We chat with author Camille Aubray about The Girl from the Grand Hotel, which is a dazzling historical novel that brings readers into the glamorous world of the first (and doomed) Cannes Film Festival and the deadly atmosphere of Europe on the brink of war.
Hi, Camille! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m the author of Cooking for Picasso, The Godmothers and my newest novel, The Girl from the Grand Hotel. I’ve been a “scribbler” ever since I was a kid. Later I had a brief spell where I was part of a modern dance troupe, and then I wrote for television, but all I really wanted to do was to write novels. I love to travel and cook and go swimming, and I divide my time between Connecticut and the South of France.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was eight years old my family moved into a new house in August, when most of our new neighbors were on vacation. So I thought there were no other children living on my street. We had a backyard with stone steps leading up to a lovely garden, and I perched myself there and wrote a poem called A Lonely Place. After I wrote it I felt less lonely. And within a week other kids showed up. That’s what writing is to me. You get it down on paper, and magically you make new friends.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: A. Milne’s book of whimsical poems, When We Were Very Young.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Little Women. I wanted to be Jo, writing in a “garret” and then rolling up a story and tying it with a bow and presenting it to a magazine editor. I was mightily disappointed to find out that that’s not how you submit your work anymore.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Great Gatsby. I first read it while on a beach on Long Island Sound one summer, with the sea echoing the setting and rhythm of the novel.
Your latest novel, The Girl from the Grand Hotel, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Hollywood stars, Côte d’Azur, Nazis!
What can readers expect?
Most people don’t realize that the Cannes Film Festival actually began in 1939 but was cut short by the outbreak of World War II. Big-name Hollywood movie stars descended on the French Riviera for the pre-festival parties. But there were also fascist spies lurking about! My fictional heroine, an American girl, takes a summer job working with her French uncle who manages a sumptuous Grand Hotel, so she—and readers—must figure out who’s famous behind those sunglasses and who’s a fascist spy!
Where did the inspiration for The Girl from the Grand Hotel come from?
I was granted a special writers’ residency on the French Riviera and became fascinated with the history and culture of the Côte d’Azur. Then I kept returning for various film festivals and television conferences, so I started digging into the history of the Cannes Film Festival. I discovered this historical nugget that was hiding in plain sight, and as they say, Voilà! I started writing The Girl from the Grand Hotel.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I did extensive research that took me high up into the mountains, on a road hardly wider than a goat path, to track down a scary Maginot Line military fort and also an enchanting nearby village. All of this went into my novel. I researched every movie star who pops up in The Girl from the Grand Hotel, particularly Charles Laughton, the actor whose film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was shown on the opening—and closing—night of the festival. I adored him and his wife, the actor Elsa Lanchester. I could hear their voices so distinctly that the pair of them insisted on playing a key role at the end of my novel!
What’s next for you?
Two novels, one set on the Côte d’Azur, the other set in America. I like to go back and forth in my fiction as well as in my life.
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
The great chef Jacques Pépin gave me his latest cookbook, Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking. Can’t wait to settle down with it. I will be cooking up a storm this year!
