NYT article about romance fails to mention Passionflix

By now you’ve probably heard about the newest Netflix must-watch series Bridgerton, a Regency love story by Julia Quinn. I haven’t seen the show yet but knowing that Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes was an executive producer makes me confident that it’s worth the hype. Every time a romance novel is adapted into a television show or movie it’s a win for the genre, but for some reason the media refuses to give the romance genre credit where credit is due.

As with everything that reaches a fever pitch with the media these days, as soon as the media gets wind of something popular all of a sudden there is an endless assortment of content that breaks it down, offers speculation and builds hype. Unfortunately, the media is full of people quick to get a story out without doing the research needed to create a thoughtful article on the subject. 

A recent New York Times article about Bridgerton, titled “For Television and Romance Novels – Love at Last?”, features a thought-provoking dive into the lucrative world of the romance industry and how, despite cornering the market in publishing (both traditional and self-publishing), romance novels have yet to translate to television and theatrical success.

For all of the well-made points in the article, there is one glaring error: The article never once mentions Tosca Musk or Passionflix. 

How on earth can the contributions of Passionflix to the romance industry be overlooked?

Full disclosure for the sake of transparency, I’m a huge Passionflix fan. I’d go back in time and become a founding member if I could. I love their mission and what they’re doing to bring beloved romance novels to life in the most dedicated movies and series on a streaming platform made for fellow romance enthusiasts. 

In 2020, even with the pandemic shutting down Hollywood, Passionflix moved full steam ahead with four movie releases and 5 short films (called Quickies) that were filmed and released in a matter of months, and they also completed production on one feature film and two original series. They also optioned countless books to be featured in future projects. Musk and her team have revolutionized the industry, working directly with authors to develop scripts and create movies that connect with the readers that love the books they’re based on. They were not only able to release new content throughout the pandemic but they have been able to get back to work faster than most studios so that they can release new content in 2021. They never stop, and even with everything going on in the world they continue to deliver top-rate content that is true to the books upon which the content is based.

That, of course, is the reason that Sylvain Reynard opted to work with Passionflix despite numerous options available to bring The Gabriel Series to life. Instead of one movie per book, Musk knew the details had to be perfect to do justice for Reynard’s work, so the first book in the series, Gabriel’s Inferno, was crafted into three feature-length films. And that’s just the beginning, as work on sequels Gabriel’s Rapture and Gabriel’s Redemption continues. 

Passionflix is a Netflix for romance fans, just as AMC Networks’ Shudder appeals to horror fans. What’s more, though, is that Passionflix works closely with fans to take the pulse of the fandom to ensure that they’re doing right by fans (and authors) every step of the way. They are as inclusive as they come, ensuring that women are involved at every level behind the scenes. 

How, then, could there be nary a mention of Passionflix in the NYT article? 

It’s almost like the article’s author knew about Passionflix and opted to leave it out. Passionflix is at the forefront of the romance industry. It’s a glaring omission in yet another article that attempts to draw focus on romance in a positive light but ultimately disrespects the genre by the end of the article despite data that proves that the romance industry does, in fact, have a lot of power in the ratings. 

Take, for example, this passage from the article:

When romance novels are adapted, they typically arrive on less prestigious channels, like Hallmark, say, or as low-budget made-for-cable-or-network movies. The elevation of romance to platforms like Netflix, which has a burgeoning interest in romance series (“Sweet Magnolias” and “Virgin River”), or Starz, which airs “Outlander,” a time-jumping, country-hopping epic based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon, is rare.

We’ll ignore the problematic “less prestigious” descriptor because these movies wouldn’t be made if not for the large audience and the possibility for profit. Don’t believe me? Hallmark Channel devotes two solid months to Christmas romances on both of its networks (Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) and guess what? Instead of rolling eyes they’re rolling in the proverbial dough as those Christmas movies were some of the highest rated programming available. According to Vulture:

A Timeless Christmas drew a same-day audience of 3.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched cable entertainment broadcast of the night and the entire week. In addition to outdrawing big cable guns such as 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way and Fear the Walking Dead, the film attracted more eyeballs than a number of major broadcast shows last week, including Superstore, Law & Order: SVU, Supermarket Sweep, and Dateline. 

Passionflix is producing content (albeit much spicier content, in many cases) that rivals and surpasses Hallmark Channel. They’re an entire streaming platform dedicated to the genre. It must also be noted that there needn’t be a comparison between the two because there is room for both. It’s their existence and their success that should be the focus here. 

Whether it was an intentional omission or a glaring oversight by the NYT doesn’t really matter because either way it’s part and parcel of the way the romance industry tends to be overlooked in general. 

Now that Netflix has a romance series that’s gaining attention, it means the show and the platform are getting coverage from big media outlets who want to cover every aspect of the story. However, it’s quite possible that Gabriel’s Inferno pulled the same numbers for Passionflix. The big difference is that you don’t have the same kind of media attention for Passionflix that you do for Netflix because Netflix is so much more mainstream.

I don’t know about you, but I know I’m tired of this whole conversation. Why must romance continually be pushed to the side? Why does almost every article about the genre fall short? Why isn’t the media giving any credit to Tosca Musk and the Passionflix team for their contribution to the romance genre?

