And just for bonus points, portions of the American romantic film Ever After, starring Drew Barrymore, were also filmed here.

My father was returning for the first time to an area he had previously seen only from the windows of The Crow’s Nest, the B-24 Bomber on which he had served as a radio man in World War II.  Based in Britain, he flew thirty-six bombing missions over France and Germany striking against the war machine of a Nazi tyrant and assisting in the liberation of a country with which he had no personal ties at that time. In America, he had a wife who daily wondered if he would ever return, and a nine-month-old son he had never seen.  The irony was that since the time he had placed his life on the line to liberate France, his ties with the country had become significant.  His youngest daughter, born ten years after the War ended, married a Frenchman, and consequently his grandchildren from that marriage were half-French, and later on a grandson, (his oldest son’s son) would marry a French girl. 

We arrived in Normandy in the evening, and made two brief stops along the Eastern flank, the British Sector, before heading for our Bed and Breakfast.  The first stop was near Sword Beach, along the Orne Canal where Major John Howard led his glider-borne men of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in a surprise attack to secure the lifting canal bridge at Bénouville code-named “Pegasus Bridge.”  They took off just before 11:00 p.m.  on June 5 from England and were released an hour later for the glide in to the objective, crash landing just 50 yards from the bridge.  Howard’s group fired the first shots on the ground on D-Day, but  secured their target by twenty minutes after midnight.  The Ox and Bucks suffered the first D-Day casualty, Lieutenant Den Brotheridge, who is buried in the churchyard near the British Cemetery at Ranville.  We stopped and bought postcards at a nearby café, originally belonging to the Gondrée family, which proudly advertised itself as the first French building liberated on that memorable day.

​As dusk descended, we drove to the top of the bluff overlooking Gold Beach nestled between flanking cliffs below.   There at that viewpoint, the British have erected a Memorial, and an earlier visitor had laid a wreath with a ribbon bearing these simple but poignant words,  “To Our Fallen Comrades.” Next to that offering had been placed a packet of letters from British schoolchildren, too young to fully realize what their grandfathers had done, but nonetheless lauding the British fight for freedom on the shores of Normandy.  In 1944, these same cliffs were topped with German gun emplacements that were silenced by naval bombardments from HMS Ajax  on the morning of D-Day.  Landings on Gold Beach took place with minimal casualties, although the weather hampered efforts to unload equipment.  The beach was backed by low, marshy land where today the town of Arromanches sits, and the specialized equipment designed by the British general, Percy Hobart, affectionately dubbed “Hobart’s Funnies,” were at their most effective on Gold Beach, clearing mines and bridging ditches to speed the inland advance in the gully between the cliffs.  Here, after the initial assault, the Allies established one of the two pre-fabricated Mulberry Harbors. 

The concrete Gooseberries were used on all beaches as breakwaters, but at Gold, the Mulberry was a full-blown port with caissons sunk inside the ring of Gooseberries to form floating piers and roadways.  This allowed the unloading of supplies from ships at all stages of the tide.  Even during wartime, the Allies were concerned about permanent damage to the pristine landing beaches, and designed the installation to endure for only 100 days, but remains of the harbor survive today and were clearly visible from our vantage point forming a complete arc around the beach.  On many later visits to Gold Beach at low tide, with both children and grandchildren , we were actually able to climb on the concrete caissons that are now considered as cherished historic landmarks by the people of Normandy.

Between Utah Beach and the Pointe-du-Hoc lies the German Cemetery at La Cambe.  It is a required stop for anyone visiting Normandy because its somber black crosses and 21,160 graves, some with unidentified remains simply marked "Ein Deutscher Soldat,"

Our emotions came to a head at the Pointe-du-Hoc.  This is property that has been deeded to the American government, and except for keeping the weeds mowed, it has been left exactly as it was after extensive Allied naval and air bombardment. Though rusting barbed wire, widespread shell craters, twisted rebar and broken concrete blocks belie the fact, we felt strongly that this was hallowed ground. ​

In one of the bunkers, still solid and undamaged in spite of the bombardment, a memorial plaque to the Rangers is affixed to a wall built by the enemy.  The plaque lists the Rangers who lost their lives in the assault, a full sixty percent of Rudder’s men.  That morning, a popsicle stick was wedged behind the plaque with these words neatly written upon it: “To those who didn’t make it from one who did.” Our tears flowed freely. 

