Local author receives awards for first novel
By Ashley Shah
A Scripps Ranch author who goes by the pen name of L.M. Twist published her debut historical fiction novel “Louis Mie and the Trial of Hautefaye” about one year ago.
“This is my first novel and the positive reception is what I am most proud of. It was really exciting and gratifying to see positive reviews. This novel has really spoken to people, which was really, I think, unexpected yet thrilling,” she said.
The book was awarded The Firebird Award for Legal Thrillers, the Historical Fiction Company five stars and highly recommended notation, and Literary Titan Gold Book Award.
The novel is based on a real-life political based crime. The setting of the novel takes place in France in 1870, when Napoleon III ruled amidst the Franco-Prussian War.
“Napoleon III, who is the nephew of Napoleon I, ruled as the emperor of France for almost 20 years, until he was essentially captured on the field by the Prussians,” Twist said. “The empire basically crumbled overnight after his capture, and a republic was put into place. It was a radical change for France. Many peasants and less educated French people had been extremely attached to the emperor.”
During the time of the war, misinformation ran rampant; the economy was bad; there was a drought; tensions were at an all-time high. There were rumors that there were spies from Prussia among the French.
The story begins with the events surrounding the murder of the victim, Alain de Monéys. Monéys was deputy mayor of a village. He was actually leaving to join the French army against the Prussians.
“Monéys’ cousin was in a tavern. He was telling people what was actually happening in the war, which was that France was losing the war. There were a few members in the tavern that belonged to a mob that heavily supported the emperor Napoleon III, that disagreed with the cousin and claimed that he said, ‘Long live the Republic.’ The cousin states that he never said that. The cousin runs away from the tavern before the situation can escalate,” Twist said. “Then, Monéys walks into the tavern, and gets lumped into this situation. He is accused of being a Prussian spy and saying ‘Vive la république.’ He starts getting attacked by the mob. Over some hours in broad daylight, they follow Monéys around attacking him. They end up setting a pyre and burn him.”
The whole situation was a misunderstanding that led to the murder of an innocent man.
“However, the novel mainly centers around the progressive and passionate pro-republic lawyer, Louis Mie, who is a real person, who ends up defending five of the 21 members of the mob accused. The novel focuses on one member of the mob, Leonard Piarrouty, who was a staunch supporter of the emperor,” Twist said. “Piarrouty and Mie’s political views could not have been further away from each other, but Mie opts to defend him regardless. We explore through the novel whether he can provide justice to his clients. What does justice mean in this new republic? Is he able to save his own life, and his family’s life?”
The novel debuted on Jan. 1, 2024. However, the author had been researching and writing since 2020.
“In late 2020, I stumbled upon this story when I was doing some research about that region in the southwest of France, which is where my husband and his family are from. The story absorbed me, and I could not stop looking into it. I was drawn into who Louis Mie was, and why he was doing this,” Twist said.
This novel is only the beginning for the author.
“I am already working on the sequel.” Twist said.
Twist is a lawyer with 14 years of experience. The novel is available on Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble and other distributors. Visit lmtwist.wordpress.com.