Expat’s love of France leads to writing ‘fabulous’ book
Added: (Fri Feb 24 2023)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
Falling in love with France has led to a former London lawyer writing her first romantic novel.
South African-born, French-naturalised Fi Whyms has just released her five-star rated debut to critical acclaim.
Taming D’Artagnan has been described by reviewers as ‘full of drama, passion and humour’, ‘thoroughly enjoyable’, and ‘unputdownable from the first page.’
Critic John S Simnett stated: “The book romps along and has a great ending that left me gasping.”
Fi, who runs a holiday-let business with her husband at their historic chateau in south-west France, admits her initial intention was to write about her own relocation adventures.
She explained: “I fell in love with the Aquitaine region of South West France pretty much at first sight.
“We bought a holiday home in 2004 and renovated that, sold it and bought another, bigger house in 2007, and then finally in 2011 we bought the chateau we now live in.
“At first, the idea was to write a book about living in France, about how frustrating renovations can be and how capricious old buildings are, as well as amusing observations about France, our French compatriots and some of the experiences we’ve had with gite guests.”
Thankfully for Fi’s growing fan base, she quickly branched into fiction by writing Taming D’Artagnan.
Fi’s perfect pacing, expressive flair and humorous characterisation makes Taming D’Artagnan an addictive read. ‘I’m rather pleased that the novel is perceived as slightly ‘edgier’ than standard romantic comedy’ she added.
The gripping – and at times raunchy – romance follows the fortunes of ex-model Nicole who is seduced by Guy, a wealthy French investment banker (she wryly nicknames him ‘D’Artagnan’) and is persuaded by him to move to the 17th century chateau that he inherits in South West France.
“Despite her supposedly glamourous former life as a model, Nicole is a damaged soul - her childhood was abusive, she’s been a drug addict and has also been very badly hurt by the ex-love of her life, Karl.
“She’s still not sure that she’s over Karl, and she’s not sure that Karl is over her either.
“A traumatic event at the end of the book forces her to choose once and for all whether it is Karl or D’Artagnan that she loves.”
Fi worked in fashion as well as law after moving from South Africa to London.
Fi, who is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, hopes to publish the second and third novels in the D’Artagnan trilogy by mid-2023.
She is also working on a fourth standalone novel.
For more details, visit Amazon and search for Fi Whyms, where the paperback and Kindle formats of Taming D’Artagnan are both available.
Notes to the editor
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