IF PARIS WERE MY LOVER
BY MARTINA NICOLLS
If Paris Were My Lover is officially launched. This journey began as a whisper – a lingering question about the ways we fall in love, not just with people, but with places, memories, and the versions of ourselves that only exist in certain corners of the world. For me, that place has been Paris.
This book is a love affair told in fragments. It is for those who have ever wandered through a city and felt something shift deep inside. It is for those who know that some places call to us like an unfinished sentence, waiting to be completed.
Paris is more than a postcard or a perfect café table. It is a city that mirrors our own complexities—the contradictions of beauty and solitude, passion and melancholy, adventure and stillness. In these pages, I have woven together fiction, memories and poetry, crafting a story that invites you to ask: What if a city could love you back?
Early readers have called If Paris Were My Lover “a literary love letter with a heartbeat” and “a book that lingers like a favorite song on repeat.” It has been described as a blend of nostalgia and possibility, of intimacy and adventure. But most of all, readers tell me how it makes them feel.
To mark this launch, I’d love for you to be part of the celebration:
Grab Your Copy – Available now in eBook and paperback on Amazon.
Share the Love – If this book speaks to you, share it! Post a photo, write a review, or simply tell a friend who needs a bit of Paris in their life.
Connect with Me – I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let’s talk about the places that have changed us, the loves that have shaped us, and the books that have left a mark on us. Drop a comment below, send me a message.
Find me Substack or on facebook.
À Bientôt, Paris – As I launch this book, I hope it finds its way to those who need it most. I hope it reminds you that love—whether for a person, a city, or a fleeting moment—is always worth the risk. And most of all, I hope it stirs something in you, the way Paris has always stirred something in me.
With gratitude and excitement, Martina
AMAZON BOOK REVIEW: Billy J – Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2025
This book was an absolutely mesmerizing read. It’s poetic, nostalgic, and deeply personal, blending history, philosophy, and the author’s own journey with Paris in a way that makes you feel like you’re walking those cobblestone streets alongside her. The way she describes the city—as a lover, a captor, a dream, and sometimes even a mirage—is so unique and powerful.
The writing is stunning, with vivid descriptions that make even the smallest Parisian moments feel significant. At times, it felt like I was reading someone’s private journal, filled with raw emotion and deep reflection. A few parts dragged a bit, but overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves Paris, travel, or just beautifully written storytelling. Definitely one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
THE PARIS RESIDENCES OF JAMES JOYCE
BY MARTINA NICOLLS
40% OFF. USE DISCOUNT CODE AUTHOR40 FOR PURCHASES THROUGH CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS PUBLISHING WEBSITE – HERE
The discount code is for individual purposes for 40% discount on hardcover and paperback editions to say thank you to readers of “The Paris Residences of James Joyce” website. This is an ongoing discount code and not subject to an end date.
OTHER SITES (Discount does not apply)
THE PARIS RESIDENCES OF JAMES JOYCE presents a narrative and photographic journey of the hotels and apartments where James Joyce lived for twenty years in 1920s and 1930s Paris.
In June 1920, at the age of 38, the Irish author sought a city where he could finish Ulysses—one of the finest literary works in history. He arrived in Paris on the recommendation of Ezra Pound on 8 July and stayed for 20 years.
With Nora, fifteen-year-old Giorgio and thirteen-year-old Lucia, he moved in and out of 18 residences in five arrondissements in Paris. Which arrondissements did he prefer? Which residence was the first place with the luxury of a telephone? Who did he entertain, and where was he most productive and creative?
THE PARIS RESIDENCES OF JAMES JOYCE, published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in the United Kingdom, is both a guide for the armchair wanderer and a roadmap for Joyce aficionados in Paris. It provides new insights into Joyce’s life in Paris, based around the changing locations, styles, and sizes of his residences, depending upon the fluctuations of his finances.
THE PARIS RESIDENCES OF JAMES JOYCE is a rich collection of information about each residence with an historical account of the duration, cost, lifestyle, and cultural atmosphere amid the significance of the social times.
KEY FEATURES:
- Photographs of hotels, apartments, places of interest
- Maps – location of residences (distance from Eiffel Tower)
- Timeline 1920-1939
- Chapter on each residence – history of location, Joyce’s visitors, places Joyce frequented
- Shakespeare and Company bookstore and Sylvia Beach
- History of Joyce’s publications in Paris
- History of Joyce’s eye operations
- Addresses of key locations of artists and intellectuals of the times
- Historical account of the 1920s and 1930s Paris
For more information on Cambridge Scholars Publishing, United Kingdom:
Web: www.cambridgescholars.com
@CamScholars (Twitter)
@CambridgeScholarsPublishing (Facebook)