Ma Folie Française (My French Folly) (19 page)

My sincerest and heartfelt thanks go to the following people:

My loving husband
Jean
, the instigator of all my adventures, the guardian of my memories and my one true love.

My Dad, Saverio and my Gran, Marie, who have pushed, guided, protected and enlightened me, from the beyond. Nothing would exist without you.

My Mother, Anne who is always there to love and guide me and who happens to be my proudest fan! I love you Mum.

My sister, Giulia, for playing a precious part in my life. Thank you for being proud of me.

My dearest friends, Jeanne, Maurie, Daniel and Elsie, for your unwavering kindness, endless generosity and constant laughter. What would we do without you?

Pam and Andrew, you have helped me in so many ways and have given your time and knowledge unselfishly, to this project. Thank you Pam, for your impeccable spell-checks, intelligent editing and constructive criticism.

Antoinette, my oldest and dearest friend, for seeking me out, no matter how far I've roamed and sharing every high and low with me.

Kathryn, my childhood friend, who serendipitously returned to my life, just in time to share her countless knowledge, wisdom and precious time with me, once again. You have played a major role in my writing and I thank you.

My ‘Peninsula' friends, in particular, Helen, Cliffy and Elizabeth. Your unfaltering encouragement and generosity have made my life in Tasmania so much better.

My cousin David, for reading my stories since day one and being enchanted by them. Thank you.

The Tasmanian Writer's Centre, in particular, ex-director Joe Bugden, for his guidance and patience.

Peter Bishop from Varuna, for his gentle push in the right direction. What a difference that made!

My gracious publisher, Barry Scott of Transit Lounge, for loving my story enough, to risk it! A huge thank you for your guidance, encouragement, ‘savoir faire' and for pulling all stops, to get me on the shelves. I'm eternally grateful.

The team at Transit Lounge, for their creative skills and input into this project.

And finally,

To the wonderful people of France, who shared their lives, their loves, their idiosyncrasies and above all, their incredibly beautiful country with me, for so many blissful years!

Merci beaucoup!

PS: A little thank you to Asia, my little ball of fluff who keeps my lap warm and washes my keyboard, whether I like it or not.

Marisa Raoul was born in Sydney in 1961 to an Italian father and English mother. Her mixed heritage led to her intense passion for travel, foreign languages and diverse cultures. She spent her sixteenth year living in Rome and travelling throughout Europe with her parents.

Most of her early professional life was spent working in the Sales department of Qantas Airways, then onto Cabin Crew where she met her husband. She has travelled to 25 countries.

Marisa left Australia in 1991 to reside in France for a ten-year period where she ran a successful Bed and Breakfast and worked as an Interpreter and English teacher for the ‘Limoges Chamber of Commerce and Industry'.

On her return to Australia, she became involved in the field of Indigenous Arts. She moved to Alice Springs where she worked within that field and on her return to the east coast, continued to promote this art as a freelance consultant.

She now writes full time from her home in Tasmania. She specialises in the fields of children's novels and non-fictional adult works. She also enjoys writing freelance articles for various magazines and community newspapers.

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