​The gray skies only reinforced the somber mood as we traveled on to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery that today overlooks it.  It would be hard to imagine a greater contrast to the Utah Beach landings short of outright failure than the experience of the troops landing at Omaha Beach.  The seas were heavy that morning, and unknown to the Allies, the German 352nd Infantry Division was on exercise, thus doubling the number of defenders.  Furthermore, the coastline was a formidable obstacle with 100 foot high bluffs through which only five small gullies offered a way inland.  The first error at Omaha was to drop the landing craft too far offshore (nearly 12 miles), and many of the craft were swamped by the rough seas.  Of  the 32 tanks unloaded 6,000 yards from shore, 27 sank.  Many soldiers were killed by enemy fire before they ever reached dry land.  Those who did reach the beach were trapped below the bluffs, unable to create a breach.  Successive waves of invaders suffered similar losses and those who made it were likewise pinned on the beach.  Small groups and individuals, including a company of Rangers, and officers such as Brigadier General Norman Cota and Colonel George Taylor, organized the survivors and slowly advanced to take German positions.  As evening approached, the Americans had secured a bridgehead on the bluffs.  Today, tourists are warned from leaving established pathways among the same bluffs because land mines and grenades might still be present.

As we strolled among the rows of astonishingly perfectly aligned white crosses, a sense of overwhelming reverence overcame us all.  The behavior of visiting schoolchildren who ran along the sidewalks and a group of giggling teens who passed around a cigarette seemed entirely inappropriate, and we moved to a quieter spot.  While reading the names and states of the fallen soldiers inscribed on the backs of the markers, we reflected upon those parents, wives and children whose loved ones didn’t come home.  I, for one would not be there walking upon the consecrated ground with my father if he occupied one of those 9,000 graves, nor  would my husband be married to me, nor would we have those three children, whose heritage straddled both sides of the Atlantic, and who were beginning to catch a glimpse of what this pilgrimage really meant.  

​As we stood before the Memorial’s mosaic depiction of the air and land attacks on what has been called the Longest Day, my father pointed out where his bomber squadron was on June 6, 1944.  He flew two missions that day bombing bridges, roads and railways to help isolate the Normandy peninsula and prevent German troops from easy access into the area.   As his voice wavered, an elderly couple approached us and in broken English asked, “American, yes?”  My husband replied in French that indeed we were Americans and that the man whom they were addressing was his father-in-law who had belonged to the American Army Air Corps playing his part in Hitler’s defeat.  They took his hand with a degree of reverence and homage, shook it with deep sincerity and said, “Tank you, tank you.”

I have walked the beaches of Normandy on many occasions since that time. I have taken many friends, as well as my children and grandchildren, but I have never once visited without feeling the sacred nature of those sites. As I ponder what took place on the Beaches of Normandy that day so long ago, I realize that not only was D-Day a turning point in the war, but that it also represented a turning point for unborn generations who would follow, who might not have followed had Operation Overlord been the disaster that Eisenhower feared, or worse yet, who might have been born into different circumstances in lands where freedom was an elusive dream.   

In May 2016, my husband and I visited Le Puy du Fou (click left to go to the English website), the theme park in the Vendée region of France, which in recent years has been voted as the best theme park in the world. The park has no rides, only a variety of historical re-enactments, all based on various periods of French history, and specifically focused on the Vendée region. The shows are terrific, but if you go and don't speak French, be sure to ask for headphones to listen in English so that you can fully benefit from the "spectacles."

The grounds of the park are magnificent, left in their naturally wooded state and enhanced by beautiful landscaping. It makes you feel like you are walking through a medieval forest, and not in an asphalt jungle. Furthermore, De Villiers simply bought property for the theme park that included its own castle, medieval village, and 18th century village. No need to reproduce anything when you already have the real thing!

