Almost a decade ago, Anastascia Duchesse embarked on an international journey that changed her life. While completing a 2-year teaching residency in the South of France, she found herself on an unintentional journey of spiritual and personal growth that led to her releasing her strongest childhood emotions and heartbreaks into a diary. Within a few months of being overseas, three of those diary pages became the concept and outline for Dabresha Goes to France; An Urban Girl’s Adventure Outside of Her Comfort Zone, and unsurprisingly, the protagonist (Dabresha) of the novel develops a special connection to the country of France while undertaking her own pivotal journey as a first time traveler through Europe.

Anastascia wrote the majority of the novel while residing in France, where she was able to gain daily inspiration from her surroundings and the situations she experienced as a black traveler immersed in a foreign culture. She recalls writing in the most organic way; in a notebook with a pen that she carried with her everywhere she went– from beaches to cafes and while riding the SNCF trains around the country. In essence, Anastascia did not go to France to write a book, rather a story found her while she was in France and she couldn’t stop writing once she got started!

Anastascia Duchesse founded CF Books in 2016 so that her debut novel, Dabresha Goes to France, could be published independently and on schedule upon her return to the United States. Anastascia aims to  publish more CF books with similar themes and REAL scenarios (no vampires, witches, or ghosts) alongside other authors who have stories with uplifting, relatable, youth protagonists. Anastascia is currently developing a sequel entitled Delilah Takes the Yucatan, that details how the main character’s little sister, after having been inspired by her older sister, takes her own international adventure.

**As of 2017, Dabresha Goes to France is being optioned to production companies as a screenplay or original TV series adaptation. Anastascia could not be more thrilled about the possibility of bringing her debut novel to life on the big screen and inspiring larger audiences to travel outside of their comfort zones!