Janice MacLeod's Blog, page 13

This beautiful cookbook by friend Mardi Michels is so worth it. You do not need to justify this purchase by actually having kids. There were a few recipes in here where I thought, I can’t do THAT! But then I saw photos of these little hands rolling and chopping. I thought, Geesh, if they can do it, I can do it.

Sometimes we get all adult and assume we can cook like an adult. This is not often the case, especially in my case. Recently I made some sort of hot and sour concoction that was so vinegary that every time Christophe brought his forkful to his mouth he started wheezing. And I was following a recipe.

How do you cope with bad recipes? It’s not enough to leave a one-star review. A one-star review is just not satisfying.

I can tell you that In the French Kitchen with Kids gets all five stars. (And it comes out today, July 29th, so if you want a copy, it helps the author tremendously to buy it on launch day). It uses ingredients that are easy to find, and tools that one probably has in the kitchen… except for me. I don’t have anything in my kitchen yet.

Remember that time when I moved to Paris with just a suitcase? Then I moved to a fully furnished home in Calgary with just a suitcase? Well I moved again. This time to Ontario, Canada, where we bought a house in a little beach town. It’s all super sugary cute. Cute house, cute town, near cute cousins, cute cute cute. We purchased in spring, just after all that snow finally decided to melt. After we bought this house, I decided that I wanted two cherry trees. I imagined many-a-pie being made in my super cute kitchen. I mentioned this to my new neighbour who pointed out the trees in my backyard and informed me that they WERE cherry trees.

Wild.

An unexpected delight. I’m currently in the middle of the gathering process. I feel like I’ve reverted to my Los Angeles days where I was listing items on Craigslist to get my life down to that one suitcase. Now I’m on the other end of that, buying back what I sold in the first place and Kijiji is the place to be. But each item that enters the house must be managed, dealt with, updated, maintained, paid for, etc. It makes this minimalist mind spin.

Another thing making my mind spin is my current critical illness, which decided to turn up the week I left Calgary. I’m not going to name it. I’m sure, dear reader, that you will not regale me with So-and-so who had it and lived, but another dear reader might. And I know that with every story about every person who lived, there is another story of a person who did not.

Turns out I was pretty close to that line between Living a Long Life and Dying Sooner Rather Than Later.

This illness has stripped me of all the outward aspects of myself that made me feel pretty. Some gone permanently. Some will return. A few things I’ve learned about critical illness:

*Best to assemble of team of friends who know about it so you can lean on them during difficult moments.

*People instantly look at your ill bits instead of in the eye.

*Finances take a hit because you can’t work.

*Sleep is the best medicine.

*People do not know what to say and you can’t expect them to either.

*Making jokes about it doesn’t cheer people up.

*Prayers turn into meals made.

*Processing feelings is an indulgence and there is no time for it when you’re sick.

*You cry a lot in the bathroom.

*Miracles occur, whether you believe in miracles or not.

*Your toddler doesn’t care. She just wants to play.

A quick random story about this critical illness. Ages ago, my friend Betsy made me a little lapel pin. It was a pink plastic crown with a heart on it. I wore it, then misplaced it, then moved to Paris, then Calgary, and now Ontario. The day I arrived in Ontario, I was at my mom’s house, before I knew if I had a CRITICAL illness or a FATAL illness. I found the pin in a drawer. I have no idea how it got there but there it was. The funny thing is, a few years ago my friend Betsy died of ALS and opted for assisted suicide (Read her amazing story here). When I found the pin, I wondered if I would have to be Betsy Brave. Now that months have gone by and I’m not required to be Betsy Brave, I received another pin in the mail from my friend Sharon. She had no idea about Betsy’s pin. Sharon’s gift was a pin of a beautiful girl with long flowing hair. All the things I feel I’m not right now. When that pin arrived I felt I had turned a corner. I felt I was in the clear.

At least I think I’m in the clear. The doctors agree. The medicines are working as they should. Another miracle.

This is also why I haven’t been blogging or sharing about my Paris Letters, which are still happening in between doctor visits. I still pull myself out of a drug-induced nap to write and paint about beloved Paris. It’s a great joy during this nightmare. I have one customer who must have bought one for every person she’s ever met. I’ve never met her but I’m so grateful because her purchases kept my spirits up and gave me reasons to keep doing what I love. She’s like my cherry trees. An unexpected delight.

I wish you, dear reader, an unexpected delight today, whether it be a cherry pie, a cookbook with a beautiful font, or an unexpected gift in the mail.

