Paoletta: An Eye for an eye
Exiled to a Caribbean island, Paoletta Cadoville and her family cling to the hope of one day returning to their Parisian home. But in a single, devastating moment, that dream is shattered. Alone and horrifically scarred, Paoletta embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the truth behind her family’s tragic fate, only to become entangled in a web of political intrigue, secret societies, and dangerous alliances.
In a Paris overshadowed by the guillotine, Paoletta must decide how much of her humanity she’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of vengeance. Will she achieve justice for her family or lose herself to the darkness that threatens to consume her?
Paoletta – An Eye for an Eye is a gripping historical thriller set during the French Revolution and a stark reminder that in times of upheaval, innocence is the first to fall, and revenge demands a price paid in blood.
Publication Date: November 28th, 2024
Publisher: independently published
Pages: 421
Genre: Historical Thriller
An interview with J.R. Powell.
What inspired you to start writing?
It began as a creative outlet between translation work and to pass time on trains, sketching out characters, but didn’t really get flowing into a fully-fledged story until the COVID-19 lockdowns – something to help pass the time.
My preferred reads range from historical fiction to gritty thrillers, and especially those shadowy hybrids that weave both. Many such tales lurk in the underbellies of modern cities or stalk the espionage-laden corridors of the Second World War, but I wanted to write a historical story with the same pulse and vibe of a contemporary thriller, set instead during the French Revolution. It’s a period that has gripped me since I was small, likely because colour played such a central role in revolutionary propaganda and identity, something vividly reflected in most depictions.
Popular imagination often conjures images of bloodthirsty mobs jeering at powdered nobles weeping on their way to the guillotine, largely thanks to works like Emma Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel, but the reality was far more complex. No one was immune to revolutionary paranoia and suspicion. It was a time of ruthless ambition, dangerous relationships, and shifting loyalties.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Without giving too much away, there’s a lot going on in Paoletta. We follow Paoletta on her quest for revenge, but she’s also caught up in the missions and ambitions of those around her. Threading it all together required a lot of juggling and mapping to make all the twists and turns collide at the right moments and move the story forward. I also wanted to drop clues here and there for readers to step over and then run back to once they realise their significance later on. At times, it felt like doing a puzzle in the shape of an old telephone switchboard.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
It’s difficult to fully warm to any of them; they’re all rather unpleasant in their own practised way. Still, some merit a touch more forgiveness than others. Lucie, for instance, is hardly unique in her harsh beginnings, raised in the impoverished streets of Nantes, with a drunk for a mother and a dead soldier for a father. Then Angélique Legrand enters her life, offering a better future, feeding her a vengeful worldview, numbing her to violence, and shaping her into an instrument of her will. So yes, Lucie may earn a morsel of sympathy, but she is never unaware of what she chooses to do.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
That’s a tricky one. A bearded Ben Whishaw would probably make a good Lyle Spice, and Eva Green could be a strong choice for Angelique. As for Paoletta…that’s harder to pin down; someone young and small who can balance being charming and intense.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
Revenge is never easy, never sweet, and never done. You may think you’re writing the show, but that’s just part of the delusion.
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