Adventures in Accidental Pilgrimages with D.S. Dehel

About D.S. Dehel

D. S. Dehel is a lover of literature, good food, and the Oxford comma. When she is not immersed in a book, she is mom to her kids and spoiling her rather coddled feline, Mr. Darcy or her equally pampered puppy, Jameson. Having finally retired, she spends her days dreaming up new plotlines. She adores literary allusions, writing sex scenes, and British men. Actually, make that, hot men in general. Her devoted husband is still convinced she writes children’s books. Please don’t enlighten him.

Adventures in Accidental Pilgrimages with D.S. Dehel

If you’ve read Inferno, you know the idea of a pilgrimage is one that is near and dear to my heart. Ironically thus far, all my literary pilgrimages have been accidental. I’ve simply been in an area and gone to see the author’s home/gravesite, and often, I’m not a huge fan of the author. This was the case for Balzac and Proust.

There are two, that are rather special, but like the others, these trips were serendipitous. In 2007, I chaperoned a student trip to Europe, and because I am conversant in French—and have spent some time in France—during our free afternoon, I was allowed to take a smaller group of students and chaperones across Paris to Père Lachaise cemetery, ostensibly to find Jim Morrison’s tomb, but also to see the renowned resting place of so many people. There, we sought out Oscar Wilde’s grave. The story behind his last words and gravestone itself is legendary, so we had to stop and leave our “mark” on the angel headstone.

[Here I went on a half-hour trip down the rabbit hole to find the picture.]

I’ve always been a fan of Wilde’s sensibility, and this was not only good fun but done with sardonic respect that Wilde would appreciate.

My second literary pilgrimage came later that same week when I was in Florence. Ever since I had to take an art history class in college (long story), Italy had long been on my bucket list. For years I had been teaching the 13^th Canto of The Inferno to my Honors 10 students, and this was a chance to take pictures of his house to show them. During our free time, my 17-year-old son and I ventured off to find Dante’s house.

We promptly got lost.

The entire sum of my Italian at that time was ordering gelato. (I have my priorities.)

We found a cat, a bookstore, and had a blast exploring, then we finally found Dante and toured the museum.

Alright, one more. Last October I finally made it to Venice, and after quite the serpentine trek to find our boutique hotel, I discovered that we were staying in the same apartment block where Casanova was born. The museum was closed, but I snapped a picture anyway.

2020 is what it is, my trip to visit Yeats’s tomb was canceled, but I have been to Coole Park. (There were no swans. I was annoyed.) Having said that, Coole park and its swans are a part of my upcoming Christmas Short, “The Seventh Swan.”

I suppose if there’s a point to all of this it’s get out there and explore (once we can). You never know what fun will find you.

About the Book

The Baron Regrets by D.S. Dehel
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Cozy Mystery

Synopsis

Regret nothing.

Tessa Winthrop, an art restoration specialist, is hoping for the job of a lifetime—one which would cement her reputation in a field dominated by her male colleagues.

Working for Baron Lucien Stanhope—or Leo as he prefers—challenges Tess’s talent, intellect, and emotions. Leo is charming, handsome, and way out of her league. It doesn’t matter, though, because she only is there for her art and the mystery surrounding master painter Giovanni Remini.

When a night of passion leads to consequences that could mean the end of her career, Tess fears that the baron regrets having ever met her.

But fate has more in store for them, and sometimes regrets are the beginning of better things.

Add to your Goodreads shelf.