When I first started thinking of writing travel books, I perused the travel section of the bookstore. So many books on France. I thought to self, well, that’s covered. Best to do something else.

Then I went ahead and wrote two books on Paris. More to come. Can’t get enough.

France is definitely my beat, and the world beyond the Paris prériphérique is piquing my curiosity. I just need Amélie to grow a little so she’s old enough to be bribed with snacks for good behavior on long train and car rides. 

In the meantime, I’m loving these books that are slaking my cravings for exploring la vie en France. I’m not going to tell you too much about the books. I’m so sensitive to spoilers. Just trust me when I tell you these books are a delight.

PARIS EVER AFTER

K.R.S Burns

Once you begin reading, it’s difficult to stop. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading into the night. (This book also launches today. Buying on launch day helps the author tremendously. Clicking on the titles will get you to Amazon, but feel free to order at your preferred bookstore.)

WAKING UP IN PARIS

Sonia Choquette

Never before have I come across a memoir with Paris as a spiritual teacher. Choquette expertly illustrates how when you heal internally, the external beauty is revealed. I’ve been a fan of Choquette since I read You’re Heart’s Desire. And years later she was next to me on the New York Times bestseller list for her book Walking Home. Sweet!

L’APPART

David Lebovitz

If Choquette was my gateway drug to spiritual books, Lebovitz was my gateway drug to Paris memoirs. This book is about buying an apartment in Paris. Who would have thought buying an apartment would be such an entertaining read. I feel when reading this book that it’s one long email to me. His books sit next to mine at the bookstore. I like to think they are tee-heeing the whole time. Fun and funny!

MY TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN PROVENCE

Peter Mayle

On the other side of my books at the bookstore are those of the wonderful Peter Mayle. I admit, this book hasn’t been released yet, but I’m just assuming it’s as wonderful as his others. You’ll remember him from A Year in Provence fame. He also passed away recently, which makes this final title all the sweeter to read when it comes out June 26, 2018… Pre-order here.

 

I LOVED YOU TOO MUCH

Alicia Drake

Drake presents a portrait of Paris in exquisite detail. Not often do you come across a protagonist that you want to hug and shield from the world. Drake creates a character that is sure to bring out the maternal instinct in every reader. This is a sweet, tender book. And if you’ve lived in Paris, you recognize a few of the more unsavory character traits of the French.

By the way, my own book, PARIS LETTERS, has been selected to be a Kindle Monthly Deal, which means the price of the ebook will be lowered to $2.99 across all platforms (not just Amazon) for the month of May. Happy May 1st dear reader!

Now we all know I’m into sending letters via snail mail. One might think this old school medium means I’m a girl that is likely to have an antique typewriter on display, a girl that buys vintage, someone who owns a sewing machine.

Oddly not one of these things apply, but they sound so ME, even to me.

When Paperless Post asked me to review their ecard service, I thought, well, maybe I should embrace the modern age. Let’s do this thing. Paperless Post designs customizable online and printed stationery. They’ve definitely improved the ecard world by having funky designs by the likes of Vera Wang, Kate Spade, and Jonathan Adler.

Full disclosure: They did offer me some digital coins to try out their online service and write about the experience. These should not be confused with crypto currency. They will not go up in value… that said, they won’t go down either. But these coins don’t work with their print partner Paper Source, unless they do and I haven’t figured it out (which makes it just like crypto currency). Paper Source also doesn’t carry the full line of cards, but they still print a big bunch.

For me? Paperless Post ecards is all about Jonathan Adler. He’s a great example of how Paperless Post has made ecards cool again.

Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is coming up…

So I’ve been fooling with the ecards, trying to evolve and be open to this e-world. We’ll see how it goes. You can check out the full line at Paperless Post.

Copycats: There was a time when there wasn’t even a category for “Letter Subscriptions” on Etsy. Now there are a slew of people selling illustrated letters about their travels, gardens, book reading, and home life. And every one of them has blatantly copied from my Etsy shop. Incredible. Sometimes I get miffed, but then I see that soon, most of their letter subscriptions die a quiet death. And then I get to feel gladness, even smugness, at their demise.

There are a few people that even call their product a letters when it’s really a sketch and not a letter at all. It’s just sent in an envelope, which I suppose justifies calling it a letter. I stay silent. I roll my eyes. And then I grin at the SEO boost I get over at Paris Letters Press whenever they blog about their “Paris Letters”. Bwah-ha-ha! Cha-ching.

 

Underwear drawer: I’ve been cleaning out my underwear drawer… again, which, for any seasoned reader of my work, knows this means a big move is coming. Come along with the next adventure… I’m sure the copycats will be following.

