Kate Mosse as guest editor of FRANCE Magazine

Best-selling novelist Kate Mosse sees in the New Year as guest editor of a special edition of FRANCE Magazine

It’s a great pleasure to have been invited to be the first Guest Editor of France Magazine. In the past, I’ve been lucky to be asked to contribute articles – and have been interviewed once or twice too – but I’m also a regular reader and it’s one of the magazines I always find time to skim, read and turn down the pages. In the long, dark days of winter, perhaps now more than at any other time, we need reminding of all the wonderful places we could visit.

I was particularly excited about Clare Hargreaves’s feature about walking the Cathar castles. Despite living on and off in Carcassonne for 23 years, I’ve not managed to visit all the places with links to the medieval past of Languedoc, so I’m hoping for tips about where to go when I have a little free time on my hands. With credit card in hand to book flights, I’m thumbing through Zo� McIntyre’s piece about great French festivals. There’s no better way to get under the skin of a village, town or city than to spend time in a location en f�te. If Paris is your dream destination, the article on historic cinemas will give you a reason to venture beyond Haussmann’s grands boulevards. I’m also delighted that the acclaimed best-selling novelist Tracy Chevalier has shared her inspirations and favourites in the My France interview.

Finally, I have written a little something myself about Carcassonne – the city that has inspired my writing life over nearly a quarter of a century and is at the heart of Citadel, the third novel of my Languedoc trilogy. Even after all these years, it is still the most magical place in France.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much I’ve enjoyed editing it. I look forward to seeing many of you at The France Show at Earls Court on 18-20 January, when I will be speaking about Languedoc and the inspiration it has given me. � la prochaine…