A Deleted Scene
When my editor returned Discord in Provence to me, she included a note that while she had enjoyed the following scene, it did not seem necessary to the story. It slowed the action down without adding anything significant. Although I was sad to admit it, she was right. It hurt to delete this scene from the final version because I love this French tradition, but I know that the novella is stronger without it. However, I kept a copy of that scene and now, readers, present all 612 words for your reading enjoyment! A short time later the group entered the Maison Fouque for their tour of the santon workshop. Aubrye was mesmerized by this French tradition. She vaguely remembered the term from her days of learning about Christmas decorations in French class, but these figurines representing the villagers coming to pay their respects to the infant Jesus were much more captivating in person than in lecture. Their guide took them through the process of creating a santon, starting with...