Parks, Ping-Pong and Paris

I had an exciting post planned today -- all about my ping-pong exploits in Kensington Gardens -- but a technology fail means they'll have to wait until another day, sadly!

However, three very nice things happened over the weekend:

1. My article on surviving jet-lag in Paris appeared on Bonjour Paris, which has already boosted Kindle sales of 24 Hours Paris;

2. Polly-Vous Francais did a great review of 24 Hours Paris, listing 24 reasons why she likes the book! You really can't get a better review than that! and

3. I had this lovely blog post pop up on my Google alerts!

Oh, how I love nice surprises.

Coming soon, when technology decides to co-operate: ping-pong in the park!

Guest Post and Giveaway!

Happy Monday!

Today, I'm over at Hell or High Water talking about how I attempt to juggle fiction with non-fiction!

And if you're in the UK and you'd like a chance to win a copy of 24 Hours Paris, head here to enter.

Happy Fourth of July to all my Amerian friends! Hope you're all enjoying the long weekend.

Have E-Book, Will Travel

24 Hours Paris is now available as an e-book for Kindle and is coming soon to all good ePub formats near you! :) It's great if you're travelling and don't want to carry your travel books with you. 24 Hours London is next in line.

And in other news, 24 Hours Paris just got another great review, courtesy of Nayu's Reading Corner! Check it out here.

Happy Tuesday!

Paris Porn

Ahem. Did that get your attention?

Today, I'm at the HiP Paris blog, talking about some of my favourite Paris places alongside some stunning photos of Paris! If you don't follow the HiP Paris blog, you're missing out on some truly great Paris photo porn.

If I haven't excited you too much, hop over to read more!

24 Hours Paris - Reader Reviews!

Only two weeks after the launch of 24 Hours Paris and reader reviews are starting to roll in! Here's a few of the notes we've received. Thanks to everyone who's bought a copy and reviewed it!

And I've broken over 100 followers (Jen was my 100th)! Thank you all for reading and following along over the past year and a bit -- I really appreciate it.

Received the book within five days and have read it cover to cover twice. Highlighted everything I want to do. That would take extending our travels however! But my list is certainly looking different than it was a few days ago. I'm sure this trip to Paris will be so distinct from my previous visits because of you. I will be back to you upon my return and report. Thanks so much for all your research. I will certainly recommend your books to anyone I know traveling to London and Paris.
-- Marcy Eisenberg, USA

What a fun, intriguing book! I've been to Paris only once. However, I shall return. Soon. I'll have 24 Hours Paris with me.
-- Rosemary Henley

Whether you are passing through, staying awhile or starting a new life, there are some books about Paris that are a must and this is one of them. You may have been before, you have searched online as what to do, you have asked friends, STOP. This book offers the alternatives to the regular "things to do in ......" Yes, it still offers the best places to eat, drink and see but it also offers a quirkier side to this amazing city. This book will take you that little bit further under the skin of this great city. 24 hours is never enough in Paris, but if that's all you have, then what a 24hrs you will have. Already in the bag for the next visit. A great book for every type of visitor.
-- Mr MJ Blades, New York

Paris is, unfortunately, a city I seem to end up in while 'just passing through'. Be it on the way to the Disney resort, or stranded there while waiting for a connecting flight to India. On both occasions, we just 'did the sights' I wish I had this book back then. Pocket sized (essential!) and easy to flip through and set out in sections relating to the time of day, you simply turn to the hour you're in and voila, instant suggestions for places to visit and eat. Most of them are quirky, interesting and different, there are plenty of places to visit for the whole family during the day-light hours along with more unusual haunts for the more adventurous (sewers and sex shops anyone?). In short this book allows you to get the most out of a city at any hour of the day, perfect if you're passing through or spending a long weekend. Looking forwards to seeing what city Marsha tackles next!
-- Fenschwing, UK

It's all French to Me...

Just came across this wonderful poem by Irish writer Niamh Boyce, which scored her a copy of 24 Hours Paris from Me and My Big Mouth (Niamh, hope you don't mind me stealing it to post here...).

Pour Marianne
À l'âge de 37,
j'avais enfin plaisir à Paris,
parce que j'ai gagné livre de Marsha
sur le site de bouche grande fantastique...
Donc je laisse le téléphone sonne de la conserver,
comme je sat y twittering doucement à tous mes amis à la maison,
debout sur les fours électriques...

Head over to the comments section on her blog to see the translation! Thanks, Niamh!

The Winners!

