Gabrielle, for her first dinner in Versailles, having foie gras, mushroom crepes, sweetbreads with asparagus and, for dessert, cream puffs and chocolate mousse, accompanied by Sauternes wine. This is a minuscule sample of the food that was served at aristocratic tables. You had everything: meat, fish, shellfish, vegetables, an amazing variety of pastries. Wines were very similar to the best modern French wines, such as champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy. Foreign wines such as Madeira were also imported.

As for the commoners, there were huge differences among them. Some were very wealthy and ate much the same things as people of noble stock. The poor were on a diet of whole grain bread (wheat or buckwheat.) Meat, usually pork, was reserved for rare festive occasions. Salt was very heavily taxed in some regions, and beyond the means of many. So here you have it: a diet high in fiber, low in saturated animal fat and sodium. Very healthy by modern standards.

What was not healthy, however, was the water people drank. Fountains were rare in Paris, and many drank water from the Seine, which was then little better than an open-air sewer. Apparently those Parisians who did not die from it acquired some sort of immunity. The rich could afford to have spring water brought from the suburbs. Gabrielle, for instance, gets her first taste of river water when she is in jail during the Revolution.

We shouldn’t forget that famine remained a constant threat for the poor. Due to a disastrous harvest in the summer of 1788, there were food shortages all over the country, aggravated in Paris by additional taxes on food. That made bread unaffordable for the poor. People were literally starving on the streets of Paris. So the Revolution has much to do with food, or the lack thereof.

Another food that appeared in France just before the Revolution was the potato. People were at first very leery of that new plant, but its culture was encouraged by the government, and it became popular very fast. At one point, as I describe in Mistress of the Revolution, all the public gardens in Paris were planted with potatoes.

I am sorry, I ramble, but you are to blame for asking such an interesting question. Political issues and food were so closely intertwined during the Revolution!

If Gabrielle had a favorite comfort food, what would it be?
Oh, that’s an easy one: hot chocolate and croissants (a Viennese pastry that had been brought to France by Marie-Antoinette.) In Mistress of the Revolution, Gabrielle and her friend the Duchess have a – late - breakfast of chocolate and croissants after the fateful evening at the Opera when Gabrielle meets the three men who will become her suitors in Paris.

But, mind you, when I say chocolate, I mean the real thing, not any atrocious “instant” imitation! Take unsweetened bitter cocoa powder, and mix it with powdered sugar. Then add hot milk, very gently, while slowly stirring the cocoa and sugar mixture. To me, that’s the mother of all comfort foods.

As with every novel ever written, there are some autobiographical parts in Mistress of the Revolution. The comforting power of friendship, added to chocolate and croissants, is one of them.

Do you plan to write another novel?
Actually my second novel, “For The King,” is already written and in the process of final editing. It is to be published in March 2009 by Dutton. I am working on a third novel right now. It will be a prequel of sorts to Mistress of the Revolution.

What did you have for breakfast today?
A pot of Earl Grey tea, with a drop of milk, no sugar, and brioche with butter. I toasted the brioche to a very light gold color so the butter softened without melting. Now this is purely sinful since, as you know, brioche is already enriched with butter and eggs. Also I dare brioche purists to despise me!

And by the way, the French version of the phrase “Let them eat cake” (which Marie-Antoinette never said) refers to brioche, not cake. I will post shortly on Marie-Antoinette’s food tastes.

You can visit Catherine online at her blog: Writing with a Foreign Accent

Win a Copy of “Mistress of the Revolution!”

Many thanks to Catherine for spending time with us and to the generous folks over at Penguin, who’ve made it possible for me to round off this interview with a book giveaway. To enter to win a copy of Mistress of the Revolution simply comment on this post.

On Tuesday, April 15th, I’ll use the random number generator to pick the lucky winner. The winner’s name will be announced in the sidebar, right above the “Tweet Tweet” section.

// Edit: Congratulations to Tara (#50) who won a copy of “Mistress of the Revolution” for her mom! Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway - I’ll do my best to make more books available to you soon.