Of course, we particularly enjoyed the Joan of Arc show (Le Secret de la Lance), which literally translated is "The Secret of the Lance." Hmmm, good name for a novel! We also loved  the bird show (Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes), the breathtaking Roman Coliseum show (Le Signe de Triomphe), where eight lions are loosed on the Vendéen opponents of Rome,  and Le Dernier Panache, a visually spectacular recounting of one of the tragic episodes in Vendéen history when 300,000 opponents of the French revolutionaries during the Reign of Terror were  slaughtered. 

We missed the world-famous Cinéscénie, which only plays in high season. It is considered to be the largest live night-time show in the world and features 1200 volunteer actors on a stage spread out  over 23 hectares, 24,000 costumes, 3D video projections,  multiple backdrops, and fireworks. It lasts 1 hour 40 minutes. We'll have to go back one year in the summer to see this extravaganza. This show is not included in the regular park entrance fee, and must be booked separately. It books up far in advance, so you must plan and reserve tickets if you are interested.

We stayed in one of the park hotels, Les Iles Clovis, delightful little thatched-roof cottages sitting over water. Remember Clovis? He was the first Christian king of France and was baptized in Reims with oil from the Sainte Ampoule. His baptism and coronation in Reims was the motivator for Joan of Arc to get the Dauphin Charles to Reims for his own coronation. It was fitting to stay there, and the cottages were delightful. If you go off-season, you can stay in one of the park hotels for nearly half the price of high-season. The other park hotels are:  The Gallo Roman Villa, Le Camp du Drap d'Or (The Field of the Cloth of Gold, which is spectacular just to see) and Le Logis de Lescure. The hotels, which have free parking, are all within walking-distance to the back entrance to the park. We found the best hotel dining to be the buffet at Les Iles Clovis, called Le Banquet de Mérovée .

Check out the slide show of my photos from our visit:

While going through the process of writing The Sword of the Maiden, the second novel in The Watchmen Saga, I was preoccupied by all things “Joan of Arc.” Actually, my preoccupation with Joan started long before I wrote my first novel in the series, The Keys of the Watchmen. In fact, the entire unwritten premise of the first novel was to set up Katelyn Michaels as the one mortal who could fully understand and logically assist Joan in her mission. No, my preoccupation with Joan is not just a passing fancy. I have been interested in her remarkable story for years, even decades.
           
My challenge in writing this novel was that so much has been said about Joan and so much has already been written about her. She is probably the most iconic figure ever to have come out of France. Consequently, I knew that trying to tell her story from a fictional platform was risky business. How could I bring anything of value to her story? How could I add one iota of understanding to what actually motivated her? How could I do her improbable narrative justice? I finally came to the conclusion that all I could do was try to give my readers a personal experience with her, and to do that, I wanted to be as accurate as possible about the places she visited and the conditions in which she lived.
           
Because my Breton husband and I are blessed to own a small cottage in Brittany, I have the opportunity of spending a lot of time in France. Consequently, we visited the important sites in Joan of Arc’s story on many occasions and in every season of the year. I paced off distances and even whipped out my handy-dandy tape measure to assess the width of battlements and ramparts. I took hundreds of photos from every possible vantage point. Incidentally, click on "Joan of Arc Sites" to see those photos and for my recommendations of the actual places to visit.

I especially wanted to know what conditions would have been like for Joan to travel on horseback from Lorraine in Eastern France to the Loire Valley during the winter months, so I traipsed across fields from Domrémy to Chinon, saturated from the near-constant drizzle that   hangs over France during January and February. Even in the seemingly firm fields covered with green vegetation, my feet sank several inches into mud and muck. Unlike Joan, I had a warm car in which to take refuge, a hotel room in which to shower, eat and sleep, several changes of clothing and shoes, and I didn’t have English marauders out to kill me! I could barely fathom how miserable conditions must have been during that monumental voyage she undertook with her little band of merry men, but I got a small taste of it. I did all of this so that I could more accurately describe where Joan grew up, the places she visited, and the conditions present during the initial part of her mission to save France. I wanted to be as precise as possible so that you, my readers, could perhaps feel a bit of what she felt.         ​

