Hidden In France

Colorful Ikea interiors

I feel depleted on this Friday afternoon.  All the great ideas and the enthusiasm of the beginning of the week have been replaced by an overwhelming desire to curl up in front of the TV and watch a Top Chef marathon. Anything that is not taxing will do, and right now everything is taxing.  

I think I've been talking too much, and typing to much, and taking on way too much. So here to replenish and regroup are images via Keltainen talo Rannalla and the Ikea Live Homes & Ideas.  

 

I'm not done!

I'm such an Ikea girly girl. My dream is to redo my whole house with Ikea furniture and cheap colorful tidbits found in garage sales and trash cans. 

I would call my personal design style Scavenger meets Swedish plastic meets Kitch meets Something Stuck to the Sole of my Shoe.

Now I'm done.  Have a colorful week end.  Oh, and don't forget to sign up in the right hand column for your free cookbook.  I'm 2/3 done with putting it together and I'm aiming for a Nov.1st publish date.

When half a face is not enough

Wow almost 7 days with no complaint?  Let’s interrupt this unnatural streak right this minute.  

For half the day today, the left side of my face looked exactly like a dripping candle with an eye on it.  Or like a wax rendition of my face had gotten a little too close to the wood stove, if you can picture what I mean. This is as close as I have ever been (and God willing will ever be) to looking like a stroke victim.  Scary shit, people.

This is all because I was a sissy at the dentist and she had to up my allotted dosage of Novocain.  So in exchange for no pain I got to look like Quasimodo. A no-brainer.

When this is over, and as I’m attempting a discreet exit out of the dentist office, I am stopped by one of the ladies who works there.  She wants to tell me in person that she read Hidden in Paris and loved it! She totally got it, identified with the characters and says she feels like she has actually visited Paris! 

I am, at that point in complete Writer Heaven.  But due to the Novocain I look disgruntled and out of sorts instead: half of my face grinning and the other half frozen into an atrocious grimace. A face that looked as though it could start dripping down to the floor any minute now.

This was my first time ever meeting a fan face to face (or face to half a face) I was so thrilled I hugged her twice and would have hugged her more had I not looked so creepy.  She absolutely made my day and I’d like to put on record that yes it is possible to beam with pride and joy while at the same time suffering from intense shame and self-loathing.

Be glad, ladies: there will be no picture to illustrate this post.

 

A giveaway! and ten million nematodes

The week-end was a whilwind, guests in town, cooking and taking pictures for the cookbook, a hot giveaway and ten million nematodes in my backyard.  First the cool stuff, then the disgusting stuff.

Cool: Okay people! A giveaway of Hidden in Paris is in progress on Bookin' with Bingo, as well as a fun interview.  Thank you so much Karen! When I checked this morning there were about 130 entries but you can enter more than once, so this might be achance to win a free copy of the book (the paper version, none of that e-stuff no siree..)

Uncool: We have a bad flea problem--YES, STILL!--, which means that I have a flea problem because those raskals love me as much as they love the dog, or even more.  I am bitten to death.  As I type this I have both feet on my desk and belive me when I say it's not a very comfortable writing position.  I resorted to moving about the house parkour style, by hopping from one piece of furniture to another.

We are trying to solve this crisis without poison. We, here, means my husband who ignores my pleas for DDT or setting the house on fire and instead ordered 10 MILLION nematodes online.

Nematodes, as I have learned, are beneficial (we hope) larvas that kill fleas in the garden by... wait for it, this is exciting: entering the fleas' butt hole and proliferating once inside.  

I was on pins and needles awaiting what I imagined to be a dumptruck, or at least a huge bag filled with crawling white larvas the size of twikies.  Instead the ten million little fellows came inside a tiny envelope and in the form of a dog biscuit.  Even after they were diluted in water they looked like nothing at all.  

This was quite the anticlimatic nematode experience.

The next few days will tell us if the nematodes make a dent. 

If the flea nematodes do not help we're going to need marriage counseling. Or else I'm tempted to buy ten million husband nematodes and watch what happens next.

Free Cookbook

Hello ladies, I am working very hard at finishing up the Hidden in Paris cookbook, and I decided that you should be the first ones to receive it.  AND I MEAN FOR FREE! Just for you my readers and readers of the novel I will send you the e-book as soon as it's ready at no charge before I make it available for everyone else.  Just a little gift to say thank you.

Just look in the margin to the right: I created a nifty little button where you can enter your email and first name and get notified. You will also be signing up for my (very rare) newsletter but can unsubscribe at any time.

xoxo  

corine

 

 

Everything FREEE!!!!

