My background…

I’m Patricia Keats and I love to travel, read and write. I’m inspired by the places and people I’ve seen: and for this book, by the library of St. Geneviève in Paris – which is still very much in use today.

Writing historical fiction lets one fill in the gaps of history.…….

I started reading historical fiction in elementary school, thanks to a wonderful public librarian in my hometown. Working in many libraries, ordering, cataloguing and reading books, I have long wanted to write one of my own. I have been a librarian, a museum educator, an art history professor, an exhibition curator and researcher. My work in research libraries, special collections and art museums has led me to love original documents, diaries, ephemera, newspapers and journals from long ago. My background in European history, the French language, and the art of Europe – from the Middle Ages through the early 20th century – all fuel my writing and interests. Visits to Paris, and visiting the library of St. Genevieve with a colleague, started my idea for a book. A story of a librarian who worked there in the late 19th century – and what her life would have been like and how her attempts at solving a crime would be possible. The Belle Epoque was beginning to offer some opportunities for women in the working world – other than a wife, a servant or a prostitute – and my book tries to bring those to life. Women were allowed to teach, become milliners and even own their own shops for not only hats, but clothing as well. Join me in discovering my characters surrounding the library of Ste. Geneviève, and their lives in Paris.

I am a member of The Historical Novel Society, Sisters in Crime, and The History Quill in the U.K.