CLOSED: Michelle Moran, author of Madam Tussaud, Guest Blog and Giveaway!

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

Yay!!! I am so excited Michelle has taken time out of her busy schedule to provide a guest blog and she is also beyond generous and is offering one of you lucky readers not only a SIGNED copy of her newest book, Madame Tussaud, she is also going to send the winner a pair of these absolutely adorable Marie Antoinette Cupcake Earrings! How beyond adorable are they?
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The coolest part is this giveaway is open internationally!!!

To enter:
Answer this question (with your email address, of course!):
Which Celebrity/Famous person would you like to see a wax figure of?

Giveaway ends April 3rd. Winner will be picked via random.org and winner will be emailed.





20 comments

  1. I would like to see a wax figure of Princess Diana.

    pocokat AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laura Ingalls Wilder

    Thanks for the recommendation. This sounds like a wonderful book Jaime. Can't wait to read it.
    Melissa
    [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  3. good question. I'd like to see Sandra Bullock.

    thanks
    Dina

    dlsmilad(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Einstein. I'm not sure if I want that to be the man or the dog in the Back to the Future movie tho... ;)

    books (Dot) things (at) yahoo (Dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Right now in the mood I'm in, I would want to see a wax figure of Agatha Christie. Ask me tomorrow and it may be Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  6. Patrick Stewart.....weird I know :)
    ykatrina at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would LOVE to see a wax figure of Kirsten Dunst :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would like to see a figure of Patrick Swayze. He was such a talented beautiful man.

    dancealert at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd like to see Mother Theresa. I think she is inspirational!

    mystica123athotmaildotcom

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would love to see a wax figure of Edgar Alan Poe - love his stories!!

    Thanks for this amazing giveaway, the cupcake earrings are gorgeous!

    evieseo(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would love to see a wax figure of Pam Grier
    [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm hearing so much about this book. Sounds great.

    I woke up Sunday a.m. to find my blog, my 500 plus followers, my 100plus author interviews, and my 200 plus reviews gone. Blogger gave no explanation, but I think the account was hacked. Change your password often!

    I have reloaded the interviews and reviews, plus redesigned the blog. But if you could, please hit the "follow" button so I can reclaim the fellow bloggers I miss. I'm still following you, as my account remained--thank goodness!
    http://kellymoranauthor.blogspot.com

    Thank you!
    Kelly Moran
    XO

    ReplyDelete
  13. Obama lisapeters At yahoo dot com thanks

    ReplyDelete
  14. I would like to see a wax figure of Laura Bush.
    Thanks for the giveaway. Love historical fiction.
    [email protected]

    ReplyDelete
  15. A wax figure of White Collar's Matthew Bomer would be very nice!

    delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. i would like to see Jane porter :) yeah i know, she's beautiful and great author !

    uniquas at ymail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I would love to see a wax figure of Cleopatera. Thanks for the great give away!

    [email protected]

    Heidi Larsen

    ReplyDelete
  18. I would like to see a wax figure of John F Kennedy.

    shawn113(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Dane Cook....he so sexy ;)

    kendra(DOT)lewis(AT)ymail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'd like to see a wax figure of the exact idea JACE. I'd like to see first hand what he would look like out of the words and off paper

    ReplyDelete