Might and Main Monday: Provence Vacation in my Mind
What is a vacation? By my definition, it’s a place where you go to relax and feel happy. In that case, writing is my vacation. It’s where I’m in a “flow” state, where I’m not concerned about every day tasks and feel spiritually at ease. This year I’m taking a Provence vacation as I write this novel. I imagine its countryside, its delicious food, its charming villages. Yes, I want to be there in person, but I can’t, so as I’ve mentioned before, I travel in my mind. I sit outside…
A Tribute to Plants in Paris
This year on the 4th of July, my husband and I took our kids to see the fireworks show by our neighborhood lake. It was in a park where 5,000 people peacefully sat in the dark and watched pretty flowers explode in the sky. As sweet as it was to see kids and teenagers running around on a warm summer night, I couldn’t help but think of the people in Nice, France a few years ago. That crowd had also gathered to watch fireworks for their independence day, but their…
20 Books of Summer! All About Provence
This summer I’m writing a novel set in Provence so I’ve been dreaming about France. Since I already have a stack of books to inspire me, I thought I’d lengthen my list and join this summer’s 20 Books of Summer event. My books include both fiction and nonfiction set in Provence or elsewhere in France. Picnic in Provence by Elizabeth Bard Swimming Home by Deborah Levy Jean de Florette by Marcel Pagnol Manon of the Spring by Marcel Pagnol Not Quite Nice by Celia Imrie The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson…
Why I Set my Stories in Paris
Though I was born in Chicago and have spent most of my adulthood in Seattle, I’ve always felt more European than American. There’s nothing really wrong with America, it is the land of hopes and dreams and opportunity. America’s resourcefulness and belief in a better tomorrow is ingrained in me. The open friendliness of America is in me too. But in a country that looks to the future, we don’t often value the past. And I’m big into the past. The past is like a dream to me. It draws…