It's the day after launch and everything went well! Thanks to everyone for all the lovely comments here and on Twitter. I'm over at writer India Drummond's blog today with the top five Paris places for writers. Thanks, India, for hosting me!

And now for the winners of 24 Hours Paris and 24 Hours London!

24 Hours London goes to... Gemma Noon, who prefers London! Here's her reason:
Paris has effortless chic and is, I think, the more refined and grown up of the two cities. London is the more daring. It gets things wrong. it also gets them oh so right. Culturally it is more willing to embrace those that give it a go than its posh neighbour.Paris is chic. London is cool.Hell, I'm still in my twenties. I vote for cool :-)

24 Hours Paris goes to... Virtual Onion, who prefers Paris! Here's the reason:
Hard choice but I'd have to say Paris. It is a city of romance, beauty, 1920s writers and existential debates in little cafes. It inspires and refreshes. It feeds the body and the soul.

If you could both please email me your postal addresses (marshawrites AT gmail.com), I'll get the books out to you! Congratulations!

If you haven't won, don't worry! You can still win a copy of 24 Hours Paris on Me and My Big Mouth. All you need to do is write something in French (hello, Google Translator!) in the comments section and he'll choose the winners on the weekend!

24 Hours Paris Launch Day

It's finally launch day (and I'll stop harping on about it soon, I promise!).

Lots of exciting stuff going on! The 24-Hour Tweetathon is in full swing -- starting from this morning at 12 a.m., every hour for 24 hours, I'm tweeting top tips from 24 Hours Paris. You can follow along here.

On his brilliant book blog Me and My Big Mouth, Scott Pack will be giving away 5 copies of the book. All you need to do is write something in French (hello, Google Translator!) in the comments section and he'll choose the winners on the weekend.

And you can still enter to win a copy of 24 Hours Paris or 24 Hours London. Just click here and write in the comments section which city you prefer: London or Paris. You don't need to have been to either; just use your imagination! I will make the draw tomorrow and post the results then.

Oh, yes, and to buy the book you can go here or to Prospera Publishing. Thank you all for putting up with my plethora of Paris posts and if you do read the book, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

24-Hour Tweetathon!

Well, two reasons to celebrate: it looks like Britain may finally have a government! That, and the 24-Hour Tweetathon starts tonight at 12 a.m.! Every hour for 24 hours, I'll tweet top tips from 24 Hours Paris. You can follow along here.

And for anyone with some spare time on their hands, here's the link to my BlogTalk interview with Sean Barry of Casting Couch.

24 Hours Paris Launch Week!

It's launch week and I'm busy getting all my ducks in a row for Wednesday! I've got my hot little hands (cold little hands, actually, the weather's freezing) on ten copies of 24 Hours Paris and I've even signed one already for a Canadian friend!

Tonight, the wonderful Sean Berry of BlogTalk Radio's The Casting Couch will be interviewing me about my Paris book; you can listen along at 6 p.m. EST, or I'll post the link tomorrow. Having spoken with Sean back in November, I'm less nervous this time around. I just hope I can stay awake until 11 p.m. my time!

And you can still enter to win a copy of 24 Hours Paris or 24 Hours London. Just click here and write in the comments section which city you prefer: London or Paris. You don't have to have been to either; just use your imagination!

24 Hours Paris Launches One Week from Today!

Yet more excitement! Can you handle it? I'm certainly trying to stay sane!

Time has flown and 24 Hours Paris launches one week from today! We have a snazzy new cover and some great reviews. To get a taste of the book and to see how to win free copies, head over to the 24 Hours Paris blog. But wait!

Because you can win your very own 24 Hours Paris book right here (gosh, I sound like a TV advert) or a copy of 24 Hours London. All you need to do is either write in the comments section or email marshawrites AT gmail.com with the answer to this question:

Which city do you like more -- London or Paris -- and why?
(Note: nation bashing does not count as a reason!).

Let's see if we can reignite the great English-French battles, shall we? I'll be giving away one copy of 24 Hours Paris and one copy of 24 Hours London to the two best (or most interesting) answers.

The contest is open until launch day -- May 12, 2010. I'll post the winners on that day. Also on launch day, I'll be doing a 24 Hour Tweetathon on Twitter, where every hour from 12 a.m. on May 12th until 11 p.m. that same day, I'll be posting tips from the book. Follow along here.

Right. Now where's my coffee? I need more caffeine...

Win a Copy of 24 Hours Paris from Francophilia!

