Lovers of France and all things French, welcome !
Pascal and Isabella Inard are French Australians who love Australia, their adoptive country, and still love France more than ever. They invite you through their blog, books and crafts to enjoy the beauty and charm of France.
- Discover the book "Dear France, Sweet country of my childhood"
- Discover the novel "Web of Destinies", its food, its music" and its places
Amoureux de la France et de tout ce qui est Français, bienvenue !
Pascal et Isabelle Inard sont des Franco-Australiens qui aiment l'Australie, leur pays adoptif, et aiment toujours la France plus que jamais. Ils vous invitent à travers leur blog, livres et artisanat à savourer la beauté et le charme de la France.
- Découvrez le livre "Chère France, Doux pays de mon enfance"
- Découvrez le roman "Un dernier roman pour la route"

Read Pascal Inard's full bibliography here with list of all published and forthcoming work.

Web of Destinies, a time travel mystery with a French flavour


If you enjoy time travel mysteries, you're going to love Web of Destinies.

But it's a time travel mystery like no other: Guillaume Chambon, a French doctor has inherited a mysterious typewriter that can change the past. He doesn't have to travel in time, the past comes to him by giving him a vision of anterior events  that he describes using the typewriter, and then he types a different continuation. Reality is thus modified, with consequences that he didn't necessarily foresee.
To use the typewriter to stop his sister from losing her life twenty years ago, he is going to have to remove the safeguards put by the inventor, a friend of Jules Verne who found crystals with extraordinary properties. As Guillaume tries to unravel the mysteries of the typewriter, assisted by his friend Sylvie who has secrets of her own, he is confronted with a secret agent who wants to use it to make a major change to history, and a Buddhist monk who is trying to stop him because if he succeeds, the universe is in danger of collapsing.



Available as paperback and ebook from all Amazon shops. AU US FR UK CA


In Web of Destinies, you will discover France as you've never seen it before.

L'hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, where Docteur Guillaume Chambon works:
P1000514 Paris XIII Salpetrière reductwk.JPG
« P1000514 Paris XIII Salpetrière reductwk » par MbztTravail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Rue de Sévigné, where Guillaume lives with his friend Sylvie:
P1000982 Paris III-IV Rue de Sévigné reductwk.JPG
« P1000982 Paris III-IV Rue de Sévigné reductwk » par MbztTravail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The nearby banks of the Seine transformed into "Paris Plage".
Paris plage 3.jpg
« Paris plage 3 » par slasher-fun (Transfered by Gonioul/Original uploaded by PeterEastern) — Flickr (Original uploaded on en.wikipedia). Sous licence CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


Guillaume doesn't usually stop to listen to musicians in the métro, but the one time he does, it changes the destinies of two people.
(Did you know that Alain Souchon, Manu Dibango, Jacques Higelin, Touré Kunda and Dany Brillant all started their careers singing in the métro?)
Paris Metro orchestra.jpg
« Paris Metro orchestra » par Ian Reeshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/irees/217924125/. Sous licence CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


A vineyard in Burgundy, where Guillaume and Sylvie were born.
Harvest in Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 1.jpg
« Harvest in Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 1 » par CocktailStewardTravail personnel. Sous licence CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


Place des Vosges, where Guillaume's friend has an antique shop, and clues on the inventor of the typewriter.
Paris-place-des-vosges.jpg
« Paris-place-des-vosges ». Sous licence CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.

