Katrina Lawrence

After working as a beauty journalist for almost twenty years, Katrina Lawrence found herself on a press trip to her favourite city. She knew Paris well, having visited countless times since the age of five (literally: she has lost count). And so, on a free day she took her colleagues on an unofficial walking tour, winding them around the city’s parks and islands, through Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter and the Marais, sharing titbits of information about buildings and bridges, along with anecdotes and memories, as they went. “You have to write this down,” one said over lunch at Café de Flore. “This is a book.” The Euro, as you could say, dropped. Katrina had long wanted to write a book, but hadn’t had the time or the subject; on deciding to take a few months off the beauty circuit, she now had both. Two years later came Paris Dreaming: What the City of Light Taught Me About Life, Love & Lipstick. After the book launch, and the various events accompanying it, Katrina saw she wasn’t the only Paris dreamer around — she’d met scores of Francophiles who would likewise get dreamy looks in their eyes at the mere mention of the city’s name. Katrina also realised she had much more to say on the subject of Paris, and was happiest when advising others on how to get the most out of their next Parisian jaunt. Which is why she wrote a book on walking tours with a difference — Paris for Dreamers: Whimsical Walks Through the City of Light’s Delights — as well as launching this website, to give other Paris dreamers the inspiration they need to have their dream Parisian experience.