A Gargoyle Pop-Up Book

One of the coolest things I found on a recent trip to France was this gargoyle pop-up book!

Gargouilles by Paul Rouillac features intricate paper pop-up gargoyles along with explanations (in French) about each of the original creatures they're based on. Included are several cut-outs inspired by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's famous Notre Dame gargoyles.

 

A Gargoyle Mystery Series

Because of my love of gargoyles, I always thought it would be amazing to create a book about gargoyles. I thought about publishing a book of my gargoyle photography one day, but without an introduction from Stephen King like in the beautiful Nightmares in the Sky, I wasn't sure how realistic that was.

Then, two years ago, I had an idea for a new mystery series that it involved a gargoyle. I'd finished writing a book in my Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series and wanted to write something new. It took a little while for the ideas to fall into place, but once they did, I loved what I'd come up with. I wrote up a book proposal, and earlier this month my agent finalized a three-book deal with the publisher Midnight Ink for my new mystery series featuring a gargoyle!

The Accidental Alchemist is the first book in a new mystery series about a centuries-old alchemist and her impish gargoyle sidekick who was accidentally brought to life by a French stage magician. The series is set in Portland, Oregon. Read more here.

Dori the gargoyle at Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.

So my first book about a gargoyle won't be a book of photography, but a mystery novel! 

New Gargoyle Pets & A New Book

Dorian the gargoyle has a new stuffed animal friend to keep him company on my bookshelf. Here they are with the new Henery Press edition of Artifact: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery that hits shelves today!

Dorian the gargoyle with Gigi Pandian's mystery novel Artifact.

Dorian's gargoyle cousin with an eBook card of Artifact.

Mont Saint Michel Part II: The Abbey

The building that gives Mont Saint Michel its distinctive skyline silhouette is the abbey. It's a church plus monastery and cloisters. A statue of St. Michael (once a patron saint of the French Royal Army) can be seen at the top of the abbey spire. The abbey has a fascinating history, including being used as a prison. With its strategic location on an island surrounded by dangerous tides and quicksand, it's easy to see why it's had so many uses over time.

Last week I posted some additional Mont Saint Michel photos. All these photos were shot on 35mm film during my 2000 visit. 

Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France

I last visited Mont Saint Michel, the island fortification in Normandy, France, in the year 2000, while doing graduate studies in Bath, England. The third Jaya Jones treasure hunt mystery novel (that I'm currently writing) takes place in France, partly at Mont Saint Michel, so I'm excited that I get to plan a return visit. In the meantime, I pulled out my old photos, shot on 35mm film before I owned a digital camera. A few of my favorite old photos of Le Mont are below.

Dangerous tides and quicksand surround the Mont, which is why it was such a strategic location throughout French history. In past centuries, people used to have to wait for the tides to recede for a safe causeway to be above the water. A raised road was built, which has recently been replaced with a dam and small bridge. The castle-like structure that rises our of the center of the Mont is the abbey.

  

Gargoyles of Cambridge, England, Part II: King's College and Beyond

One of my favorite things about the old universities of Britain is the range of gargoyles peering out from their stone buildings. I visited Oxford many years ago, but hadn't explored Cambridge until this year. King's College is one of the university colleges featuring gargoyles with a lot of personality.

 When walking around downtown, if you take a closer look at the buildings, you'll often spot some gargoyles hiding high above your head... 

Gargoyles of Cambridge, England: Our Lady and the English Martyrs

Our Lady and the English Martyrs, aka OLEM, is a beautiful Catholic church in Cambridge, England, that's covered in gargoyles. It's a Gothic Revival church built in the late 1800s, and it's one of the largest Catholic churches in the UK. I stumbled upon this church by accident when I was on tagging along on a day trip to Cambridge and had a few hours on my own to explore the city.

Look closely at the following two gargoyles and see what you might spot...