Camille Aubray is the author of the new novel The Girl from the Grand Hotel. Her other novels include Cooking for Picasso.
Q: What inspired you to write this novel, and how did you create your character Annabel?
A: I've spent a lot of time on the French Riviera, and when I discovered a historical secret that was "hiding in plain sight" I was inspired to write The Girl from the Grand Hotel, a novel about the first Cannes Film Festival. The grand opening of this big event was, unfortunately, scheduled for September 1, 1939—which just happened to be the day that Hitler marched into Poland and ignited the second World War!
But during that summer of '39 there were many dazzling pre-festival parties and screenings as boatloads of glamorous Hollywood stars descended upon the Côte d'Azur. I decided to show it all from the eyes of my fictional character, Annabel, a 20-year-old American who takes a summer job working at the sumptuous Grand Hotel that her French uncle manages. I've always enjoyed the notion of the American girl abroad, as in the novels of Henry James and Edith Wharton.
Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: In researching The Girl from the Grand Hotel, I immersed myself in the history of the Côte d'Azur, and also Hollywood biographies, film history, cookbooks and menus, fashion, film posters, and—very important—the newspapers and magazines of the time period. I also listened to songs of that era, and, of course, I watched lots and lots of movies!
What surprised me most was when I found out that a stunning military fort, once part of the famous Maginot Line, still existed. It was built as part of France's first line of defense against invading armies. I went high, high up into the mountains to see it, and it gave me goosebumps to think of the soldiers and ammunition posted there in 1939. I also discovered a mysterious little village perched up there in the clouds, and both it, and the Maginot fort figure significantly in The Girl from the Grand Hotel.
Q: The writer Fiona Davis said of the book, “I loved her dead-on depictions of bold-faced names of the day like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Laughton, and was swept away by the fast-paced story and canny twists.” What do you think of that description?
A: I was so happy to hear that Fiona Davis loved the story twists and turns and all the celebrity cameos in The Girl from the Grand Hotel. My editor calls these "Easter eggs" that surprise us whenever my heroine, Annabel, discovers another movie star hiding behind those fashionable sunglasses. And I was also delighted when Kristin Hannah summed it all up by saying, "French history, the Cote d'Azur, and old Hollywood—what's not to love about this delicious novel inspired by true events and set in one of the most beautiful, most romantic places in the world?"
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: I felt very gratified when Publishers Weekly said that The Girl from the Grand Hotel is "fun and surprising" because it "follows a 20-year-old American woman [who] hobnobs with the rich and famous . . . but all the while Camille Aubray has set the stage for deeper themes . . . Readers will be swept away." I hope that readers, too, will enjoy the glamour and intrigue and also experience the deeper undercurrents. I chose to write about the 1930s because many issues of that time do resonate today.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I'll be doing signings and events all summer, so people can check in with my website to find out the details, starting in May: http://www.camilleaubray.com/new-events
And, The Girl from the Grand Hotel is available now: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Grand-Hotel-Camille-Aubray/dp/B0CGJMNF3G
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Camille Aubray.
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