It was a night to celebrate, so we took ourselves off to Majorelle, which opened in March in The Lowell hotel on the Upper East Side. Charles Masson, who for forty years stood at the helm of his family’s old-style French restaurant, La Grenouille, has launched this dazzling new French with Moroccan touches in the space previously occupied by The Post House, an old-line steakhouse.
Read MoreWould you like to hang your hat in Paris? Stay not for a week, but for a month, a year or a lifetime? Many of us have fallen in love with the beauty and culture of the city, and some have stayed love enough to understand the charms of the lifestyle enjoyed by the French. One who did just that, living on a houseboat on the Seine, is my friend Roni Beth Tower, a She Writes Press author, whose recently published article follows. Read on and enjoy!
Read MoreOne of the great things about being a flâneuse, one who loves nothing better than taking in the passing scene, is that there’s no end to the surprises -- neither in New York or Paris. So, it was the other day while running errands, when I was brought up short at the sight of Le Moulin à Café....
Read More**Apologies if you have received this email twice - we had a small glitch with our first attempt!**
Goodbye, Summer! It was a shock to my inner-gardener when I stepped out onto to the terrace this morning to find the straw-hat season packing up, moving on. Without so much as a 'by your leave'. How did this happen?
It seems that only yesterday we were celebrating the Fourth of July, anticipating a bounty of Long Island corn, the sweetest corn in all the world. Looking forward to plucking a few juicy New Jersey beefsteak tomatoes off the vine. Cracking open a batch of Maryland crabs. Turning a humble breakfast into a feast with a Connecticut cantaloupe. And tossing a couple of Maine lobsters on the grill for an easy dinner.
Read MoreHello and welcome back Guys and Gals!
I hope your summer was refreshing to body and soul, whether you were at-home or abroad, at the seashore or in the mountains. Mine was spent in front of the computer screen, happily researching and writing another memoir. Why leave home if you’re having such a good time?
Read MoreHello Guys and Gals!
When I signed off for summer a week or so ago, I had not anticipated so much good news coming my way. First there was the selection of Veronica's Grave as a New York Public Library TOP PICK for Summer 2017, followed days later by the breath-catching news that Missing Mother, the Canadian version of Veronica's Grave, had made the Bestseller List in Canada during its first week in the stores. When I asked my editor at HarperCollins Canada if that entitled me to call myself a 'best-selling International author,' his response was: Absolutely!
Read MoreI'm honored that Veronica's Grave: A Daughter's Memoir made the 2017 summertime reading list of none other than the New York Public Library! The list is comprised of the top picks of librarians throughout the library system. That my memoir was selected by the head librarian at the exciting new Bronx Library Center seems most fitting as I was born in the heart of the once Beautiful Bronx where "the best people live."
Read MoreMy thanks to those who have inquired as to why there have been so few posts of late. In years gone by, I've taken a break between Memorial Day and Labor Day, as it’s not as much fun bopping around the city in ninety-degree weather, but I always pause to say goodbye, something I’ve not done until now for a number of reasons.
What's the story?
Mainly, it's that I’ve been hard at work on another book, which I hope to finish this summer, a preoccupation that has left me with little time for seeking out French style here in the city. And, more importantly, my favorite wining and dining companion has been under the weather of late. That said, the ‘Comeback Kid,' currently in rehab and not enjoying the cuisine at all, should be fit as a fiddle by the Fourth of July. All of which calls for a celebration, one that this year includes the publication of Missing Mother by Harper Collins Canada. Hooray! Hooray for the Comeback Kid! Hooray for Harper Collins! Hooray for Canada celebrating 150 years of harmony on July 1st! Hooray for Missing Mother! And, lastly, hooray for you and me!
Read MoreIt was a brilliant summer day, the temperature climbing into the 80s. Entering the dining room of Café Boulud, I wondered if the air conditioning was working. It wasn’t cool enough for me, but then few New York City restaurants are. Having lived off-and-on in Florida for fifteen years, I can vouch for southern expertise in turning an overheated dining room into a chilly igloo, at the flick of a thermostat. And doing so night after night.
Read MoreOne of the seldom-mentioned pleasures of being a published author is meeting other published authors. And the day I had lunch with the convivial Sande Boritz Berger, author of The Sweetness, an award-winning memoir of guilt and survival, was no exception.
Where should we go?
It’s gotta’ be French!
Read MorePublishing a book is a marathon, not a sprint! Or so we writers hear regularly. Patience is not only a virtue, but a necessity. Now, with the one-year anniversary Of Veronica’s Grave coming up May 9th it’s time to take stock.
Read MoreThroughout the nineteenth century, the ‘fairground’ —loosely translated as the ‘sideshow’ of the traveling circuses of the day—was a popular theme with the press and artists alike.
Anchoring an exhibition of 100 related works on this theme at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a masterpiece of the museum’s collection, the sublime Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque) painted in 1887-88 by Georges Seurat (1859-1891).
Read MoreOn St Patrick’s Day, where better to celebrate than at Balthazar, the lively French brasserie in SOHO owned by the restaurateur Kevin McNally.
For twenty years, Balthazar has been packing in the crowds from 7:30 in the morning until 1:00 in the morning, a mind-boggling accomplishment. But what accounts for the on-going popularity in this restaurant-fickle city?
Read MoreThere's great news this week, but let me start with a fantastic sale. It's hard to believe, but on May 9th Veronica's Grave: A Daughter's Memoir will be celebrating its First Birthday.
To honor all books published by She Writes Press in Spring 2016, the publisher is running a one week sale of those books. Starting now. There are 36 books to choose from, and each can be downloaded for pennies! To be exact for 99 cents each.
If you're feeling reflective, there are a number of memoirs to check out. If you're looking for historical fiction or a riveting mystery, you will find them on the list. All you need do is click here
Read MoreHello, Guys and Gals!
Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes! It was an amazing day filled with greeting cards, email cards, flowers (even my local florist sent flowers!), phone calls, and emails from relatives and friends all over the country. Many of whom have been celebrating with me for a lifetime.
And, of course, there were messages from Facebook friend, who have entered my life more recently, bringing with them richness and warmth. I’m grateful for everyone who made the day special. Especially for my husband who wined me and dined me at the fabulous candlelit Le Coucou.
Read MoreHappy Valentine’s Day!
So many of you have read Veronica’s Grave, and I’m grateful for your support—for the outpouring of kind words and, of course, for the glowing reviews you've posted on various platforms.
Now, in this month of love, Amazon has sent me a 'Valentine’ I’d like to share with you...
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