My husband and I just got back from France, where I did some final research for BOOK II in The Watchmen Saga. More about that to come in the next few weeks. And of course, we made our tri-annual pilgrimage to Mont Saint Michel, as all faithful Miquelots must do. But this visit was particularly amazing. On a chilly and overcast afternoon with none of the ubiquitous tourists in sight, we hired a guide to take us on a walking tour of the Bay of Mont Saint Michel. Because of the hazardous quicksand in the bay, which in French is accurately labeled as les sables mouvants (literally translated as "the moving sands"), and because of the constantly flowing and ebbing tide (which can reach a difference of 50 feet in height between low and high tide), it is highly dangerous to venture out into the bay without a professional guide. That day, in the entire 113,000-acre bay, there were just the five of us, two couples and our guide. Our own private "Bay Walk!" Since we couldn't get Nicolas le Breton as our guide, we had to be content with Guillaume le Normand, in green below! My husband is in navy blue. And check out the fabulous image above of the mount reflected into the water, which can only be obtained from the bay. This is looking to the south, and you can see the wooded north side of the island below the abbey, which has no structures on it. 

Guillaume would not allow us to go in front of him. He would walk a little ways, test out the area, and then have us follow in his steps. He also taught us just exactly what "moving sands" really are. If you stand in place for any length of time, or stomp around in a circle, you suddenly feel the sand instantly "liquefy." The water seeps up from below and what you thought was a solid surface quickly turns into 

a moving surface, and the seawater begins to seep up from underneath. It's like walking on a water bed with water leaking out. These three photos were taken in the same place, and show how quickly the seemingly firm, dry surface can turn into a pool of water, and then into a sink hole! Guillaume also showed us how the seagulls have learned to dig for cockles by using these very properties of the sand. They stand in place and start stomping, and when the ​little pools of water seep up, so do the buried cockles, which the seagulls then open with their beaks. They have literally learned how to use the quicksand to their advantage. Fascinating. I learned an important lesson by watching them. Regardless of the hazards (trials or challenges) in our lives, we need to  look for the positive in them, so that those hazards can actually turn into learning opportunities and even blessings.   

​We also learned that even during low tide, you will get wet when you go on a bay walk. Four separate rivers constantly flow into the bay, (Couesnon, Selune, See and Guintre) and even when the tide is out, the rivers are flowing. We crossed all four of them to get to Tombelaine, with the water coming all the way up to our thighs at some points. Even through the rivers, Guillaume went first and we 

Hoel of Brittany, who died of a broken heart when she was not allowed to marry the man she loved from a rival family (the Breton version of Romeo and Juliette)!  During the early Middle Ages, religious hermits lived on Tombelaine, then in 1137, Bernard du Bec founded a priory on the island, and for a time it became a place of pilgrimage like its more famous sister island. At the height of the power of  Mont Saint Michel's Benedictine Abbey, the abbot used the island to exile disruptive or disobedient monks. During The Hundred Years' War, the English ​took possession of the island and built a fortress from which to launch attacks against the Mont. Later, in the 16th-century French wars of religion, the leader of the Huguenot Army, Gabriel Comte de Montgomery, occupied the island. In 1666, the island's fortifications were destroyed so they could never be used by the English again.  Today, there are just a few ruins left and the island is a government-owned bird sanctuary. We climbed to the top of Tombelaine (with bare feet), and honestly, it is more of a mosquito sanctuary than a bird sanctuary! I must have had 40 bites on my exposed legs by the time we left. Just a few vestiges of the old fortress remain on the small granite island (see below), which measures 250 m x 150 m and is 45 m high.

But Tombelaine has a great unobstructed view of Mont Saint Michel. The first photo below is taken from the island's shore, and the second is taken from its summit. It took us three and a half hours to complete the round trip walk, and we were cold and muddy when we finished, but it was well worth it. What a fabulous day.

