Media Room
Lynn has posted below most of the standard press kit elements. Rights for all photos and text are reserved by Lynn but feel free to download and distribute them at will with her permission. In addition to each of the elements of this kit being available individually you can download the entire press kit, including book descriptions, bios, cover image, and author photos by clicking the link below.
Press Kit - including photos, descriptions, bios and more
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Long Description
May 1940: Fleeing a glamorous Manhattan life built on lies, Claire Harris arrives in Paris with a romantic vision of starting anew. But Claire didn't anticipate the sight of Nazi soldiers marching under the Arc de Triomphe. Her plans smashed by the German occupation, the once privileged socialite's only option becomes a job in a flower shop under the tutelage of a sophisticated Parisian florist.
In exchange for false identity papers, Claire agrees to aid the French Resistance. Despite the ever-present danger, she comes to love the enduring beauty of the City of Light, exploring it in the company of Thomas Grey, a mysterious Englishman working with the Resistance. Bravery and intelligence make her a valuable operative, and slowly Claire's values shift as she witnesses the courageous spirit of the Parisians.
But deception and betrayal force her to flee once again—this time to fight for the man she loves and what she knows is right—praying she has the heart and determination to survive long enough to one day see Paris again...
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Short Description
A young Jazz-Age Manhattan socialite heads to Paris to escape her secret past, only to find herself swept up in the danger and drama of the French Resistance.
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Short Bio
A longtime Francophile, Lynn Sheene became fascinated with the drama of 1940's Occupied Paris when she discovered a French Art Deco brooch. Captivated by the jewel's possible wartime past, she began to study this intriguing and dangerous time through research trips, memoirs and news accounts. THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS is her first novel, a story inspired by the everyday patriots who risked their lives for the country they loved. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Lynn lives in Southern California with her husband and dog.
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Long Bio
Lynn Sheene grew up in the mountains of Colorado, pen in hand, gazing through the quaking aspen trees and dreaming of far off places and eras. Her passion for stories came early from her book-loving parents and poet grandfather
After graduating from University of California, Santa Barbara and working as an environmental consultant and science writer, Lynn turned to her dream of fiction writing. Her longtime love of Paris and the 1930's and 1940's intersected with the discovery of a French Art Deco brooch. Captivated by the jewel's possible wartime past in Occupied France, Lynn began to study this intriguing and dangerous time through research trips, memoirs and news accounts. THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS is her first novel, a story inspired by the everyday patriots who risked their lives for the country they loved.
Lynn is a member of International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, Alliance Française, and the French Heritage Society. In addition to writing, Lynn enjoys travel, film, photography, art deco, and all things French. She lives in Southern California with her husband and dog.
She is currently working on her next novel set in wartime France.
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Cover Image for The Last Time I Saw Paris
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Photos of Lynn
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Reviews
"Set against the backdrop of Paris during the Second World War, The Last Time I Saw Paris is a breathtaking tale of love, courage, intrigue and betrayal. Beautifully written and heartfelt, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable read."
- Pam Jenoff, International bestselling author of The Kommandant's Girl
"In The Last Time I Saw Paris Lynn Sheene delivers more drama, romance and suspense than we've seen since the Paris occupation in Casablanca."
- Katherine Neville, best-selling author of The Eight and The Fire
"The Last Time I Saw Paris glows with the faded but indomitable beauty of the city herself. Sheene's research is impeccable, her writing lyrical, and in Claire Badeau she has created an unflinching heroine who haunted me long after I regretfully devoured the last page. Sheene is a powerful writer and I cannot wait to read whatever comes next."
- Rebecca Cantrell, award winning author of A Night of Long Knives
"The Last Time I Saw Paris is an absorbing, suspenseful and delightful debut. Lynn Sheene has delivered a fantastic romantic thriller which perfectly balances convincing historical research with page-turning thrills. It is an absolute joy to read."
- David Liss, bestselling author of The Devil's Company and The Whiskey Rebels
Chapter One of The Last Time I Saw Paris
Manhattan, New York. May 8, 1940.
Claire Harris Stone breathed in the faint scent of roses from the courtyard garden below as her yielding body swayed to the strains of "In the Mood" drifting out the open French doors. The sounds of the orchestra inside her Manhattan brownstone blended with the late-night rumble of traffic along Fifth Avenue.
Buoyed by the Veuve Clicquot champagne, she felt as though she drifted above her partner as their gliding shoes whispered against the balcony floor. He held her tight, his hands warming her body through her thin silk dress. Her arms were draped around his shoulders.
He was tall. That was nice. And he knew how to dance; even better.
"You're dreaming, Claire," von Richter said.
"Of you." Claire opened her eyes.
He was nearing forty, she guessed. Slender, perfect posture, the polished manner of a European aristocrat. Dark hair slicked back, he had the tan of a denizen of ocean liners and Riviera beaches. A light trace of a scar on his chin, he said from a duel. Not what she expected, with all that she'd heard of Hitler's rants about the Aryan race.
"Say something in German," she said.
He spoke against her throat.
"What did you say?"
"I am going to remove—" His hands slid past her hips. "What is this, in English?"
"My stockings?"
"Stockings." He tasted the word. "I am going to remove your stockings with my teeth."
"But what would Russell say if you ripped them?"
"He can afford another pair."
"Mmm." She breathed into his shoulder, wishing for another drink. "Tell me about Berlin." Anywhere but here, she thought.
"Berlin has its charms. Merkel longs to return. But Paris, that is the place. The clubs . . . Josephine Baker dancing, the Moulin Rouge, Pigalle, the women . . . Well, I won't say what they do. Only the French take the pleasure of a woman's body so seriously."
Claire felt his fingers slide closer to her thigh. At least this one was a charmer. She rarely was so lucky with Russell's clients. She flirted and tempted, and then her husband came in for the business kill.
With one sure hand, von Richter guided her across the floor to the rhythm of the music. The other hand discreetly explored her, gliding across exposed skin from her nape of her neck to the leg revealed by the side slit in her gown.
"When is your husband going to join us?" He gestured toward the doors with his head. "Poor Merkel grows tired and impatient inside."
She composed a pout and threaded gloved fingers through his hair. "You're not having a good time?"
"I would prefer your husband never return, lovely. You are a sublime hostess, entertaining your guests until he arrives."
"Yes, I am." She pulled free, leisurely swatted at the hand reaching for the curve of her behind. She blew him a kiss. "I am going to check my stockings. Sharpen those teeth."
(Continued in downloaded file)