While I’ve been cleaning out, wiping up, picking up, and not blogging, I’ve been continuing with the Paris Letters. Here’s the rundown of the last four months:

All now in the shop. And in anticipation of being on the road and offline, I created another digital shop for your printable pleasure (take note copycats). So you can print out all your Paris Letter stationery as often as you like for a mere fiver (or so, depending on conversion rates). It’s great fun to print out cute stationery at will.  A wee example of the art you can print out on your own printer, thereby saving yourself time and a stamp…

I’m adding to it all the time. Joy of joys to create and curate Etsy shops. It’s odd but strangely satisfying. Try it. You’ll see.

Nothing like the end of the year to make one all reflective and wistful. Makes one want to buy new calendars and gaze at the blankness ahead. What will happen? What will this look like in December 2018? But before that happens, let’s walk down memory lane and view the 2017 Paris Letters collection. All (finally) listed in the shop.

 

 

As I mentioned, all these are now in the shop, so if you’re looking to redecorate your walls in 2018 with Paris-laden letters, voilà!

Happy holidays you crazy cats. Thanks for all the support this year with the letters, the new book A PARIS YEAR, the old book PARIS LETTERS, and of course, for reading this here blog. High five!

Ah shucks. So USA Today made A PARIS YEAR one of their top 10 books ready for wrapping. The best news ever. If you haven’t purchased a gift for your favourite Francophile (or favourite person for that matter), then might I suggest A PARIS YEAR. I’d sell you one in my shop but the book is so robust that neither of us can afford the shipping. At least from where I write to you now in the middle of the snowy Rocky Mountains. Though if you buy it and want my autograph, you can get a signed bookplate in my shopw with free shipping. Just sayin’.

And here is said Rodney from the book plate… and Scott…

And here is David S. Lee, who will kill me over this…

 

Because he prefers this look of his from LOST…

But I prefer this look as it’s truly us in our natural environment… the coffee shop.

Anyway, A PARIS YEAR is getting out there and I couldn’t be more pleased because your humble author has her shop to run, sending out letters and notecards and can’t be off in outer Mongolia asking bookstores to prominently display my books. Speaking of…

Dark moment the other day.

I’m in my local big bookstore. They’ve rearranged and I couldn’t find the beloved Travel section. Finally, I found it in the far far back corner (the outer Mongolia of this particular store). The Travel section was so far in the back that nobody but me and Amélie were back there. How disappointing. However, there were a bunch of copies of PARIS LETTERS and A PARIS YEAR on display. They looked lovely, even though no one in the store could find them. I sighed. I looked at my book neighbours. Ewan McGregor was there with his LONG WAY AROUND, as was Peter Mayle and A YEAR IN PROVENCE… and I’m happy to report that some authors who have become friends were there, too. And if it were a contest, my books were winning the whole section. However, it was a section no one could find.

Just then, Amélie gave me that look. The look that says she’s tired, thirsty, hungry and bored. There was an empty chair so we sat down. I nursed my baby while sitting next to my books. I thought, you know, that’s not so bad. There was a time I was browsing in this section of the bookstore and I would have never believed that I would be here again a few years later with two beautiful books and an even more beautiful baby. So what if the Travel Section was LOST in the back of the store. It was an intimate moment with my babies, and that was just swell.

Remember the days when I could write poetically about a whole lot of stuff? These days I feel like there are just a few precious minutes in between naps (Amélie’s, not mine… sometimes mine) when I can sit long enough to get to my Paris Letters. So when she decided to have a growth spurt and take a rare long nap, I pulled out the paints and wrote a letter about my second favourite boucher in Paris. We all know who wins first place.

But I digress. I was so very pleased by how the water ran and mixed and mingled with the autumn leaves in this Montmartre scene…

Almost a shame to write all over it, but I did. I mean, a copy of it. I’m not insane. As we can read in reviews of my books, typos and errors do happen on occasion. Gawd don’t people have other things to do?

Being a writer these days is a tough business. Everyone has an opinion and our inboxes are maxed out with requests to review our purchases and services. Someone on Facebook even had the audacity to criticize the apple of our eye, Sam Heughan, in the most recent episode of Outlander. I mean, if Sam is getting grief, is there hope for any of us artists who put our work out in the world?

They said WHAT?!?!

Anyway, the Montmartre Autumn Paris Letter from October is in the shop. Another in the shop is the September Paris Letter and it’s about my preferred afternoon snack: Cookies.

It tells the story of when yours truly went to cooking school in Paris. Hey, if you need an egg poached, I’m your girl.

