Thank you, again, everyone, for your interest in my writing and novel, A Thousand Kisses. This week, I wanted to talk about a significant part of Hélène’s childhood, and include an excerpt from the book.

Hélène’s early childhood was happy, with a mother and father she adored, and a younger sister she could baby. When she was 6, her parents divorced and her father moved to another town. She didn’t see him very often after that, and an important early male bond was shattered. For Hélène’s maman, Charlotte, the resulting financial situation would have been dire: it was difficult for a woman with young children to work, and, often, the only option (aside from prostitution) was to find another husband to support her and her children. Hélène’s mother dedicated herself to this task, soon found a Captain in the military, and they quickly married. Captain Gilles Collard was, of course, the man who later molested Hélène, and so the unfortunate situation of a dependent mother, abusive step-father, and vulnerable daughter, was established.