The fight continues.

Gabriel’s Inferno: Seeing Gabriel’s Pain In A Whole New Light

Over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about a passage from Gabriel’s Inferno chapter 2 . It’s a key moment in the book, when Gabriel learns that his adopted mother Grace has passed away, and Julia is in the hallway listening to his emotional conversation.

In case you don’t have the book handy, here are a few excerpts from the scene:

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. I was in my seminar!” an angry voice, all too familiar now, spat aloud. There was a brief silence before he continued. “Because it’s the first seminar of the year, asshole, and because the last time I talked to her she said she was fine!”

“Of course I wanted to be there! I loved her. Of course I wanted to be there.”

“Tell them I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Gabriel’s Inferno, Chapter 2

I used to read these words with a much different perspective. Previously, the scene left a very particular impression in my mind. It suggested that Gabriel might not have been checking in with his family as often as he should have, especially given Grace’s illness. That he was caught off guard by her death says a lot, after all. How could he not have known how bad things were?

Now, after losing my mom, I read them differently.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer in June 2019 and at the time we were told to say our goodbyes. We did. It was a painful 18 months of being told on occasion that she wasn’t going to make it by various medical professionals who didn’t bother to read her chart to understand that even though she was a Stage IV cancer patient, she was still undergoing treatment. (Long story short,the ER doctors we’d seen over that time quickly wrote her off without seeing in her chart that she was being treated, and yes, it’s as frustrating as it sounds) 

We’d never been given a timeline on how much time she had left. As long as the chemotherapy kept holding the cancer at bay, and so long as there were more treatments to try, we would keep going until we ran out of treatment options and then we’d move to clinical trials. 

With my mom, we’d received the wonderful news on a Friday that her treatments were working, keeping the cancer stable and even shrinking some of the tumors. 

A week later she was gone. 

Now I look at this critical scene from Gabriel’s Inferno through a different lens. The guilt that Gabriel feels is as poignant as ever, but now I can see where Grace could have told Gabriel she was okay because she thought she was, or things took a turn so quickly that there wasn’t time to tell him. 

(Of course, there is still the possibility that Gabriel wasn’t checking in as frequently as his brother would have preferred, but as it was with my mom, he could have talked to her a few days before and still not known she was so close to the end)

The guilt that Gabriel feels tugs at my own heartstrings. Over the course of those 18 months with my mom, I’d been by her side every single day save for 4 nights when I was away on business. I was at every appointment. I fought every battle that needed to be fought on her behalf. I was there for everything…and yet even I didn’t see that I was about to lose her. 

The heated conversation between the brothers underlies their already tenuous relationship, of course, but through this new lens Scott’s anger – which precipitates Gabriel’s frustration during the call – is what seems more unacceptable in that moment. Scott has just lost his mother and he’s understandably upset, but so did Gabriel. If he could have been there, he would have. 

Naturally, there’s a reason this passage was written thusly and it couldn’t have been written any other way without changing everything that happened as a result of it. It’s a key moment for Julia, who’d been outside Gabriel’s office awaiting a stern lecture. She slips him a note of sympathy, mistakenly written on a piece of paper that says “Emerson is an ass.” That sets things into motion in a very particular way. If they hadn’t happened the way they did, then things might not have ended up the same at all. 

It’s one of those butterfly effect moments that could have changed so many things about Gabriel and Julia’s story. It haunts me, though, because I don’t think Gabriel could have done anything differently and the pain that he’s experiencing breaks my heart. 

Interview: Sylvain Reynard talks the Gabriel’s Inferno movie

I had the good fortune to chat with bestselling author Sylvain Reynard ahead of the highly anticipated release of Gabriel’s Inferno on Passionflix. As a longtime fan, dating back almost a decade, it has been a joy to see one of my favorite books come to life as a film. I was fortunate enough to watch a screener of the movie ahead of its release and it was nothing short of breathtaking. 

Reynard was gracious enough to chat with me for an article I was working on for FanSided Entertainment, but I thought that SR’s fans might enjoy reading the entire interview. 

(Sarabeth Pollock): I don’t think I should tell you how many times I’ve watched it, purely for research purposes, of course.

(Sylvain Reynard): I’m really glad to hear that.  I’ve seen it more than once too and each time I noticed something new – a detail, something from the set, etc. Passionflix did an incredible job bringing the pages of the story to life. Readers will love it.

I watched the movie about 3 hours before my call with the cast, so I had to process it quickly for the call (ironically, neither Melanie nor Giulio have seen it yet) so when I watched the second time I could really focus on the details.

Exactly. The way they set up Julia’s apartment, for example, and what they put on her bookshelves … the set decorators did a great job.

The second time I was able to actually pause, look at the book, and then resume. (And you need that with this movie because there is so much to see!)

One thing I wanted to mention is how well Melanie and Giulio bring the characters to life.

I was involved in the casting process and saw audition reels, etc. And I am so pleased with our choice of leads. Both of them do an incredible job inhabiting the roles. And again, they perfectly translate the characters from the book to the screen.

I don’t think their casting could have been more perfect. One thing that really came through in my call with Tosca, Melanie and Giulio was their deep appreciation for each other, too. They couldn’t stop praising each other, and I think that chemistry really translated on screen, too.

