I think it has been about a year since I last wrote, and since my desire to pop back in and say hi has been steady for a while, I thought today would be a good day to take the plunge. I have just spent the morning in Paris taking pictures and short video clips for a book promotion, and decided to share some of the photos here. Everyone likes Paris, right?
The series is actually set in the Georgian era (well, Georgian era for the UK although the series itself will be set in Paris). 1774 to be precise. Therefore, I will have need of the Louvre in my setting, although the monarchy was in Versailles at that point. But I will not need the pretty glass pyramid.
Nor will I need the Eiffel Tower, but that’s always fun to spot in the distance. If you want a sneak peek at that series and the other three talented authors who will join me in contributing to it, you can find it here.
Since I last wrote, we hosted a Ukrainian teen for a year. Sviata. And her mom and sister came regularly as well. That was a neat experience and we hope to see them again. The dad was exempt from military service at last because of his eyesight, and we were able to meet him earlier this fall.
(Tuileries below).
We did our usual Bretagne vacation with the extended family, and not for the first time we wondered if this would be our last time. The cousins are all getting too big, although they still love to see each other. And we can’t go in the years we visit the States (like this upcoming July).
We also did the teen camp in the Swiss Alps again. That was such a rich experience as always. We had lots of Ukrainians again this year, and this time we also had twins from the Czech Republic. I think we’ll be having more teens from Eastern Europe in the future.
Juliet is in her second year of university for art (2D animation) and she’s such a delightful, creative soul. Gabriel is a high school senior and will probably do something along the lines of business management. He’s really good at leading. William is in 10th grade and it’s too soon to tell what he will do. Right now, the only thing that interests him is basketball. So we just go with the flow. (My two boys are taller than my husband now – both over 6 feet).
Christmas decorations are starting in Paris.
I’ve just completed my 12th Regency book (and my 15th book overall). Philippa Holds Court won the New England Reader’s Choice award – 1st place in Historical Romance. My books are translated in four languages, and the fifth (Spanish) is in the works. My next release is next Tuesday, which is also my birthday! So I plan to celebrate by wandering around Paris again, but this time with my husband.
In January (yes, almost a year ago) I traveled to Salt Lake City for the first time to meet some good writer friends, and I hope I’ll get to do more trips like that. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like travel solo just for fun. I’m trying to figure out which writer conferences will be the most worth it in terms of seeing friends and learning new things.
And at the end of November, I’ll be doing a Meet & Greet author event in Paris, then a much larger one in April. That one is multinational (the RARE event) bringing together 200+ authors with 1000+ readers. That is going to be fun. (And a bit intimidating).
We continue to serve in our church and host. In fact, our newly furnished guest bedroom is almost never empty. We’re sort of thinking it would be a good thing to have a break from hosting, maybe just for a month or two. We don’t mind, but sometimes it’s nice just with family. And as our teens grow, we realise how little the time is we have left with them in the house. (sob). Got to take full advantage.
Something I miss about my blogging days is that I feel like I was more engaged in living then than I am now. For one thing, I had little ones, so you needed to be hands on. Every celebration and holiday took on a special significance. Every meal had the chance of being something new – and every trip was filled with excitement. Now they’re teens with earphones in, and I spend a lot of time working. If I’m not writing, I’m reviewing narration or translations, or I’m working on ads or marketing. I could seriously work 12 hour days if my family didn’t still need me. Fortunately, they still do need me.
But that’s why it was so nice to get out and walk. And to remember I live right near Paris. And to remember that while I can feel quite old (turning 54) I’m still fairly young. And what a shame to exchange real life and real living for being parked in front of the computer every hour of the day. Besides, autumn is my favorite season, and I don’t want to miss it.
So this is what I’m thinking of. It’s time to live a little, even if it means producing less. That can’t possible be a bad decision.
If you want to read my upcoming release, you can download it here. It will also be available on library applications. Print is coming soon. I just got the cover for it, so I need to put that up. And! It will be available for free (with ads) on YouTube, along with all my other audiobooks. You can find me on YouTube here. Listening to audiobooks can be a fun way to get through chores.
And finally, I have a bookstore now. (Jennie Goutet Books). It will also have merchandise on it. (I’m waiting to get the files from a French artist I admire). But more importantly, it has my books. The designer is currently working on the site, so what you see is not the final design. But it’s fully functional. Click the image below to check it out.
And that has been how I’ve spent my year. You can get more regular news by signing up for my author newsletter, here. Or you can just stick around for my next post. Hopefully some time before 2025. Sending love and warm wishes!
