Blog
November 8th Book Reading and Signing
My book "The Lavender House in Meuse" is now available from Amazon as an e-book as well as in paperback. Now that the book is out and will be available soon, I will be doing an author event, readings and signings, on Nov. 8 at 4pm at Village Book Store in Bellingham,...
The Vineyards of Alsace
Have left Alsace in the Colmar region and now in Beaune. Hot and sunny and the hundreds upon hundreds of fields flowing with the vines of multiple varieties of ripe grapes are beginning to be hand harvested. Today we spent the morning in the open market sampling...
The Key
As my husband Terry and I walked along the banks of the Meuse River crossing all the very old bridges we came upon and crossing back again at the next one, Terry's shoe caught on something in the dirt. He stopped and scuffed up the dry soil with the toe of his shoe. ...
Marseille
We spent our last two days in France in the port city of Marseille. Marseille is the 2nd largest city in France, has the 3rd largest deep water port and is home to a multi-cultural population and 70 consulates. Marseille was settled in approximately 600 BC. There are...
Beautiful Provence
Today was the last of three in the ancient city of Vaison-La-Romaine in the Provence Region. We have toured and tasted our way through many vine vineyards and caves and I can say I finally know the difference between a Penoit Noir and a Burgundy. I can almost smell...
Bedazzling!
Chamonix France. The French Alps - monolithic majesty! The gondola rides - breath taking! The alpine trails - sometimes rugged. L'Arve River - roaring past our door. The para sailers - multitudes of colorful birds. The forests and glaciers - bedazzling.
Difficult Day at Verdun
Yesterday at Verdun was difficult. I thought I was prepared knowing it would stir memories and feelings of great sadness, but I could not have anticipated the degree of deep grief I experienced. We followed the "sacred road" along a portion of the "red area" where the...
A Busy Busy Day
A busy busy day. Gothic Notre Dame de Reims Cathedral this morning and tour of the city. We just returned from touring the champagne caves of G H Martin. Three glasses of bubbly n then spent time at another cathedral. Did you know the making of wine n champagne is...
A Sleepless Night
A sleepless night. I was so eager to begin the day that I couldn't sleep. Terry and I spent lovely hours in the countryside along the Meuse between St. Miheil and Verdun looking at the very old houses that resembled Marie's and at many places along the river coming so...
Bonjour from France!
Below is the first of several blogs I will be posting which follows my journey through eastern France including both Marseille and Verdun, the places where my book, "The Lavender House in Meuse" begins and ends: Bonjour from France! Yesterday we wandered along the...
Off to France!
My husband and I will be leaving Thursday to spend 17 days in France. The first few days we will be on our own visiting those places that were the setting for the book including Verdon, the smaller villages and towns along the River Meuse and Marseilles and then...
Press Release Excitement!
The press release for the October launch of "The Lavender House in Meuse" was picked up today by Broadway World Book News and the BBC Record as well as a few newswires. Off we go! Below is the link to the press release should you want to take a read!...
View From the Window
Below is a quote from The Lavender House in Meuse which is so beautifully captured in the back-cover illustration by artist Kathleen Noble: "Later that day, once I had gathered my senses, I ascended the creaking stairs, dust mites in rays of light leading the way...
Lavender Then and Now
The cover of "The Lavender House in Meuse" depicts a simple home sitting in the midst of flowering fields of lavender. Lavender has been cultivated in France for centuries and used extensively in the production of perfumes and essential oils as well as regaled for its...
Cover to Cover
While it may be a good practice not to judge most books by their covers, the cover of "The Lavender House in Meuse" may just be the exception! My sister, Kathleen Noble, is an artist and illustrator. While I was visiting Kathy and our mother in Dallas this spring, I...
Welcome to my Blog!
This is my very first blog on my very first website regarding my very first novel, "The Lavender House in Meuse". The learning of all things social media is a steep learning curve for me and, being a woman of words, I like to research what I write about. Hence I...
Lavender House on NetGalley
Attention booksellers, media, librarians, educators, reviewers, and bloggers -- you can now request your review copy of The Lavender House in Meuse at NetGalley: If you haven't heard of NetGalley, you need to get on over there as it's a great way to discover, read,...
Lavender House Cover Reveal!
I'm so excited to share the cover of The Lavender House in Meuse! What do you think of it?