Imagining Paris by Cerella Sechrist

Patisserie in Disney Epcot's France pavilion

With only a few days until the release of my second Heartwarming novel, The Paris Connection, I found myself on vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida and knew I had to make a stop at the France pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. If you all are the type to read the dedication and acknowledgments in the front of a book, you'll know that my sister, Carissa, is a die-hard Francophile and was a tremendous help when it came to researching the book. She was right beside me on my day's visit to Epcot.

Together, we drooled over a variety of French pastries in the patisserie, where I chose a delicious confection similar to a croissant but layered with a sweet and nutty almond filling. Carissa chose a rich, whipped cream dessert with a variety of berries folded in. The rest of our group chose other, delicious items, and for a moment, clustered together at a table with French signs and facades all around us, we were able to experience a fun imitation of Paris.

Since I've never had the opportunity to visit the City of Light, I employed my writer's imagination to picture my hero and heroine, Cole and Emma, at a nearby table, heads bent close over a cup of cafe au lait.

Next year, I'm hoping to take my first-ever trip to France, and when I do, I’ll appreciate it all the more for the research that went into telling Cole’s story – a story I never expected to write in the first place until the editors at Heartwarming said they’d love to read more about Cole and see him in Paris.

But until I’m actually walking along the Champ de Mars, I figure a French pastry in Disney’s Epcot is the next best thing – because as all readers know, your imagination takes you places you might never visit otherwise. And that’s the next best thing to being there.

If you’d like to experience a taste of Paris, travel virtually with me during my upcoming blog tour to promote the release of The Paris Connection. I’ll be giving away several prize packages with Parisian themes, including a Bon Appetit! giveaway featuring food items imported from France that I picked up while visiting Disney’s Epcot. For more details, check in to begin your journey on Sunday, March 2 at Seasons of Humility. I’d love to have you travel with me through Paris!