Yesterday, the third official National Day on Writing, was a huge success! You definitely don’t want to miss out on hearing from five writers via the National Writing Project’s blogtalk radio show. Listen to the show online here. I’m … Read more
In Paris, there’s a bakery on every corner offering buttery croissants, but residents are still slim enough to fit into elevators the size of coffins. What do the French know? This is the first of several posts on food and … Read more
Random surprises about life in Paris (all somewhat related to water):
(1) The brand new French washing machine in our apartment takes (literally) hours to wash a very small load of laundry. The load I do every night takes 2 … Read more
My brother sent me this photo of a fortune he got at a local restaurant. I think it’s the most useful fortune I’ve ever seen–our Chinese buffet doesn’t offer us anything near as handy in its fortunes– usually I get … Read more
Welcome to our Paris kitchen! It’s not large, but it is lovely. Since arriving, we’ve been preparing many (mostly simple) meals in our little space with ingredients from the produce market and grocery stores nearby. My recent favorites: crêpes and … Read more
After my recent blog post on losing a day in Paris, someone innocently inquired as to how I managed to *accidentally* make 10 gallons of soup. This is also for Sarah, who wanted to know about the tiny chickens.
It’s … Read more
In case anyone was wondering, Sugar Mama is spending the year while we’re in Paris with her foster mother, Jenny. Here’s the note she sent us.
Late-night writing isn’t the same without Sugar, but I’m managing. And she’s basking in … Read more
We got up Friday morning resolved to figure out our plans for Saturday and Sunday, since September 17-18 are Journées du Patrimoine — Heritage Days — in France. This holiday means that many museums are free and everybody gets special … Read more
Okay, I love looking at pictures of beautiful food. I love thinking about making it. Especially beautiful desserts like this one from Gourmet. But sometimes, it all just starts looking too difficult, complicated. Don’t get me wrong: I can handle … Read more
Moving to Paris for the year might not seem like the most logical way to connect with the characters in my new novel, which (like the first 2) is set in Texas–although this time in 1930s East Texas. But I’ve … Read more
