Excerpt from The Siren of Paris by David LeRoy

This is an except from David LeRoy's self published novel, The Siren of Paris, which I previously reviewed. I also posted an interview with the author here.

The Siren of Paris is currently on tour with Nikki Leigh of Promo 101.

Marc, a French born American student, never suspected that he would become trapped in German occupied France when he came to Paris in the summer of 1939 to study art. While smuggling a downed airman out of the American Hospital, through the Paris resistance underground, his life is plunged into total darkness when someone he trusts becomes a collaborator agent for the Gestapo. Marc then must fight to save his soul when he is banished to the “Fog and the Night” of Buchenwald, where he struggles with guilt over the consequences of having his trust betrayed.

      Marc lay in the back of the truck with the others from the YMCA, along with some British soldiers and a few employees of a Belgian aircraft company. It was about 1 a.m. and though they had been traveling for hours, they were not yet ready to bed for the night. And they were not alone. All along the valley road were others still on the move. Everyone seemed to be going someplace, anyplace, wherever they could get in a hurry, with a great determination. “I am really looking forward to getting out of France. When I get home, I am going to go straight to Elizabeth’s house and spend the night. I have not been able to write her for two weeks. She probably thinks I am dead,” Allen said to Marc. Marc stirred from his self-loathing mood. He played over and over in his head the number of times he could’ve left France. He resented himself for staying too long, just for Marie. He even doubted the sincerity of the promise of engagement.



     “How long have you been together?” Marc asked.
     “Two years now,” Allen said, looking up at the stars. Marc could see his mother, father and sister in his mind’s eye. Sadness washed over him as he remembered how Marie had promised to make him dinner this night.
     “I am twenty-one, now,” Marc said, more as an afterthought.
     “Really? Well, cheers to that, my friend. Bet you will never forget this birthday, will you?” Allen said.
     “No, I don’t believe I will,” Marc said as they drove toward Saint-Nazaire. “Marie and I are engaged,” he then said.
     “What? When? You never said anything,” Allen said, looking directly at Marc.
     “I know. It is just a promise for after the war. We were not going to tell anyone,” Marc said next. “It probably means nothing.”
     The truck then pulled off the road and the officer driving it said, “Let’s sack down for the night, but someplace off the road away from the truck just in case.”
     “Marc, don’t say that,” Allen said, surprised by his friend’s attitude. “You’ve been in a mood for a while now. Are you stewing?”    
     “What do you mean?” Marc said as he climbed from the truck. He and Allen began walking away from the road with the others.
     “You’ve been in a mood since the bear hit you,” Allen said cautiously. “You think too much.”
     “What does that mean? The little shit knocked the wind out of me, Allen.”
     “That little shit rides a motorcycle, Marc.” Marc turned toward Allen. “While you were analyzing the entire situation, trying to make the best decision, that bear knew it needed to run for its life.” Marc sat on the ground with the others gathering to bed down for the night. Allen looked closely at Marc. “Are you feeling okay?”
     Marc looked up, tears in his eyes. He laughed to himself and said, “I can’t even ride a motorcycle. You’re right, Allen,” he continued laughing while others looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “The bear did put me in a bad mood.”
     “He needs some rest,” Sister Clayton said as she passed with the little Belgian boy and his sister and their two dogs. “He is going slaphappy from the strain.”

A native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. The degree served him well while selling women’s shoes, waiting tables, or working odd jobs after college until settling in the field of telecommunications, where he has worked for the past 18 years.

Early on, he demonstrated artistic abilities. For many years, David marketed a line of fine art photographic prints through various galleries and retail outlets. In the past few years, his focus has shifted to painting and drawing, which included the development of a children’s e-book in the Apple Itunes store under “David Tribble” title “Lord of the Scribes.”

After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life. The Siren of Paris is his first novel.