The wonderful weather joy of the Bank Holiday weekend has climaxed with hail (yes, hail!). But if you fancy dreaming about somewhere other than London, you can win a copy of 24 Hours Paris over at Francophilia. Just enter before the end of May!

Happy Monday!

To Quote a Few...

Time flies -- and so does volcanic ash, apparently! In the past few days, I've been finishing up a draft of a fiction project and running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get some last-minute quotes for 24 Hours Paris before our press deadline. I might have mentioned once (or several!) times how hard it is to ask people (experts!) to review your book. Well, throw a deadline into the mix and I've found it's much easier to bite the bullet and go for it!

This time around, I did find it easier to get over the cringe factor. Not only did I have 24 Hours London behind me, but I'd done it before and had some sucess (thanks Toni and Mike and everyone else who reviewed my last book!).

A big thank you everyone who looked at the ARC and got back to me with such brilliant quotes -- I appreciate it so much and I can't wait to hold a hard copy of the book in my hands!

Here's what the Paris experts said about 24 Hours Paris! (I realise I'm blowing my own horn here, but I'm proud of the book!)

"Marsha Moore steers us away from tired postcard imaginings of Paris and provides good ideas for encountering the city in its authentic, contemporary and un-shiny complexity."
Courtney Traub, Guide to About.com Paris Travel

“From pissoirs to parrots – Marsha Moore’s new guidebook 24 Hours Paris by Prospera UK is an absolutely original guide to Paris, chock full of unusual ideas for touring hidden areas and attractions in the City of Light. Bravo to Marsha for coming up with a totally new and creative way to see my favorite town.”
Doni Belau, Founder, www.girlsguidetoparis.com

“This incredible guidebook offers an hour-by-hour roadmap for exploring the hidden wonders of this remarkable city, making it a must-have ... even for people who think they know Paris.” Linda Donahue, Editor-in-chief, ParisienSalon.com

“Moore’s guide to Paris is a real encyclopaedia of the hip and the quirky, full of insider facts and trivia, that will banish all thoughts of ennui for much longer than the stated 24 hours.”
Duncan Rhodes, Editor, Urbantravelblog.com

“In spite of the fact I’ve lived in Paris for 22 years, this book is a real eye-opener and I’m keeping it next to my bed in case I awaken at 3 a.m. and want to go out. I’ve read so many guidebooks but this one has different take on the City of Light. It’s fun in addition to being illuminating. Marsha, thank you for making Paris even more exciting."
Karen Fawcett, President, Paris New Media, LLC, www.bonjourparis.com

"24 Hours Paris takes up where the conventional guide books leave off, with fresh and sassy bite-sized tips on Paris."
Pamela Poole, The Francophilia Gazette

"It's like having a Parisian in your pocket 24/7."
Craig McGinty, This French Life

I Love Paris in the Springtime...

Phew! I have just finished three exhausting days of proofing 24 Hours Paris in preparation for its coming launch on 12th May! It's amazing how many finicky errors can slip through, and I'm sure there are many lingering. Still, it gives me a great feeling when I look back through all the research, all the writing and, yes, all the wonderful eating!

Starting on Monday, I'll be updating the 24 Hours Paris blog with hour by hour tips, right up until launch day. There are already a few bits and bobs on there; feel free to have nose around!

And here's a little blurb about the book:

In a city like Paris, it’s tempting to stick to the beautiful but beaten paths leading straight to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Champs Elysée. But Paris is so much more than a collection of clichés; it’s bursting with life, from early morning markets to midnight movies. But how can you know where – and when – to get the best of what’s beneath the city’s gilded surface? The only thing for it is to break down the day, hour by hour, and make your choice from Paris’ top picks. That’s exactly what 24 Hours Paris does. From weaving tapestries to jazz in an underground torture chamber, you’ll see the best of what’s on offer city-wide at any moment in time.

Now, with the rare sun streaming in my London window and my work done for the day, I actually do feel in a spring-like mood!

24 Hours Paris Trailer

I know I said I'd have a proper post today. But, well, I lied (but not on purpose, so that doesn't count... right?). Anyway, I've been busy cobbling together a book trailer for 24 Hours Paris, to be released in May. There was no way we could fit in all the lovely Paris locations in our short trip, but I hope you enjoy what we could get on film!

24 Hours Paris

I know, I know: it never ends. I've barely finished harassing people about 24 Hours London before starting up with Paris. But I just had to share our new cover design!

And the 24 Hours Paris book blog is coming along, too. The book's scheduled for release in Spring 2010. It was tons of fun to research and write!