Yes, very much so. One of the things I mentioned to Tosca before we started casting was that the two leads have to be intelligent. They’re playing a professor and a graduate student and so that intelligence and passion for the subject matter of Dante studies has to come through. Also, particularly for Gabriel, he has to make the audience believe that he is completely devoted to Julia. The story is about longing as well as fulfillment and both Giulio and Melanie present that, not only with dialogue but with their facial expressions and body language.

The fact that these two actors are able to play the present-day versions of themselves as well as their younger counterparts really helps with that.

Absolutely. Melanie, for instance, can appear very young. I was struck by how she looked and moved differently in the orchard scene, versus the later scenes at the university.

She has the most soulful eyes, too.

She’s beautiful. She’s the perfect Julia. And as you saw in the film, she can be very fierce.

Her “mic drop” moment at the end will have your readers cheering, albeit wistfully.

I hope so … As readers know, my novels are all about redemption.

Absolutely. You know, when it comes to acting, Melanie and Giulio had a tall task in that your book is 500 pages (the script for part 1 was 200 pages). In a book, you are telling the story. Readers know what the characters are thinking, which is incredibly important for your story. In the movie, though, the characters must “show to tell”. Their actions must convey their thoughts. That they were able to do this speaks volumes.

Yes. This is a challenge in films. One of my favourite films is “Blade Runner,” but I prefer the Director’s Cut. The version that was released widely had a voice over that detracted from the story. But I think the Director was talked into including it so readers wouldn’t be confused. However, the voice over ruined it.  So in “Gabriel’s Inferno,” we didn’t include voice overs that one might derive from a narrator or internal monologue. We relied on the actors to show their thoughts and feelings rather than telling the audience what they were thinking. And it worked. It really worked.

There is that one line, though, that conveys Julia’s thoughts and I thought it was rather brilliant….

We agreed that line was funny and wanted to include it. Also the Professor’s favourite internal epithet for Paul was included … Mary, the screenwriter, had an challenging task adapting the novel to screen. But she did a fantastic job.

Yes! I mentioned to Tosca that I laughed in places I didn’t remember laughing in the book because it was so brilliant and unexpected. And I think those moments of levity are important because the first half of the book is much heavier than the second half.

Exactly.  I began writing the story back in the fall of 2009, and at the time, I recall wanting to inject some humour into the tale. In the novel, the snarky narrator pokes fun at the characters from time time.

The story is also about forgiveness – and that forgiveness goes both ways as Julia and Gabriel have to confront how they’ve treated one another in the past.  But it’s only through their forgiveness that the relationship begins to flourish.

It’s too bad SN isn’t able to get in the story, but perhaps there’s a Quickie in Snarky Narrator’s future…

The Snarky Narrator is always up for a quickie 😉

Get ready…because if you put that into the Universe you know your fans will wish it into existence…

(laughing)

You really see the concept of forgiveness play through as Gabriel comes to terms with how he treats Julia, which in the movie is a credit to Giulio being able to go from menacing to repentant. The scene where he picks her up in the rain is a striking example, as is when he’s standing in the kitchen telling Julia about Rachel’s engagement.

Yes. Giulio demonstrates quite a range as the Professor. We see him dealing with the aftermath of losing Grace. We see him angry, remorseful, etc.  Both Giulio and Melanie present the characters as layered and multi-dimensional, which is exactly what I wanted to see and what readers deserve.

The casting couldn’t be more perfect, that’s for sure. As for what readers deserve, since I was a fan long before I came into this role as an entertainment writer, I have to say I’ve never seen a movie so faithful to a book. Ever. And that’s saying something because these days there’s more than a discernible amount of toxicity in fandoms. In your case, though, every decision was embraced (and turned out to be perfect), the movie is utterly true to the story in every way and my goodness the level of detail is astonishing.

Thank you. That means a lot. You’ve put into words what I wanted for readers and what was important to me as the author. Over the years, I had more than one producer or company come to me interested in the film rights. But several of them hadn’t even read the books …

Going with Passionflix was a conscious decision to work with a team that valued the books and the readers. Tosca wanted to stay true to the books. She wanted to create an experience readers would love, and she wanted to incorporate the elements of Dante and Beatrice into the story. So this was a perfect match. And as you saw in the film, the set, the actors, and the costumes all reflected that vision. We wanted to translate the book to the screen as faithfully as possible so readers would have the ultimate film experience. And I’m happy to say that we have achieved our goal.

You told me before about how many details they seemed to pluck from your imagination, so I watched through that lens and it’s so true. Every detail is spot on. 

The opening credits, by the way. Tosca mentioned that this film had the biggest budget of all her films, and it really comes across as this massive cinematic experience from the start yet somehow manages to keep the focus on its dedication to the story and what fans want/deserve. That’s a tall order for any production, but having the flexibility that Passionflix offers allows for that.

Thank you. Tosca was incredibly focused on both the big picture and the details. Throughout production, I was included and invited to give feedback at all levels. And on some occasions, asked about specific things while they were shooting. Again, this is one of things that makes Passionflix so great to work with – they operate as a team and they invite both author and reader to participate. Several Founding Members even had the opportunity to visit the set and meet the cast.

