Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne
By Rebecca Rosenberg
EDITORS CHOICE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY
“A-Tour-de-Force” Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize
MADAME POMMERY, Creator of Brut Champagne
"A tour-de-force of historical fiction, Madame Pommery is a deeply fascinating work that blends true-to-life details with artfully crafted elements." --Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize
Madame Pommery is a story of a woman's indomitable spirit in the face of insurmountable odds. Set in Champagne, France in 1860, Madame Pommery is a forty-year-old widow and etiquette teacher whose husband has passed away. Now she must find a way to support her family. With no experience, she decides to make champagne, but no champagne makers will teach her their craft. Undeterred, Madame Pommery begins to secretly excavate champagne caves under the Reims city dump and faces numerous obstacles to achieve her dream. From the Franco-Prussian war that conscripts her son and crew to the Prussian General Frederick Franz occupying her home, Madame Pommery perseveres. She even must choose between her champagne dreams and a marriage proposal from her former lover, a Scottish Baron. Inspired by a true story, Madame Pommery is a heroic tale of a woman's strength and determination to create a champagne legacy. If you enjoyed the novel Sarah's Key, you will enjoy Madame Pommery.
CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS, the First Woman of Champagne
EDITORS CHOICE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY This engrossing historical novel by Rebecca Rosenberg follows Veuve Clicquot, a strong-minded woman determined to defy the Napoleon Code and become a master champagne maker. In 1800 France, twenty-year-old Barbe-Nicole inherits her great-grandfather's uncanny sense of smell and uses it to make great champagne, despite the Code prohibiting women from owning a business. When tragedy strikes and she becomes a Veuve (widow), she must grapple with a domineering partner, the complexities of making champagne, and the aftermath of six Napoleon wars. When she falls in love with her sales manager, Louis Bohne, she must choose between losing her winery to her husband to obey the Napoleon Code, or losing Louis. In the ultimate showdown, Veuve Clicquot defies Napoleon himself, risking prison and even death. If you enjoyed books like 'The Widow of the South' by Robert Hicks or 'The Paris Seamstress' by Natasha Lester, you'll love 'Veuve Clicquot'.
Writing Interview questions.
Why did you choose to write your book in this era?
When I discovered that my favorite champagne, Veuve Clicquot, was founded in 1805 by a young widow and mother, Barbe Nicole Clicquot, while the Napoleon Wars were raging, I knew I needed to research and write her story.
Then, I found more widows who made champagne, Madame Pommery and Lily Bollinger. Each woman’s story was so unique and amazing, I had to tell them. I knew that Champagne Widows would be a series about these brave and inventive women.
Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising?
Writing about the 1800’s takes a lot of digging. There isn’t a wealth of information about women, in particular, even ones as accomplished and unique about the Champagne Widows. Luckily, these women’s champagne houses have kept their history for me to work with, which is a fabulous resource. But they did not know many of my questions, so I needed to keep digging in museums, many other books, and internet sources—of course internet sources must be cross referenced because they often don’t have correct information.
A funny story about researching Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne.
~ I was finished writing Madame Pommery in the summer of 2022 when I led a tour group through the Champagne region. We visited Villa Demoiselle, a spectacular art deco mansion owned by Henry Vasnier, Madame Pommery’s assistant. I asked the historian how Henry Vasnier could afford the land and mansion next to Pommery Champagne House, and she told me that Vasnier (15 years younger than Madame Pommery_ was her long time lover! That juicy tidbit was not revealed by the Pommery historians!
I had to go back and revise the entire book to build in a romance between Madame Pommery and Henry Vasnier!
Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?
There are many mysteries in the Champagne Widows novels!
Champagne Widows, First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot: Who is the mysterious red man who advises Napoleon? Why does Barbe-Nicole’s Clicquot’s father meet secretly with her maid? Will Barbe-Nicole fall in love with her traveling salesman? Will Napoleon execute Barbe-Nicole for treason?
Madame Pommery: Will Alexandrine Pommery marry the Scottish duke she knew from before? Why does her winery look like Scottish castles? How does she save her champagne from being stolen by the German armies?
If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why?
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot: Persnickety, particular, Le Nez (The nose)
Madame Pommery: Courageous, Creative, Artistic
What was the most challenging part about writing your book?
The challenging part of writing my novels is to allow each draft to have a special purpose, and keep drafting for as long as it takes to get the story right, and fill in all the delicious crevices with frosting.
~My first drafts are to get down the story plot and structure.
~The second draft is to fill in the blanks and make sure the plot makes sense.
~Third draft fill in who the characters are and what they want, and how that conflicts with what every other character wants!
~Subsequent drafts: continue developing characters, refining the language, making descriptions unique, and making the novel the best I can.
Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?
Not these books!
What are you currently working on?
I am working on SILVER DOLLAR TABOR, Shooting Star, about the silent film star and burlesque queen in the 1920s Chicago.
What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?
Keep writing every day. Take lots of classes. Read blogs about the craft of writing. Read great books.
Personal Interview questions.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I am a champagne historian for Breathless Wines and plan many events and tours for them. I will be working on champagne gift books with them in 2024!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A fashion designer!
What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating?
Haven’t looked what I have in the freezer! I had the best BLT yesterday and I’m still thinking about it!
What would be a perfect day?
A great day of writing, where I really nailed the character and what she wants!
What is the best part of your day?
I love mornings. I wake at 4 and start writing by candlelight.
Either or!
Tea or coffee: Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon
Hot or cold: cold
Movie or book: both
Morning person or Night owl: I get up so early it is actually night. 😊
City or country: I live on a lavender farm in Sonoma wine country
Social Media or book: book
Paperback or ebook: Lots of both
Thanks so much for hosting Rebecca Rosenberg today, with such a fascinating interview!
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club