Just got back from a marvelous month-long trip to France, where I had practically no internet at all. So I'm catching up. This trip was three-fold: 1) to attend my French niece's wedding; 2) to gather all of my children (who had come for the wedding) at our cottage in Brittany; 3) to do further research and photography for Books II and III in the Watchmen Saga. The trip was a success on all counts! And did I visit Mont Saint Michel? Yep, twice, and with "Katelyn" as well! Just check her out below on the beach of the island, right next to Saint Aubert's Chapel, which my readers will know is really dedicated to Michel, the son of our beloved Jean le Vieux. Tombelaine Island is in the background, where the disobedient monks were sent during the middle ages, and which was occupied by the English soldiers during the 100 Years' War.  This narrow beach and the rocks around the chapel are completely covered during high tide, so you can only visit at low tide, and you better know just exactly when the tide is coming in so you don't get trapped!

And here is Katelyn visiting the chapel to pay her respects to Michel and Jean le Vieux:

More photos and news of my France trip to come!

Five Stars on Amazon
You will be drawn in immediately By Lakin at wonderousreviews on February 9, 2015 Format: Kindle Edition
 I am so glad I accepted this book for review! I don't normally read NA novels, but this one sounded really, really good, and when the author contacted me I couldn't resist that summary and the good things that I had read about it! I mean Mont Saint Michel, history, archangels, a sacred mission, a medallion, and an alluring man named Nicolas? I just had to find out for myself, and you should too, because I'm really glad I did!

I was afraid that I wouldn't like the main character, Katelyn, because the summary said that she was determined to hate every moment of her visit to Mont Saint Michel. I mean, I've read a book or two where the characters complained about everything and that gets annoying. I was relieved to find out that this would most definitely not be the case! Katelyn was smart, savvy, and very sarcastic! Her feelings toward her step mother were understandable, and she did enjoy her enjoy her adventures on the mount with her brother, who she was a really good sister to. I admired her love and loyalty toward her family (and later on, the people of the mount). I found her sarcasm funny, and it made for a really entertaining narrative. I really related well to that and her feeling of inadequacy.

Put in the dangerous situations she was placed in, she proved her determination, ability, and worth. With the help of God, she just might be able to save Mont Saint Michel after all. Though she might not be as much of a history guru as her younger brother, something about Katelyn will make her perfect for the mission she had been given.

Then there was her super smart brother, Jackson, who was into history and gave us all lessons about the Mount that were really interesting and quite essential to Katelyn's success. I appreciated how the author pulled it all together, making all of the details significant, and using history to do so!

And of course Jean and Nicolas! Jean was very kind and grandfatherly. He played such an important role in this story from tutor and mentor, to understanding friend. Nicolas?! He was pretty awesome too! From the moment Katelyn and Nicolas laid eyes on each other, Katelyn knew she could trust him with her life (and it's a good thing too). Then, when she travels back in time and meets him again, they don't exactly get off on the right feet. At all! Which made for some humorous situations that had me laughing so hard! And then there was a fantastic twist that actually made me laugh at its brilliancy! For a while I was beginning to wonder if they would ever come to the realization of how perfect they were for each other. And if they do, will it be to late?

My words can not explain enough without spoiling anything about the plot, so you need to know that it is brilliant, and everything fits together so perfectly. The characters were relateable and strong, the descriptions breath taking, the history interesting, the plot perfect, the action heart pounding, and the plan impeccable! Pleas read this book, trust me, you won't regret it!

It also kind of ends on a cliff hanger, so I can't wait for the next book in the Watchmen Saga to come out!

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review. This in no way affected my opinions, and all thoughts and opinions are solely my own.

By  Susan Squire -
 The Keys of the Watchmen (Watchmen Saga Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I did enjoy reading this book. As the other reviewers have said it gets to a point where you can't put it down. I'm looking forward to the next one.

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars, February 5, 2015 By  Sue - See all my reviews This review is from: The Keys of the Watchmen (Volume 1) (Paperback) Great read. Very engaging and nothing offensive. You'll also learn some fascinating history. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comment

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful way to engage in the history of France, February 3, 2015 By  Joan Rond - See all my reviews This review is from: The Keys of the Watchmen (Volume 1) (Paperback) A wonderful way to engage in the history of France! I finished reading this book a few weeks ago and I can't stop thinking about it. I want to visit Mont Saint Michel and see the places I have visited so vividly in this book. This is a book that makes you laugh out loud one minute and hold your breath the next.