I know the soundtrack will be made available. What did you think of the music in the movie? The music that played when Julia was running in the rain was perfect.

I thought it was really well done. For me, it was important that some of the key songs from the novel were used for the film. And I was really glad they were able to do that.

In my notes I scribbled that the movie feels like a whole new story even though it’s the same story. The food, the music, the clothes, the sets, the lines…but it feels so completely different.

There’s a line somewhere about old things becoming new … It’s about rediscovery, I think, and maybe also about spending time with old friends. Several readers have mentioned that they re-read the novels to cheer them up because it feels like spending time with old friends.

We’re living in really tough times right now. Many have lost friends and family to COVID. Many are feeling lonely and isolated because of social distancing.  Being part of a fan community can help us stay positive, interact with friends, and have something positive to celebrate and look forward to.

The movie really couldn’t arrive at a better time.

I feel that way, as well. Especially interacting with readers from around the world. It’s been a difficult few months and even though in some parts of the world things are opening up, we still face challenges. So for many of us, it’s important that we think positively, take time for beauty, and focus on things that makes us hopeful.

That’s the beauty of your community. You’ve created a sanctuary for people all over the world.

Thank you. I give all the credit to the readers. This particular fan community contains some of the kindest, best, most generous human beings on the planet. I’m just grateful I get to be a part of it.

It’s hard to believe that your community is going on a decade, and now the movie is going to take it into a whole new level, with more fans and new readers. I’ve seen so many people telling you that they’ve just discovered your books. It’s quite a sight to behold. (And it makes me even more sentimental) I told Melanie and Giulio that this is a big moment. A big one.

Thank you. I could never have predicted that the novel I began partially as an experiment to see if I could write would have ever turned into something like this. It’s all been surprising.

But I give credit to the readers, who made the books a success. And to the themes of the novels: love, sex, forgiveness, family, redemption. These are the subjects human beings care about and especially when we need a diversion or when we need hope, we turn to those subjects.Melanie and Giulio are destined for great things. They will have long and successful careers. They’re very talented and they’re very hard workers.

I love thinking about this journey you’ve been on, as someone on the outside looking in. It’s so inspiring. And as much as I’m a live in the moment kind of person, knowing that the movie is coming in less than 10 days, and knowing that work continues on the other films, I have to wonder what you’re thinking. There have been casual remarks about a Paul story. Do you have any thoughts about what you’d like to do next, even if it’s pie in the sky? (Pie is always good)

I’m excited for filming of “Gabriel’s Rapture” to resume, when it’s safe to do so. And also for the filming of “Gabriel’s Redemption.” I’d like to see my other novels adapted to screen. And yes, I’ve put together ideas for a novel about Paul. And one about Rachel and Aaron. But at the moment, I’m writing something else. Something new. It’s beginning stages at the moment and so I can’t say much, but as always, I write with readers in mind …

Ooh, that’s tantalizing.

I long to return to Italy, however. When it’s safe. When it’s appropriate. Florence is my favourite city and I miss it …

My endless gratitude goes out to Sylvain Reynard for taking the time to chat with me about the movie, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Gabriel Series and the other stories in the Sylvain Reynard Universe.

To subscribe to Passionflix, visit their website. Sylvain Reynard’s website is a treasure trove of outtakes, blog posts and useful information for fans, and to purchase Reynard’s books you can click here.

Review: Gabriel’s Promise by Sylvain Reynard

Julia and Gabriel Emerson are basking in the joy of their first child, Clare. No matter how many pink flamingos adorn their yard, nothing will get in the way of their happiness in this blissful moment. However, Gabriel receives email has the potential to send shock waves through their marriage. This is Gabriel’s Promise.

Gabriel has been invited to Edinburgh as part of a prestigious lecture series, but accepting the offer means leaving his infant daughter and beloved wife back in Boston. Should Julia pack up and leave with her husband, she risks losing the academic standing she worked so hard to create. In short, it’s a mess.

Interestingly, academia has always been the Emerson family’s greatest passion and greatest foe. It brought Julianne back to Gabriel, it drove them apart and it brought them together again. Now their bond is stronger than ever before, even more so with their daughter, but the prospect of moving overseas or having to endure a long distance relationship introduces a maelstrom into their previously peaceful waters.

While Gabriel ponders his dilemma, Julia deals with complications from giving birth to Clare and she tries to keep them from her husband. Like most secrets, though, they have a tendency to implode at the worst possible moments, putting even more stress on the couple while she prepares to return to her coursework.

There’s also a mysterious threat lingering in the darkness, one that’s tied to Gabriel’s art collection on loan to the Uffizi Gallery. While the biggest honor of his professional career dangles like a carrot under Gabriel’s nose, he must find a way to put the needs of his family first.

Longtime Sylvain Reynard fans will appreciate Gabriel’s Promise because it weaves all of his books together with one silky white satin ribbon. Gabriel’s Inferno gave rise to the Gabriel Series, but Reynard didn’t stop there. In less than a decade he managed to create three distinct “worlds” that are all tied together by the city of Florence, Dante, works of art and themes of love, hope and redemption.

