Friday, February 11, 2011

Guest Post & Giveaway Time with Michelle Moran

I am so honored to have Michelle Moran on the blog today. Not only a fantastic author, she is one of the friendliest authors out there...plus I really really enjoy her blog updates about ancient findings!

Michelle's newest book, Madame Tussaud is set for release this coming Tuesday (February 15th), my review will be out shortly. In the meantime, I have great news for my readers too! Thanks to Michelle, I have a chance to giveaway a signed copy of the book along with and adorable pair of Marie Antoinette cupcake earrings ! After reading Michelle's interesting guest post below, leave a comment telling me if you've ever been to a wax museum & if so where, then fill out the form to enter..easy, peasy.

Please give a warm welcome to Michelle....

MADAME TUSSAUD: The Woman

When most people hear the name Madame Tussaud, the first thing that comes to mind are the eerily lifelike waxworks which crowd her museums throughout the world. But who was the woman behind the name, and what was she like in the flesh?

Madame Tussaud’s story actually began in 18th century Paris. While most people know her from her famous museum in London, it was in France, on the humble Boulevard du Temple, where Marie first got her start as an apprentice in her uncle’s wax museum, the Salon de Cire. At the time, the Boulevard du Temple was crowded with exhibits of every kind. For just a few sous a passerby might attend the opera, watch a puppet show, or visit Henri Charles’ mystifying exhibition The Invisible Girl. The Boulevard was a difficult place to distinguish yourself as an artist, but as Marie’s talent grew for both sculpting and public relations, the Salon de Cire became one of the most popular attractions around. Suddenly, no one could compete with Marie or her uncle for ingenious publicity stunts, and when the royal family supposedly visited their museum, this only solidified what most showmen in Paris already knew — the Salon was an exhibition to watch out for.

But as the Salon’s popularity grew, so did the unusual requests. Noblemen came asking for wax sculptures of their mistresses, women wanted models of their newborn infants, and – most importantly – the king’s sister herself wanted Marie to come to Versailles to be her wax tutor. While this was, in many ways, a dream come true for Marie, it was also a dangerous time to be associated with the royal family. Men like Robespierre, Marat, and Desmoulins were meeting at Marie’s house to discuss the future of the monarchy, and when the Revolution began, Marie found herself in a precarious position. Ultimately, she was given a choice by France’s new leaders: to preserve the famous victims of Madame Guillotine in wax, or be guillotined herself.

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution is the story of Marie’s life during one of the most tumultuous times in human history. Her survival was nothing less than astonishing, and how she survived makes for what I hope is a compelling read.

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9 comments:

  1. I went to Madame Tussaud's in London with my sister who used to work there. It was really fun and scary. I was a child at the time:)

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  2. I visited over ten years ago! it was fabulous.

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  3. I haven't been to the wax museum yet which is sad since I live in the NYC area. But Michelle's book has reminded me that I have to go see it. Once spring arrives and it's easie for me to get around (I use a wheelchair) I plan to make sure I get to the wax museum!

    Thank you to both you and Michelle for this giveaway!

    ~ Amy

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  4. I love wax museums! I've been in Hollywood and London, and I think I might go in Vegas next visit.

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  5. I went to a wax museum in Branson, Missouri and it was incredibly lame. It was just wax figures of hollywood actors and actresses. I wish it was Madame Tussuad's wax museum!

    Taylor

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  6. There's a wax museum in Victoria, BC that I've been to a couple times. But I remember it closed down a couple months back.

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  7. Great post. I have this book on my list to get. I went to a wax museum in Virginia a few years back and it was awesome.So real like.Also,been to one in Florida and in TN. The one at Mount VernonVA is awesome too.
    tarenn98[at]yahoo[dot]com
    NC

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  8. I've never been to a wax museum, but would like too!

    susanbillietaylor [at] gmail [dot] com

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  9. Visited Madame Tussaud's in Hollywood as a teen. Went to a small one (can't remember the name) in New Orleans in 1999. Love wax museums!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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