I’ve also been reading the Secret Letter Project by fellow Sourcebooks author Juliet Madison.

It is “a journal for reflection, growth, and transformation through the art of letter writing,” and by golly it works. After you have a baby, your mind gets all mushy and weird. You stop hearing that voice inside… the voice that helps you figure out your life… the voice that actually writes your books for you… the voice that is your pal, your confidant, your Golden Girl.

So for a while there, my inner Estelle went mute. Estelle was replaced by, well, just a list of things to do around the house and another voice that tried to arrange the list so that it could get done.

So my inner Russell Crowe from A Beautiful Mind was all “Laundry in wash, make lunch, laundry in dryer, go to store, first finish orders, then post office, then store, no wait, first store, then laundry…”

But then the Secret Letter Project came along and somehow, writing myself a letter from my future self, or my future house, or my old lady self (myself as a Golden Girl?) seemed to slowly rewire, or restitch my brain back together. Thank goodness, because I really like my brain. Anyway, the Secret Letter Project is a big recommend for making big plans, or even just connecting with your inner Golden Girl.

Hey, thank you for being a friend. Your heart is true. You’re a pal and a confidant.

I love me a parallel concept. Back in advertising my teeth would tingle when I came up with a concept that had double meaning. Oh joy. Even if that concept was for a boring product like a satellite TV company, cereal or insurance.

So here we are again, this time I’m designing note cards. I must admit, designing note cards is soooo my thing. I wonder why I didn’t come up with this idea years ago, especially since I’ve been in the mail business for a long time.

This is a new collection of note cards of great Paris lines… both in literature and architecture.

Though I dig me some watercolour art, sometimes the best way to show off Paris is with a black pen and creamy paper.

Roman Payne’s book Rooftop Soliloquy drifts here and there. Sometimes I get lost in the language. Other times I just get lost. I put it down for months at a time, but then I return because in between all the bla bla bla are great lines.

Oh that Henry Miller. When he wasn’t boinking Anaïs Nin behind the bushes, he was writing great lines. This café, Le Papillon, is located between Christophe’s boucherie and our apartment. It is featured in one of Anthony Bourdain’s Paris episodes. Recently, it went from traditional French cuisine to a fusion of sorts. It still a great place for people watching.

Further up the street is the intersection where I have spent many a minutes awaiting the lovely Melanie for our rendezvous-ing with friends around town. I haven’t spent too many minutes. She’s Canadian, too, and therefore prompt. Christophe is the butcher in the background behind the umbrella-ed couple.

Most of my quotes are from literary greats of the past, but this one from Juliet Blackwell’s book The Paris Key went so very nicely with my key sketch. I couldn’t resist.

And of course, what is a set of literary note cards about Paris without a quote from Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast? I sometimes think that he’s talking not of he and Hadley but of Christophe and myself.

I doubt Victor Hugo spent much time at the English-language bookstore Shakespeare & Company. But I know from personal experience, that I have often left my own apartment with one book, ventured into Shakespeare & Co, and walked out with two or more. I added a few titles you may recognize to this particular note card. Speaking of, Paris Letters, is a Kindle Monthly Deal for the month of October. A mere $1.99 USD… and the same deal is cheaperoo in other countries as well. Check your local Amazon.

Other news:

I was on the Creative Living with Jamie podcast: A super fun podcast where we talked about making a living with creativity.
I was interviewed on Smash Pages: The Comics Super Blog  about my ‘comics-adjacent’ books on the City of Lights.
I’ve got another sweet note card set up and ready in the shop. This one features birds, postcards and Paris. Ooh la la…

PS. The French generally prefer to send a card in January to wish friends a Bonne Année, hence a winter theme rather than a Christmas theme. Plus, birds and stamps look good together.

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I’ve done a taste test of various chai tea lattes. You’ll be happy, and surprised, to learn that the big winner is…

I know. I’m as surprised as you. I thought I’d have to search far and wide, but baby business has kept me close to home to investigate nearby chai. The key is to brew it in hot milk. NO WATER. Add sugar. Boom! Sorry Starbucks.

We had a snow storm yesterday, so you know… indoor activities. The soul is quiet when the weather is dramatic.

I, like so many, love autumn. If you look in my book A PARIS YEAR, you’ll find the October chapter draped in autumn.

If you know anyone who loves autumn and/or Paris and/or pretty books, A PARIS YEAR makes a great gift. Add gift cards from my shop and you’ve got yourself a pretty Paris kit:

Speaking of books, my other delightful book PARIS LETTERS is an October Kindle Deal. For a mere $1.99 USD, you can score what the New York Times hails as a best seller.

