Exiled to a Caribbean island, Paoletta Cadoville and her family cling to the hope of one day returning to their Parisian home. But in a single, devastating moment, that dream is shattered. Alone and horrifically scarred, Paoletta embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the truth behind her family’s tragic fate, only to become entangled in a web of political intrigue, secret societies, and dangerous alliances.
I'm pleased to welcome author J.R. Powell to The Writing Desk:
Tell us about your latest book
Paoletta: an Eye for an Eye is a gritty, female-driven historical thriller set in the dark heart of the French Revolution. Paoletta Cadvoille and her family live in exile, having fled Revolutionary Paris for the Caribbean, clinging to the fragile hope that the chaos will pass and they will one day return home.
That hope is reduced to ash – quite literally – when her family is savagely attacked and murdered in front of her. Alone and horrifically scarred, Paoletta embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the truth behind her family’s tragic fate. Paoletta is a stark reminder that in times of chaos, innocence is the first to fall, and vengeance always comes at a cost paid in blood.
What is your preferred writing routine?
It can be tricky, as I work full-time and am often on the move, so I’m always on the lookout for a couple of uninterrupted hours. Overall, I try to follow a little-and-often approach. Most of my writing ends up happening on long train journeys with earplugs in or at night, as I’m probably a bit of a night owl by nature. I also keep my phone or a small notepad handy to jot things down quickly. When I’m out and about, I sometimes catch great lines or the perfect word overhearing everyday conversations.
What advice do you have for new writers?
Let your characters write themselves, cheesy as it may sound. You can spend ages crafting and refining them beforehand, but you only really get to know them once you stick them in a situation and let them speak and act. And even then, the more you write them, the more they tend to take on a life of their own. Also, don’t worry too much if you’re never fully happy with your current draft. I found that moving on to the next part and returning later, even a couple of months, and coming back to it with fresh eyes can make a huge difference.
What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?
I’m not sure I have yet! I’m always looking for tips and advice on this front. The platform I use most consistently is Instagram, which has been great for building networks and connecting with other authors and creative people. Pitching to second-hand bookshops is another good way to get copies onto shelves; my most recent success being Shakespeare and Company in Paris. Reaching out to book bloggers, book clubs, and societies that focus on historical fiction or thrillers can also lead to reviews and blog tours, which really help get the book out there.
Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research
In Paoletta, there’s a simplified map – my own handiwork – of Paris as it appeared in 1792, which includes a landmark called the Holy Innocents’ Cemetery. It was one of the city’s longest-running graveyards, established sometime in the 12th century. However, I discovered – shockingly late, in fact after the book had already been published – that the cemetery had actually been closed in 1780.
The cemetery itself was quite small, yet over the centuries it accumulated around two million bodies and became severely overcrowded. The remains were exhumed and moved to the Catacombs in 1786, where they can still be seen today. The adjoining church was also demolished in 1787 and the area was later transformed into a market square and is now the restaurant- and cafe-filled Place Joachim-du-Bellay. Moreover, many of the cemetery's inmates hadn’t fully decomposed and had turned into deposits of “corpse wax,” which was collected and turned into candles and soap – something to ponder next time you’re nibbling a croissant on the Place Joachim-du-Bellay.
What was the hardest scene you remember writing?
There are several scenes in Paoletta that were difficult to write, each unsettling in its own way. I wanted to capture the cold reality that some people will do whatever it takes to satisfy their ambition. There are people who inflict harm simply because it serves them, and they do it without hesitation, empathy, or even a flicker of doubt. They’ll do what they feel they need to do; it doesn’t matter how you feel – what’s coming will come. I wanted that creeping background menace to sit under the surface of the story. My approach was simple: if writing a scene made me feel uncomfortable or uneasy, I pushed it.
Of all the difficult scenes, writing Paoletta’s grief over losing her family was particularly tough, as was the rape scene – that wasn’t easy.
What are you planning to write next?
I’m currently working on the next book in the Paoletta series. Follow me on Instagram (@author_j.r.powell) for regular updates if you’d like to know more!
J.R. Powell
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