Bright Shines the Light

Anyone who has visited us in late fall will remember the glorious gingko tree shining brightly near our home, the Château de Planque. Sitting on the corner of our neighbor's property, the Domaine de Planque, its branches reach across the arch in the viaduct that spans the Planque bridge into town. The tree, the viaduct, and the bridge each play significant roles in The Huguenot Resistance Series.

My husband captured this moment perfectly.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/5fabfb_4fbd8096f3a143d09c129326c8526cf7/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Golden fan-shaped leaves float on the autumn breeze. Magical!

This past week, the third book in The Huguenot Resistance Series was born! Wohoo! Shining Bright tells the story of Jeanine Bourguet, a real person who lived in the Château de Planque during World War II. Jeanine faced many obstacles, including a difficult grandmother, plus her own confinement to a wheelchair because of her short stature and brittle bones. Oh, and the Nazis, with their contempt for those with disabilities. I find her story inspiring, and I hope you will as well.

Available on Amazon https://a.co/d/09vwpFNm

The high viaduct spans my little town of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort and passes right in front of the Château de Planque. From 1872, four trains a day left Nîmes to make the round trip to the town of Ganges and back. The line offered transport of "passengers, postal services, goods, food, money, valuables and dogs" in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class. On a single line, trains could not pass each other between major stations. It always operated at a loss, but provided a vital service.

From Shining Bright:

"The train passed four times every day—'ridiculously close to the front of the Château,' as Grand-mère pointed out often and with disgust."

And:

"The ground trembled. A rumble disturbed the atmosphere. High overhead, on the arched viaduct, the passenger train roared past. Four times a day, five days a week, the train traversed Saint-Hippolyte, blowing huge puffs of steam, whistle blaring to clear the tracks. Jeanine didn’t mind the thundering rush. It reminded her of the resounding roar of the waterfalls in the river Vidourle after the rains, a sound that spoke to something deep within her."

Château de Planque and the viaduct

Passenger traffic ceased in 1969, while goods traffic continued until 1989. We have a friend who is a retired train conductor who used to run this line. He shared that an older woman in St. Hippolyte would leave a homemade cheese in a sort of drop box on the line once a week. He and his colleague would enjoy the local treat for lunch.

The rails were removed in 1992. Today it is a lovely walking path, called the Voie Verte.

La Voie Verte: Top of the viaduct today.

Back down to street level, the arch spanning the Planque Bridge has a sad and significant history. I won't share it here as it would spoil an important historical event that is shared in Shining Bright.

Entrance to the town from Route de Lasalle.

Arch and bridge today with the gingko tree in its green attire.

View from Planque Bridge towards the Château de Planque on the right; the Domaine de Planque is hidden on the left.

Just beyond the bridge, the Route de Lasalle runs between the Château and Domaine de Planque. This road brought 1200 dragoon soldiers in Though Darkness Descend and (SPOILER ALERT) SS Nazis in Shining Bright. These parallel true events, across two and a half centuries, were one factor in drawing me to write The Huguenot Resistance Series.

The Domaine de Planque: home of significant characters in all three books.

The Château de Planque sits on a several acre property surrounded by rock walls with a watchtower in the upper corner. It's thought that the original noble owner desired protection and a small hunting ground. As throughout the Cévennes, the hilly land has been forged into agricultural terraces with ubiquitous dry stack rock walls.

Our "second terrace" with its majestic green oak tree. A dramatic scene occurs here in Shining Bright.

The tops of the walls can serve as walking paths. Le Cengle mountain in the distance.

A small cave exists halfway up the property. You'll have to read Shining Bright to find out how it appears!

On the other side of the land, we have an old stone sheep pen, a bergerie, which serves as yet another significant location in Shining Bright.

The walls are ancient, the roof modern. A simple wooden roof existed back in the day.

I have had the immense privilege of knowing Madame Quintin, née Bourguet, for the past several years. She is the second cousin of Jeanine Bourguet, the heroine of Shining Bright. Madame Quintin has generously related stories of Jeanine, the Bourguet family, and the Château. On top of all that, she gave me a tiny Bible that belonged to Jeanine and her grandfather, Raoul Bourguet.

This Bible appears in Shining Bright, as do some verses listed on the flyleaf.

Madame Quintin is one of the loveliest people I've ever met. Her strong faith and gentle strength inspires me. She shines with the light and love of her Lord Jesus. I am honored to know her.

La vie est belle...