Michelle Moran's Madame Tussaud Book Giveaway and Guest Post!

As a huge fan of Michelle Moran, I am delighted to announce her latest book Madame Tussaud:A Novel of the French Revolution will be in stores sometime around or on February 15, 2011.  To kick-off her book release, I am hosting a book giveaway for a signed copy of Madame Tussaud and a pair of aristocratically delicate cupcake earrings. (Take a look below)

Michelle has submitted this synopsis of her book that will give you a little background about this amazing woman from history.  After reading the excerpt see the contest details. With eager anticipation I can't wait for my copy to arrive.   Congratulations 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.~ Michelle Moran

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Check out Michelle's blog at michellemoran.blogspot.com

Contest Giveaway from January 21st-February 21, 2011

Prize: 

A  copy of Madame Tussaud signed by Michelle Moran and a pair of cupcake earrings.

Rules:

1. To be entered you must be a follower on my sidebar Google Reader, and post a comment about the above excerpt, or about Michelle Moran's novels and writing. 

2. Blog about this contest and leave a link to the post in the comments.  (2 additional chances) 

3. Twitter about this contest and leave a link to your tweet. (2 additional chances)

Open participants worldwide. :)

Disclosure: All book copies for review, and earrings for this giveaway are free copies sent by Crown Publishing.  Any review or guest post is submitted without monetary compensation with my opinion written and posted free from bias.  



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