Without spoiling anything, Gabriel’s Promise is a book best enjoyed if you have read all of Reynard’s other books. I’ve seen other people suggest that it can be read in any order, and while that’s mostly true, I think it makes more sense if you read it last so that you can fully appreciate all of the Easter Eggs that pop up. After all, Gabriel and Julia made cameo appearances in the Florentine Series and Gabriel’s Promise fills in lots of gaps, bringing a brand new perspective to both series. 

Everything about Gabriel’s Promise is perfect. Gabriel is delightfully stubborn and occasionally obstinate, but he’s always the loving and thoughtful husband and father. Julia is a wonderful mother and she’s also quite adept at managing the demands of her PhD program while tackling motherhood and Gabriel’s, ahem, needs….

Reading Sylvain Reynard’s books is a full sensory experience that wraps itself tantalizingly around the story itself. It’s not enough to read the words and devour the story, rather the story devours the reader in the most delectable way. Reynard’s prowess with language is enjoyable in itself, but I have to think that somewhere Dante himself is smiling at Reynard’s uncanny ability to combine a love story with themes of intrigue, history, art and religion. 

My biggest problem with Gabriel’s Promise is that I want more. I read it in a day, unable to put it down. Thank goodness Gabriel’s Inferno premieres on Passionflix in March, otherwise I might be climbing the walls in earnest.

Gabriel’s Promise gets five well-deserved stars.

Guest Post by Sylvain Reynard: Art, Faith, and Vincent van Gogh

I consider myself incredibly blessed that author Sylvain Reynard wrote this beautiful piece on faith and art for my blog.  Reynard is the bestselling author of the Gabriel’s Inferno Series and the Florentine Series.  The next installment of the Florentine Series, The Shadow, is due in February 2016.  

“Art, Faith, and Vincent van Gogh”

By Sylvain Reynard

In my novels, I explore the theme of redemption, along with the themes of faith, hope, and love. The characters themselves have varying beliefs, ranging from atheism to theism. I see each character as being on some sort of spiritual journey.

In what follows, I’d like to explore the connection between art and faith.

Indulge me for a moment and listen to the song “O Theo” by Matthew Perryman Jones:

Matthew Perryman Jones | O Theo

The song lyrics, (which you can read here http://www.songlyrics.com/matthew-perryman-jones/o-theo-lyrics/), are derived from letters written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother, Theo.

The song expresses Vincent’s experience as he struggled to be a preacher and then left that calling.  It also describes a romantic encounter and his longing for home. But there’s more to it.

Now consider this painting:

http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79802

“Starry Night” is a painting of a skyline. It’s about a view of the sky and the stars and the buildings and trees below.  But there’s more to it.

I’ve chosen these two artistic works to illustrate a couple of points.

1)   Good art elicits a feeling of awe and transcendence in its audience.

I use “art” here to include not only the visual arts, but also the performing arts.

The feeling of awe elicited by good art is similar to what the Romantic poets and thinkers identified as the Sublime.

2)   Good art points to a transcendent reality that includes truth, beauty, and goodness.

Not only does art elicit an experience of awe in the audience, but art also points to something beyond itself – something transcendent.

3)   In my view, the transcendent reality that is truth, beauty, and goodness, is the object of faith.

It’s part of the human condition to long for home, as expressed in Vincent’s words to his brother.  We all long to be accepted, to love and be loved, for forgiveness, grace, and peace. We long for the sublime, the transcendent, the beautiful, and the good, even when we get so confused about the truth of those things we go searching for them in self-destructive and harmful places.

But every question has an answer. Every desire has an object.  And the object of our longing for home is precisely the object of faith, in my view.

There’s something about art (and especially good art) that stirs these questions while also pointing to the answers.

I try to express some of these ideas through my attempt at art, which is writing novels. But I tend to see it most clearly in the creative efforts of others, particularly in paintings and in music. I see it in van Gogh, whose work I admire very much.

What’s the piece of art or artistic expression that invokes feelings of the transcendent or the sublime in you?

-SR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71mExEKHmPU

You can purchase Sylvain Reynard’s books here

Cover Reveal! The Shadow, Sylvain Reynard’s sequel to The Raven!

It’s here!  At long last we finally know the title of Sylvain Reynard’s new book! We also get a peek at the beautiful cover!

The Shadow is the highly anticipated sequel to The Raven and is the second book in Reynard’s thrilling Florentine Series, due out February 2, 2016. Read on for juicy details and links to order your copy!

New York Times bestselling author Sylvain Reynard presents the hotly anticipated, intoxicating follow-up to The Raven…

Raven Wood’s vampyre prince has returned, pledging his love and promising
justice for every wrong done to her. In the wake of their reunion, Raven is faced
with a terrible decision—allow the Prince to wreak vengeance against the
demons of her past, or persuade him to stay his hand. But there is far more at
stake than Raven’s heart…

A shadow has fallen over the city of Florence. Ispettor Batelli will not rest until he
uncovers Raven’s connection to the theft of the priceless art from the Uffizi
Gallery. And while the Prince hunts a traitor who sabotages him at every turn, he
finds himself the target of the vampyres’ mortal enemy.