Guillaume lives in the Marais, a district where Jewish and gay communities live, and where Sylvie feels safe and accepted as she is.
Paris - Les Mots a la Bouche.jpg
« Paris - Les Mots a la Bouche » par EcelanTravail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


Dijon, where Guillaume's grandfather lived; he locked the typewriter in a trunk in his attic, but what did he use it for?
Tourphlebon-1.jpg
« Tourphlebon-1 » par ThierryjannolleTravail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


Château des ducs de Bretagne in Nantes, where Guillaume and Sylvie look for clues on the power of the typewriter.
(The dukes of Brittany lived there between the thirteenth and sixteenth century. Nantes was the centre of the historical province of Brittany until the separation of the Loire-Atlantique department in 1941, and since that time Nantais have been pushing for the reunification with Brittany.)
ChateauDesDucsDeBretagne20090906.jpeg
« ChateauDesDucsDeBretagne20090906 » par PlindenbaumTravail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


The Nice Flower market, where Guillaume will find something he wasn't expecting. \
Nizza.jpg
« Nizza » par Original uploader was Urbanus at de.wikipedia — Originally from de.wikipedia; description page is/was here.. Sous licence CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


The Food and drink of Web of Destinies
 
When Guillaume's grandfather Louis passes away, he sees Louis’ fellow members of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Brotherhood of the Knights of the Wine-Tasting Cup) at the church.

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They were recognisable by their crimson and gold robes symbolising the red and white wines of Burgundy. Louis had risen to the rank of Commandeur and had asked to be buried in his robe, with his silver tasting cup and ribbon. His death, on the 8th of May, had been unexpected. 
The last time Christophe had seen his father-in-law, one week ago, he was his usual self. Marie-Ange had made him a coq au vin and he had asked for seconds, washed down with Christophe’s wine which he never failed to praise eloquently. 

 Coq au vin rouge.jpg
« Coq au vin rouge » par stevendepolo — http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4060181944/. Sous licence CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

When Guillaume went to the kitchen to eat breakfast, he found Sylvie was already up, spreading Nutella on a slice of fresh baguette. They were lucky to have what was considered by many the best boulangerie in the district two minutes’ walk from their apartment. 

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In Nice, Guillaume enjoys the delicious specialities, Socca and Salade Niçoise.

Socca a Nice.jpg« Socca a Nice » par MyrabellaTravail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

© Camille Oger


The Market on Place Saint-Paul brought together produce from the regions of France. Guillaume cooked lunch with the ingredients they had bought: slices of pain de campagne with saucisson from Lyon were followed by chicken breasts from Bresse with Normandy fresh cream and Paris champignons. Not a single crumb was left of the tarte Tatin, the upside down caramelised apple tart that Guillaume had mastered to perfection. 

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After you finish reading Web of Destinies, cook yourself a delicious tarte tatin-the recipe is here
 

The music of Web of Destinies

Sylvie is Guillaume's flatmate and best friend, a graphic designer and bass guitar player in the all-girl rock band The Wild Ones. Guillaume is a fan of  The Wild Ones, and goes to a gig at the Montgolfière bar, but something inexplicable happens that night.

“So what did you think of last night?” Sylvie asked the next morning. 
“It’s strange, I only remember the first half of your gig. That new song of yours is great.” 
“Which one? We played three new ones.” 
“Wild about you.” 
“I’m glad you liked it. What about our cover of Barracuda?” 
“Well that’s the thing. I don’t remember anything after Honky Tonk women. All I remember is waking up and typing another story at three AM.”

When her band is looking for a cover song to complete their CD, Sylvie suggests the the Led Zeppelin song Kashmir.

She sang the first verse, “Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dreams.” 
Sylvie waited for her friends’ reactions. It was a song that the seventies rock band considered their best musical achievement. Sylvie’s band had gained confidence, but this challenge was going to stretch their abilities.



One day, Sylvie comes home with a new bass guitar, a Les Paul, like the one Suzi Quatro played. She doesn't know it yet, but her guitar is going to play an important role in the story.
Suzi Quatro was Sylvie's role model, the first female bass guitar player who headed her own band in the history of rock.

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If you enjoyed this article, you will enjoy our book, it contains many other articles, photos and stories on life in France.
Si vous avez aimé cet article, vous aimerez notre livre, il contient de nombreux autres articles, photos et histoires sur la vie en France.