This must be Christmas in September.  Yesterday I was telling you about the Paris trip giveaway (it's not too late).  And today come two new wonderful giveaways.  

These days it's a miracle if we get to pay for anything at all.

Drumroll number one: Kit Colson, the interior designer who blogs at Chic Provence had all kinds of lovely things to say about my novel Hidden in Paris and is hosting a giveaway of authographed copies of the book.  So run there to enter, for yourself or for your grouchy boss or mother in law in the hope that a fun novel set in Paris might bring a smile to their disapproving faces. 

Since I won't enter that giveaway myself, which would be really pathetic and would make no sense considering my walls are lined with copies of Hidden in Paris. Drum roll number two:

DRESSES!!!!

I rarely, ever get excited about clothes. My husband says it's because I look all wrong in them and that I should take it all off at all time. But these dresses I LOVE.  Sabrina over at Barefoot in the Orchard  is hosting a giveaway for a smoking hot red dress by Shabby Apple.  I did not know this designer but one after the other, each dress is absolutely perfect in its own way. And reasonable too, most of them in the $50 to $80 range.  And I love that they're arranged by themes.  

My favorite Shabby Apple dresses are the ones with a french flair of course. In the oh la la collection I present you:

L'Artiste :

 

 

and la tour Eiffel:

Aren't those French dresses arorable? The model looks so thrilled something is even squirting out of her you know what. I wonder if that dress would have the same effect on me?

Okay ladies, get busy and enter those giveaways. 

 

Beautiful Parisian buildings, and a chance to win!

Now this is good: This is when your reading my blog year after year and scratching your head wondering why you're wasting your time on such nonsense FINALLY PAYS OFF!  

Don't pinch yourself, don't rub your eyes you are not dreaming: this is for real.  I'm letting you in on a scoop on how to win a Paris experience in hotel stays, vouchers and activities. I mean you were going to Paris anyway, weren't you?  

Anytrip.com contacted me, offered to do a guest post here and I accepted. I've never allowed a guest post before but I think this is worth it, good info on beautiful Parisian landmarks to discover and then a chance to win. Meanwhile Anytrip is asking writers and Paris experts (me for example) to write a guest post for them.  Mine I hear will come out on September 13th.  I had a blast writing it and will post the link soon.

How to win: Go to Anytrip.com and enter the Love Paris giveaway.  You'll need to 'like' the facebook page and post an answer to a question on the discussion wall. Not too hard.  The odds to win so far are great.

Without further ado the guest post: The most beautiful buildings to visit in Paris. 

Visitors to Paris soon realize that the magnificent buildings on the tourist maps are just the tip of the iceberg! Lurking throughout the city are marvels of brick, stone, wood and glass that rival the more illustrious landmarks -- but they are no less beautiful. Journey into hauntingly cryptic crypts or discover mystic chapels that don’t make “top ten attractions” lists but are just as awesome.  Basilique Royale de Saint-Denis Vaulted ceilings create ghostly echoes in this haunting necropolis (photo credit: Jean Robert Thibault) Every gothic cliché in the book(s) must have been inspired by the architecture of this magnificent necropolis erected to sanctify the remains of hundreds of French Royalty who lived -- and died -- in Paris' pampered palaces. Soaring arches adorned with haunting funeral sculptures of the long-dead aristocrats may make your hair stand on end, but the intricate beauty bestowed on the stained glass alcoves and sweeping promenades may well leave you breathless.  Château de Bagatelle Delicious touches give this former hunting lodge a certain je ne sais quoi (photo credit: Bebulaki) Nestled among the Bois de Boulogne gardens, this charming 17th-century chateau survived the WWII bombings with only minor roof damage to remain a testament to a gentrified lifestyle. Such refined tastes that demanded even a common hunting lodge -- as this was originally designed to be -- maintain a neo-classical atmosphere. Perhaps that is why this originally humble edifice eventually blossomed into an elite retreat that looks good enough to eat?  Grande Arche de la Defense Caption: Squaring the circle (photo credit: Slasher-fun) If your tastes lean towards contemporary marvels, treat yourself to a close-up look at the cubist dream come true, an arch that has no curves. Situated among the historical monuments erected to victory and war, this ultra-modern construction was built to honor peace and prosperity. Housing fine 5 star hotels, restaurants shopping venues and top shelf office space, the views enjoyed by the tenants inside are spectacular -- but standing in the center to gaze back along the axis historia aligning the great monuments of Paris is definitely one of those experiences you write home about.  Paris Opera House Caption: Every inch of this opera house oozes elegance (photo credit: Christopher Chan) The outlandish extravagance of 18th century Paris drips from this decadent spectacle of grandeur on an impressive scale. Marvel at the ceiling hand painted by Chagall that so fascinated Earnest Hemingway as you stroll through the glamorous corridors that put modern theaters to shame with their intricate mosaics, fine sculptures and reflecting mirrors that amplify the effect a thousand fold. It is easy to imagine the fine gowns and courtly attire that once preened before those elegant mirrors.  The Madeleine Church Caption: The Greek influence creates an atmosphere of temple rather than a church (photo credit: Patrick Mayon) Unlike the arch-filled cathedrals crowding Paris, this neo-classical beauty on Madgalene Square disdains the ornate trappings of Europe in favor of the solid geometric principles that sanctified the Greek Temples. Ringed with 64 Corinthian columns, the interior's clean asture lines create a feeling of sacred beauty. From the bronze doors to the apse holding the statue by Charles Marochetti of Mary Magdalene Ascending to Heaven, the simple lines of this classical design create a dignified yet stunning statement about the power of architecture.   About the author: Lela Lake is a life-long lover of Paris and writes for AnyTrip.com, the budget travel specialists. As well as browsing a great selection of cheap Paris hotels, you can currently visit their site to enter a competition to win a trip to Paris (ends 30th September 2011). Good luck!