As he wages a war on two fronts, he will need to keep his love for Raven secret,
or risk exposing his greatest weakness…
Click below to pre-order your copy of The Shadow!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25476303-the-shadow

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shadow-sylvain-reynard/1121863842?ean=9780425266502&itm=1&usri=9780425266502&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780425266502

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Florentine-Sylvain-Reynard-ebook/dp/B00X593E5G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

http://www.bookdepository.com/Shadow-Sylvain-Reynard/9780425266502?&a_aid=goodreads

Book Review: The Raven, by Sylvain Reynard

The Raven

By Sylvain Reynard

Publication Date: February 3, 2015

Review by Sarabeth Pollock

 

When the sun goes down in Florence, the Prince of Florence awakens.

In Sylvain Reynard’s novella The Prince, we met the mysterious Prince of Florence.  Now in The Raven we learn more about the mysterious Prince and we also meet a woman who captivates him in a most unexpected way.

It’s May of 2013 and the Prince of Florence has just retrieved his prized collection of illustrations from the Uffizi Gallery.  They’re not copies, as Professor Gabriel Emerson believes.  They’re original drawings by Sandro Botticelli, and they had been stolen over a century prior.  But just as the Prince is about to celebrate, he hears a woman’s screams and he smells blood.  The vampyre rushes off to make sure he’s the first one to find her.

Raven Wood is an art restorer at the Uffizi Gallery.  On this night she’s walking home from a party when everything changes.   A week goes by that she can’t remember.  Raven wakes up and is literally a completely different person on the outside.  She also discovers that the Uffizi has been robbed, and she’s at the top of the suspect list.  It isn’t helping things that her disability no longer exists and she looks like a completely different person.

In the meantime, the Emerson Family-Professor Gabriel Emerson, wife Julianne, and daughter Clare-have arrived in Florence as the police search for clues in the robbery.  Little do they know, they’re being watched by a dark presence who presides over Florence when the sun goes down.

The Raven is a departure from the paranormal romance genre in that while the love story between Raven and the Prince (whose true identity is revealed in the book) is a large part of the plot, there are many other elements that come to the fore.  Salvation, hope, redemption, faith…these all play a central role in the story.  There’s also the political system at work in the vampyre world; the Prince of Florence reigns over the Consilium, a council of vampyre elders who serve their Prince much like a presidential cabinet.  There are rumors of hostility from neighboring provinces that keep the Prince in a state of constant vigilance, and when he finds himself falling for Raven, he knows that she will always be a target among his kind.  However, the Prince finds that his Cassita is worth fighting for.

The best thing about having my own blog is that when I write a review, I can say whatever I like.  Normally I try to stay as objective as possible.  But not today.  I love this book.  This book appeals to me on so many levels.  I love the characters, I love the story, and I love how the story is woven within the history of Florence to such an extent that Florence herself has become a central character.  Sylvain Reynard’s writing is magical that way. I’m not even sure that paranormal romance is a suitable descriptor for this new series.  It’s literary fiction, with a splash of paranormal romance, intermingled with historical fiction.  The lush prose and vivid imagery are utterly captivating.  The only real comparisons I can draw to other authors in the genre who write with such attention to detail are Anne Rice and Deborah Harkness.  I have spent the past weeks imagining the Prince and Raven and wondering what will happen next.  It isn’t often that characters capture my imagination so thoroughly, but Raven and the Prince have.

I am eager to see what Sylvain Reynard has in store for his Florentine Series.

 

Click here to read Part One of my interview with Sylvain Reynard

Click here to read Part Two of my interview with Sylvain Reynard

Click here to buy The Raven

Click here to buy The Prince

Sylvain Reynard and E.L. James Go To Florence

I love this: http://blog.eljamesauthor.com/?p=1088

Bestselling authors and good friends Sylvain Reynard (Gabriel Series, The Prince and soon to be released The Raven) and E.L. James (Fifty Shades of Grey) teamed up for a fun blog post that celebrates Reynard’s newest venture: The Florentine Series.

The authors share a jaunt through the darker side of Florence, fully immersed in the world of Reynard’s characters.  They find themselves under the intense scrutiny of a mysterious figure in the shadows: The Prince of Florence.

I love this joint venture. It’s fun seeing the two authors “in” this environment. I love the collaboration between the two bestselling authors and the fact that it also gives fans a glimpse into their personalities.

(And imagining argyle-sock wearing, multilingual Sylvain Reynard defending Ms. James is hot…and I am not one to use that expression lightly…)

Book Review: The Prince, by Sylvain Reynard

The Prince

By Sylvain Reynard

Publication Date: January 20, 2015

Review by Sarabeth Pollock

 

There is a whole other world that comes to life in Florence as soon as the sun goes down.  With The Prince, New York Times Bestselling author Sylvain Reynard launches the brand new Florentine Series in which we meet the eponymous Prince of Florence.  The Prince is furious because one Professor Gabriel O. Emerson has arrived at the Uffizi with his young wife, Julianne, to celebrate the opening of the gallery’s newest exhibit: One hundred illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy, created by the Renaissance master Botticelli himself.  Emerson’s collection is the most comprehensive set of copies in existence…only the Prince knows better.  Not only are they not copies—they’re originals—they were stolen from him over a century prior.

Yes, you’ve guessed it: The Prince isn’t an ordinary man.  He is a vampyre.

