Speaking the language of love with Eliza Watson...plus a book giveaway

Introduction and interview byTracey Meyers

In fifth grade, I took one semester of French.  I chose that language because I had family who lived in Paris and was obsessed with traveling there one day.  Unfortunately, I did not excel at French (thus taking it only one semester).  From that point on, I swore one day I would try again.

That day hasn't come--yet--but it doesn't mean I'm not still obsessed with France and the French language.  I still think often of not being able to pick it up and wanting to one day be fluent in it.  It is for this reason I am thankful to Eliza Watson for the little French language lesson she gave me (and our readers) during her interview.

When she's not traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her anctery through Ireland, Eliza is in Milwaukee working on her next novel and spending time with her husband and cats - Quigley, Frankie, and Sammy.

With books already published under the pen name "Eliza Daly," Eliza Watson recently published her first Chick Lit novel, Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir.  Along with her visit to Chick Lit Central, Eliza has generously offered to give away an autographed copy of her new book to one lucky reader located anywhere in the world!

So please say, "Bonjour" to Eliza Watson!

You can find Eliza at her website, Facebook and Twitter.


Which do you think is easier, writing a script (like you did in fourth grade, as mentioned on your website) or writing a novel? Why is this one easier?
First off, thank you so much for taking the time to read my random facts on my website. I appreciate it. I would say writing the script was easier because I didn’t have the pressure of selling it. Lol. I’ve tossed around the idea of writing a script again because dialogue is my favorite thing to write. It would be a script for a sitcom series. There aren’t enough sitcoms out right now.

With the publication of Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir, you now have three published novels. Of the three books, Identity Crisis and Under Her Spell are written under the pen name Eliza Daly and Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir is written under the pen name Eliza Watson. Why did you choose to use a different name for your most recent novel?
It all comes down to sex. Isn’t that often the case? Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir is a chick lit/women’s fiction book. My Eliza Daly books are romances, and Under Her Spell was a rather steamy romance. I’d originally written that book as a chick lit book but I later rewrote it as a romantic comedy. The book still had a chick lit feel to it and it did well with chick lit reviewers. However, some chick lit readers didn’t care for the sex in the book, so I thought it was necessary to distinguish between the two types of genres I write. An Eliza Watson book won’t contain sex. Well, I close the door on the sex anyway. Whereas an Eliza Daly book will likely have sex or at least be a sexy read. Also, an Eliza Daly book will always be written in both a hero and a heroine’s point of view while an Eliza Watson book will be told solely from a protagonist’s view. To make things a tad more confusing, I have a young adult book coming out this fall under my name Beth Watson. That will definitely not contain sex.

What inspires you to keep writing fiction versus a memoir?
Honestly, I’ve never considered writing a memoir. Not sure my life is that interesting. However, it’s about to get more interesting. I just bought a vacation home in Ireland, in the small town where my ancestors came from. I’m currently writing a women’s fiction book set there, but a memoir might not be far behind. Hmm…

On your website it says you've visited forty-five states. Which states haven't you visited yet?
I have never been to Alabama, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont.

If someone like me who doesn't know French were to travel to Paris, what three French phrases do you feel would come in handy to know? (Please type them out in French and translate them into English.)
French Phrase: Quel est le nom de votre chien?
English Translation: What is your dog’s name? 
The French are huge animal lovers, same as me. Even if you can’t speak the language, the French will immediately warm up to you if you pay attention to Fido or Fifi. One morning I was walking through a park and I encountered a sweet elderly woman with a poodle and I asked her in broken French if I could take her dog’s picture. She smiled wide, nodding. An older man’s dog trotted up and became quite, ah, frisky with her dog. We all exchanged shocked glances, and the woman gasped, Ooh-la-la. After she shooed away the dog, I asked the gentleman if I could take his picture with his dog and he insisted on taking mine with the Eiffel Tower in the background. He had never seen a digital camera and stared in awe at the picture displayed on the back. Few words were exchanged in my ten minute encounter with my new friends, but it was one of my most memorable moments in Paris.

French Phrase: Je voudrais un hot dog avec du ketchup et moutarde, s'il vous plaît.
English Translation: I would like a hot dog with ketchup and mustard, please. 
Of course Paris boasts some of the best restaurants in the world. However, one of my favorite dining spots is still a hot dog vendor’s stand. The bun is half of a baguette, hollowed out with ketchup and spicy mustard shot inside it. I love Parisian hot dogs so much they make several guest appearances in Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir.

French Phrase: Bonjour, merci, and s’il vous plaît.
English Translation: Hello, thank you, and please.
I know these sound très basic—which is why I’m lumping the three together—but it amazes me how often people don’t use these phrases in French, or even English. Manners will go a long way when you don’t speak the language. Being a writer, I am a huge people-watching person. When visiting Paris, I can’t tell you how often I’ve noticed that people don’t acknowledge a salesperson or vendor with a bonjour. I frequently hear people walk up to a street vendor and say, Gimme a hot dog, and… Not only don’t people start with a bonjour, they don’t end with a merci. I can see the vendor’s gaze narrow and his grip tighten around the hot dog bun. These are simple phrases to remember. Although, my first time in Paris I told a shopkeeper s’il vous plaît rather than merci. We both laughed about it.
They appreciate you making the effort to speak French, even if you don’t always get the words right.

The one thing I would never, ever do, not even at least once, is _______. Why would you not try doing this?
I would never attempt to write erotica. Under Her Spell was a bit steamy, but definitely not erotica, and I really pushed my writing limits with that book.

Special thanks to Eliza for visiting with us today and sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. If you have questions on how to use it, e-mail us.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Worldwide. Giveaway ends August 6th at midnight EST.

You can also enter to win this book from Chick Lit is Not Dead (Ends 8/4) and Peeking Between the Pages (Ends 8/12). Both are US/Canada only.