A Journey Through Genealogy and a Shocking Discovery
After watching Alex Haley’s ROOTS as a child, Juliette Godot became interested in genealogy and over the years has catalogued almost 40,000 ancestors. The quest to find her roots led her down the back roads of France to the unsung principality of Salm where superstitions were part of everyday life. There, she found her 12th-generation grandmother, Catherine Cathillon. An asterisk beside Catherine’s name led Juliette to information that gave her the shock of her life. So many women of that era suffered the same fate, but the realization that it happened to her “grandma” affected Juliette greatly.
From Engineer to Author: Turning Adversity into Inspiration
During this time, Juliette was working as a software engineer at Carnegie Mellon University. A series of car accidents disrupted her genealogical sleuthing. Texting had just become a popular pastime and working at a college in the forefront of technology made sitting ducks out of drivers who stopped for red lights. Her car was rear-ended five times in nine years. After suffering multiple whiplashes and concussions, doctors diagnosed her with Trigeminal Neuralgia and Vertigo, leaving her unable to work. With nothing to do except feel sorry for herself, Juliette decided to write Catherine’s story.
Finding Purpose Through History and Resilience
The Renaissance Era, the unsung country of Salm with its myths and legends, and the grit of the people steadfast in faith as war surrounded them enveloped her. A renewed sense of purpose helped her to realize, comparatively, that her problems were minuscule. The more she researched, the more she found that though time and issues change, people do not. With all of her health problems, it took Juliette more than ten years to write Catherine’s story.
Award-Winning Historical Fiction and Literary Success
In 2021, Juliette submitted Catherine’s story, From the Drop of Heaven to the Royal Palm Literary Awards and won the Gold Medal for unpublished historical fiction. With that award, she secured a contract with Brown Posey Press in 2022. Later in 2022, Juliette’s novel won the Sunny Award and the 5-Star Highly Recommended Award of Excellence, and the Book of the Year Awards Honorable Mention from the Historical Fiction Company. In 2023, her novel was a Chanticleer Chaucer Award finalist and released as an audiobook in 2024.
A Celebrated Author with Deep Roots and Diverse Passions
Juliette has been featured in magazines such as Grit & Goals (2024 Fall Issue), Historical Times (April 2023 Edition, and here on Author’s Lounge. What started out as a way to cope with her disabilities has been a major achievement in her life.
Juliette and her husband of forty years make their home in beautiful Western Pennsylvania. She still works on her genealogy, likes to paint, babysit her grandchildren, and tend to her pollinator garden.
A Tale of Forbidden Love and Survival in the Renaissance
It’s 1582, a time when books are banned, and witches live next door. Both Catholic and Protestant fanatics believe theirs is the only truth. Everyone is a heretic to one side or the other.
Martin, an accused seditionist, seeks safety in Salm. A haven where both Catholics and Protestants are free to pray the way they want. Martin teaches Nicolas, the mayor’s son, to read. Though Nicolas knows Martin’s books are banned, he cannot resist them.
Catherine Cathillon and her family live in isolation as her father’s mistrust of the church prevents her from joining the community. A chance meeting with Nicolas changes everything. He reads to Catherine and when she learns what life is like outside their farm, she begs him to teach her to read. Class differences force them to meet in secret. During the lessons, they fall in love, but their romance comes to light, igniting the fury of spurned lovers who swear revenge.
Lovelorn vengeance is one thing, but when one of the banned books is found in Nicolas’s shop, Catherine realizes that her father was right. Their true enemy is the man charged with saving their souls, and he will stop at nothing to reinforce his position of power. Her only hope for clemency is to refer to things she could only have learned from the banned books. She must choose her words carefully, as they will either free her or send her to the stake.
Inspired by real people and events, genealogist Juliette Godot draws from her Renaissance-era family in her award-winning debut, From the Drop of Heaven. An unforgettable story of love, faith, survival, and… justice?
Discover the gripping journey that blends history, heart, and justice. Click here to get your copy of From the Drop of Heaven on Amazon now!