The Prince is a novella that introduces readers to the darker side of Florence ahead of the release of the first full novel in the series, The Raven, due out on February 3rd.  It truly is an amuse bouche of a story, designed to draw readers in and captivate them with the mysterious figure known only (at this point) as the Prince.  Fans of Reynard’s Gabriel Series will delight in seeing The Professor and Julianne once again in The Prince; the novella is set during the gallery opening at the Uffizi in Gabriel’s Redemption.  Gabriel and Julia meet the mysterious Englishman in a chance encounter, and Gabriel is immediately suspicious of the strange man.  Little does the couple know, however, that they have been under his surveillance and he’s hell-bent on recovering his prized collection, at any cost.

The Prince of Florence is powerful, fierce, respected, alluring, and deadly.  Despite his power and his devastatingly good looks, there is an underlying melancholy in his demeanor that he must keep hidden from his council and the other vampyres around him.

As with all of Sylvain Reynard’s books, The Prince has been meticulously researched so that the setting is just as much a character as the Prince and the rest of his preternatural companions.  The city of Florence shines in the golden light of Reynard’s prose.  Reading Reynard’s books is like taking a survey course on the history of Florence and its art and architecture.

The Prince is a wonderful introduction to the Florentine Series.   Fortunately for readers, the next book arrives in a few short weeks, providing just enough of a taste to whet their appetites.

 

Click here to read my interview with Sylvain Reynard.

Click here to buy a copy of The Prince

An Interview with Sylvain Reynard, Author of The Prince

I had the pleasure of interviewing New York Times bestselling author Sylvain Reynard about his new Florentine Series, debuting with The Prince on January 20, 2015.  He was kind enough to provide some insight into the creation of The Prince and the Prince’s world, as well as a glimpse of what’s to come in The Raven (released February 3, 2015).

 

Your novels are incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched.  Clearly, research is a labor of love for you.  What was your favorite subject growing up?

Thank you for the invitation to talk with you, Sarabeth. It’s a pleasure to be with you and your readers. I’ve always enjoyed literature and history and any opportunity to combine them.

How did your passion for art, art history, history, and Italy begin?

It probably began with my family. Over the years, my interests have developed through my travels. I enjoy visiting museums. I enjoy reading about art and history. I’m always eager to spend time in Italy.

 If you were hosting a dinner party and could invite any five people from any point in time, dead or alive, who would you invite and why?

I really like these kinds of questions.

 Dante, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Mother Teresa, and St. Francis of Assisi. I have no idea what kind of dinner conversation would emerge out of such a diverse group, but I think the discussions about literature, culture, religion, and history would be well worth listening to.

 After writing a very successful trilogy of romance novels, what led you to venture into the world of paranormal romance?

The Florentine Series began with the city of Florence.  The city is filled with alleys, and at night the dark corners and shadows seem to move …

 Now that you’ve entered the realm of paranormal romance, which genre do you enjoy writing more?

Truthfully, I enjoy them both. But the paranormal world allows greater freedom for the imagination.

Some authors see vampires as a metaphor.  I like to think of vampires as a narrative tool to explore history from a first-person perspective.  What made you decide to write about vampires?  

I’ve always been fascinated about the science fiction aspect to vampire transformations – how a vampire is made, what a vampire is, how they feed, etc. The series gave me an opportunity to develop my own answers to these questions.

In the Gabriel Series there are no traces of the supernatural (with the exception of a few very realistic dreams/visions), and with the Florentine Series you’ve created a whole new supernatural world that exists parallel to the human world.  Your novella,The Prince, serves as an introduction to the Prince while we also get to see another side of the Emersons’ trip to the opening of their exhibit at the Uffizi Gallery.  (We saw the mysterious Prince meet the Emersons’  in Gabriel’s Redemption) What inspired you to bring these two worlds together as opposed to writing a standalone series?

I have a slightly different take on The Gabriel Series. While it’s written as contemporary romance, there are supernatural elements in it if the reader chooses to accept them as such. It’s just that those elements can be interpreted without invoking the supernatural.

From that perspective, then, it wasn’t a stretch to delve more deeply into the supernatural in The Florentine Series. But my starting point was the way the city of Florence changes after sunset. I wanted to move from light to darkness and explore what was going on in the shadows and the hidden passages beneath the city …

With the release of The Prince, you create a new world that’s not simply a group of vampyres trying to blend into their surroundings, but a complex society with rules and a governance structure of its own.   I’m always intrigued with the process authors use to build the canon that shapes these worlds.  Can you talk about the elements you considered when creating this new world, and what factors were most important to you?

I read an article some time ago about world building, which I found extremely helpful. It reminded me that when you construct a fictional world, you have to pay attention to details. You have to think through various problems and their solutions. You have to be thorough.

 So I wanted to be clear on what vampyrism is, how it occurs and how it works. I wanted to figure out what the connection was between sex and feeding and if a vampire could feel love.  I was also concerned with the way vampires constructed their societies and why they kept out of sight.

