Having previously lived in Japan, Lona said that she experienced culture shock when she first arrived in Paris. But later she found that the city, which is often pictured as beautiful and romantic in novels and films, actually has its own quirk that is not always pretty, yet still exciting to explore.

Lona’s first book, Paris, C’est Ma Vie, published in 2012, served as a daily journal and was written while she was still living in Paris. Meanwhile, Voilá la France, which she wrote after returning to Jakarta, explores the French culture and habits that she found unique and funny from a realistic and humorous perspective.

Her interesting experiences include cycling with her family in Paris, her exposure to Claude Monet paintings, visits to literature cafes and her interactions with Parisians and their unique traditions.

Lona admits that creating the second book was far more challenging than the first.

“The process of writing it is like digging back into pieces of feelings, sensations and memories from the time I was still living in France and weaving them back into words, which is not always easy,” she said.