Another reason to love October!

My friend and colleague Samantha Vérant who wrote SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS is also part of the October Kindle Deal bookapalooza.

For another mere $1.99 USD you can pick up her delightful book. It includes castles and a steamy love affair. Did you know her dad was once my boss in an advertising agency? Years later we would go on to write books about Paris with similar titles and the SAME publisher. Life is astounding.

I’ve been reading THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP, which is about a bookseller who doles out books as medicine for the soul.

His bookshop is on a little boat in the Seine. I’d like to think he has a view like this photo I took once on a cool autumn day:

I bought THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP ages ago, but then I had a baby and I spent every waking hour of her nap time asleep. But recently I read the sample of Nina Georges new book THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO and loved it. I thought I should read what I’ve got before buying the new book.

Other smashing news…

I was interviewed on Smash Pages, a comic book website for my book A PARIS YEAR. They called it “comic adjacent” which pleases me greatly. I was so enthusiastic that I drifted into other topics:

“I just love the word “adjacent.” I love that sneaky silent D. I’m a writer first, a visual artist second, so I have a collection of words I love. Five that come to mind: adjacent, capture, trinket, paraphernalia, haberdashery. I like how they feel when spoken. Haberdashery is like a full sentence.”

Added a little charm…

“Living in Paris for a visual artist is like living inside a jewelry box. Each corner seems prettier than the next.”

And a little neurosis…

“The search for the perfect font is a long, arduous journey. And I’m the graphic designer of the book as well as the writer so you know I was a control freak about the whole thing.”

A few secrets….

“Every sketch requires some digital jiggery-pokery… All visual art is really a balance between highlighting the good and hiding the bad.”

And a nice tie-in to this here blog post when asked about my preferred season in Paris…

“Autumn. Without question. Autumn. Old cities have old trees, which makes for a lovely place to witness nature’s most brazen costume change. Plus, by autumn the tourists have thinned out, the locals are fresh since their return from their big vacations in August, and fall fashion is draped all over shop windows. It’s a gleeful moment when the new warm coats and boots arrive to Paris.”

Read the full article here.

Now back to my chai latte and my pile of books. Cheers!

 

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So Torre DeRoche calls me up. Asks me to lunch. The day of our rendezvous, I’m frantically wiping counters and reapplying lip balm before we meet. We sit on a lovely terrasse because that’s what one does when one is in Paris.

I don’t even know what we talked about.

Likely we talked about book business: Advances, publicity departments, agents, next projects. I’m sitting there but also sitting beside myself gawking at Torre DeRoche who just asked me to lunch.

If you don’t know her, let me illustrate just how cool she is. She recently asked if I wanted to give a little quote for her book. Since I LOVE her new book, The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World, I gave her two very sensible options that I poured over. They were filled with the kind of verbose language that came straight out of a thesaurus (You can’t just say beautiful. You need to say something like devastatingly handsome.) Speaking of…

Thank goodness the drought is over.

I digress.

I provided her some devastatingly beautiful quotes about her book, which TRULY IS devastatingly beautiful. But then I wrote an extra testimonial that was true, but likely inappropriate, but it was funny so I sent it along to amuse my friend Torre:

“A moving account of conquering fears while walking a pilgrim’s path. Also funny as f@#k.”

And that’s the one she chose.

High five!

My mum is displeased. Not very ladylike. *shoulder shrug*

Torre’s book is about two pilgrimages, one through picturesque pleasant Italy, the other through dusty difficult India. It is a memoir but it also serves as a kind of guidebook through your own psyche whenever you get pilgrim fever. Do I really want to do this walk? Do I need it? What will I get out of it? How can I avoid blisters… and snakes… and rapists. Will I meet cool people? Will I have to shower and sleep alongside strangers? Can I do a 5-star pilgrimage? Is that a thing? Does it count if it is 5-star?

My pilgrim fever comes and goes. When it arrives, I watch The Way again.

I read Walking Home again.

Then I walk to the grocery store instead of taking the car and think Ahhh forget it. I’ll just walk to the grocery store. Can’t that be enough? Why do I put so much pressure on myself. I have an infant! Just getting through the day should be enough. Why can’t I ever be satisfied with just getting through the day? Maybe I should go on a pilgrimage and solve this snag in my psyche.

Then I read The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World again and start looking for the perfect hiking boot. When I read it the first time, I immediately started reading it again. You will, too, but I warn you… you might also get a serious case of pilgrim fever.

Get the book here and read more about Torre here.

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