Vampires (and vampyres) have been heavily featured in popular fiction, especially of late; Anne Rice, Deborah Harkness, Stephenie Meyer and Charlaine Harris have all created worlds in which their vampires coexist with humans.  In some of these worlds the supernatural beings blend in and go unnoticed, while Charlaine Harris’ vampires have been “outed” and flaunt their preternatural prowess.  The Prince lives in the shadows and has very few interactions with humans.  He’s aloof and doesn’t seem to care about the human world around him inasmuch as human affairs don’t interrupt his life.  (Until his stolen property resurfaces and Raven comes along…) Which elements of vampire lore were important for you to keep in your world?

I wanted to take much of the physical traits of the standard myth and incorporate them into my narrative, while allowing myself freedom to explore different social organizations and behaviours. So, for example, the covens I envision exist in cities for the most part, and they’re organized into principalities, not democracies.

I also believed it was essential to have an explanation for why vampires hadn’t taken over the earth and enslaved humanity. Something or someone had to keep them in check.  As the Prince says, “Every predator is prey to something.”

The Prince is a complex character.  While he enjoys his power as a vampyre and his role governing Florence, he is also conflicted.  “The Prince retained some vestige of a moral code…He possessed a moral code because he’d never been able to abandon aspects of the code he observed when he was human…More specifically, he did not take goodness from the world.  At least, not intentionally.” (The Prince, p. 13)  Can you talk about how you developed this character?  Was he modeled on anyone in particular?  Why was it important that he possess a moral code?

Part of the Prince’s biography and personal history explains why he has a code. But from my perspective as an author, I wanted to explore moral ambiguity in his character. On the one hand, the Prince is a villain. On the other, he has many admirable and you might even say virtuous qualities. He has moral rules that he follows and he imposes those rules on his citizens.

I think that makes him more interesting (and hopefully more compelling to readers) than a completely amoral villain.

 He’s a creature of my imagination but he has features in common with several of the historical figures mentioned in the novel.

Whose voice is more fun to write, Professor Emerson or the Prince?

 They’re both fun in their own way. But there’s something about writing the Professor when he’s offended or angry that truly gives me joy.

Are there any aspects of your personality in Gabriel or the Prince?

Many.

From where did you derive your inspiration for the Consilium?  Will we learn more about the other council members and the mysterious Curia? 

Yes, absolutely. As the series progresses, both the Consilium and the Curia will become increasingly more important. 

I was trying to imagine what a wise ruler would do when he’s inherited a principality while at the same time human history (at least in the west) has long since moved past that institution. It occurred to me he’d try to include some measure of shared governance and so the idea for the Consilium was born.

As someone who keeps a copy of Machiavelli’s version of The Prince on her desk (I find it helps me deal with my students…), is that really Niccolo Machiavelli?!  How did you come up with that?

I’m glad you noticed that. I was wondering if readers would pick up on it.

Machiavelli and his writings provide a lot of inspiration for The Prince and The Raven.  Just as Dante guided The Gabriel Series, I wanted to choose a famous Florentine to guide my new series. For some time, I debated including Botticelli on the Consilium but in the end, he wasn’t as compelling a character as Machiavelli.  And so, for fun, I included him..  But you’ve probably already picked up on the fact that the Prince and Machiavelli have their differences …

In early January you announced a project with Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James.  Is there anything you can share about this project? 

 Last year, she and I collaborated on a short writing project. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed writing it with her. She’s a great friend and we worked well together.

It’s wonderful, as a fan, to see how you frequently interact with your fans through social media.  You also use your platform as an author to promote charitable organizations that you support, which is incredibly refreshing and admirable.  There are some pop culture “icons” (envision me saying this with a lip-curling sneer) that use their celebrity to promote their shoe lines or sell products.  You’re very different.  What are some of the ways you would encourage the people reading this interview to get involved in their communities?  (Might I suggest organizing a blood drive in honor of The Prince?)

I’m in favor of organizing the blood drive. That’s a great idea. I tweet about the Red Cross and their services around the world because they do good work.

In order for community involvement to be successful and sustainable it has to come from the heart. Choose a cause you’re passionate about and use your gifts to support that cause. It’s that easy.  Forced charity isn’t sustainable. But giving to an organization your respect and admire is. And your gift doesn’t have to include money. Most charitable organizations are in need of volunteers or gifts of talents and services.  Give of your time and your talents because those are the unique way in which you can help your community.

Lastly, I want to thank you for writing books that are driven by so much more than sex.  (Though parenthetically it must be said that your sex scenes are incendiary)  I stand by the notion that your books transcend classification; they’re much more than simply romance or paranormal romance.  Your erudite writing style entices readers into the world of Dante and the city of Florence.  Can you recommend a few books for those of us who would like to learn more about the Prince’s world?

There are a lot of books about Florentine history and culture. You can read Vasari’s “Lives of the Artists, or Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” or various histories of the Medici family. I’d also recommend the works of Ross King, who wrote about Michelangelo and Brunelleschi. 

 There’s a great documentary about the Medici produced by PBS entitled “Godfathers of the Renaissance.” I recommend it.

 Thank you so much for doing this interview, Mr. Reynard!                                                                

It was my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me and all the best to your readers, SR

 

Part 2 of my interview with Sylvain Reynard will be posted on February 3 to coincide with the release of The Raven.

To purchase The Prince, click here.

To pre-order The Raven, click here.