 

What me crazy? ...well yes.

This might be one of those long rambling posts so I'll decorate it with pretty images that are entirely unrelated but SO inspiring. These are pictures borrowed from the incredible blog BabyRamen and are, I believe, pictures at the blogger's home. Her decor style weaves japanese and norwegian influence with a touch of retro/kitch and I love her style. She also has an online store full of goodies here.

Those of you who are patient readers of my whining, please proceed to read. All others can just look at the pretty pictures.

The last two weeks have been trying.  So trying that there will be no period in the sentence that follows just to give you a small taste of my breathlessness and high anxiety.

It started with my son going off to college, which should have been enough emotionally, (if you can't stand the lack of periods and you're Jewish you can punctuate what follows with loud DAYENUS!) and went south from there with a broken toe (from stepping on a lizard and freaking out and jamming my foot into a door as hard as humanely possible), to getting a nasty urinary track infection, to going to the doctor only to be told that I had neither, to spending the week-end in agony without medication, to finding out on Monday that I, in fact did have a UTI ! (next time I'll trust my flaming/raging bladder, not the lab results), to taking an antibiotic that turned me into a bitchy, loony and super emotional version of myself who could not sleep at night AT ALL but compensated during the day by getting SO much done, including but not limited to: teaching myself how to use Adobe Illustrator, being on Facebook 12 hours straight, purging my closet of clothes I hated but many more that I cherished and that are now gone, avoidable fights with friends and loved ones, losing the sense of taste which resulted in a loss of 4 lbs in 5 days. 

that was it ...in a nutshell.

Other things were good, great even, but also contributed to a sense of looming change and inability to cope. For example my son is thriving without me. Shit, that wasn't part of the plan.  I wanted this of course, but now he might never come back.  I'm exaggerating of course... but really, I'm not :(

Also and mostly my novel Hidden in Paris (oh, yes, link, link! ) is doing well. Really well. Better than I thought it would after just four months.  (And remember, no agent, no publisher and not a cent in advertising were wasted in the publication of this baby :)  But now I have began counting on it, worrying that I have a good thing going and not wanting it to be taken away. Never happy you say?  I just say Xanax you and I should meet soon.

And it's also good that all my small miseries of the last two weeks made it possible for me not to think of my son being away at college for nearly ten minutes at a time (and only bringing him up in every other sentences.)

Always looking for the silver lining.

Now the drugs and ailments are out of my system and I'm bracing myself for more changes.  My little guy is starting school (at long last Halleluya!) and I will start exercising every day (starting real slow with yoga and walking.) I have set up a computer without access to the internet in an empty room (my son's...sigh) and hope to increase my writing by physically moving away from distractions. I also plan to limit my checking of emails to twice a day because those yank me out of concentration.

I would love to hear how you personally improved productivity/focus/concentration or ability to resist distraction. Any trick will help because I am shooting for a deadline of October 1st (that's right, one month!) to finish my Hidden in Paris cookbook (a cookbook with all the recipes in the novel, with accompanying photos.) which I plan to sell very cheaply on Amazon, mostly as a way to help promote the novel. 

Voila my friends, I hope you enjoyed the pictures, if not the blabla.

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! (sorry... trace residues of the medication in my system)