The French Photographer Wins!

by Natasha Lester | Mar 5, 2020 | Diary, The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan

I was absolutely thrilled to learn, about a month ago, that THE FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER (or THE PARIS ORPHAN as it’s known in North America) had been shortlisted for the RNA’s Goldsboro Books Historical Novel Award for 2020. I was even more thrilled – and...

THE PARIS ORPHAN is a New York Times Bestseller!

by Natasha Lester | Sep 28, 2019 | Diary, The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan

I was absolutely stunned and thrilled this week to learn that THE PARIS ORPHAN hit the New York Times Bestseller list! We reached No. 14 on the list, which is a dream come true. I can’t believe it! Huge thanks to every wonderful reader in North America who has...

The Paris Orphan Receives a Starred Review in Publishers Weekly!

by Natasha Lester | Jul 29, 2019 | Diary, News, The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan

I am so completely thrilled to share the news that The Paris Orphan was recently given a starred review in Publishers Weekly. Starred reviews are only given out to the best books, so it’s definitely a cause for celebration! Last year, The Paris Seamstress also...

Mixing Fact and Fiction in The French Photographer

by Natasha Lester | Apr 17, 2019 | Diary, The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan

One of the questions I’ve been asked a lot is how and why I’ve used a mix of the real and the imagined in writing The French Photographer. Most of you know my main character Jess was inspired by Lee Miller, and I’ve used aspects of Miller’s...

Researching The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan

by Natasha Lester | Mar 11, 2019 | Diary, The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan

I hope you’ve been enjoying this series of blog posts about The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan. If you’ve missed any of them, you can find the post about the inspiration behind the book here, and a post about the Lee Miller connection here. Now,...

Writing The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan: The Lee Miller Connection

by Natasha Lester | Mar 4, 2019 | Diary, The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan

If you read last week’s post, you’ll know that once I came across the story of Lee Miller in my research, I wanted to write a character inspired by her. So, Jessica May, the main character in The French Photographer / The Paris Orphan, is a model for Vogue...