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The temperatures are climbing and the hammock is calling. If you are like me, you enjoy swinging in the shade or sitting on the sand, a fab beach read in hand.  I have compiled a list of my favorite beach reads for you, my gentle reader.  So step away from the computer screen (it casts a ghastly white glow that does nothing for your complexion) and out into the sunshine.  Grab one of these books, some lemonade, and read!  My blog will be here when you get back...I promise! The Reluctant Tuscan by Phil Doran This book is like a big pot of Pasta Fagioli .  It's warm, satisfying, wholesome, and full of rich flavor and colors.  On dreary winter days in Alaska, when the sun would cling to the horizon like a miser clutching coins, I would make a pot of Pasta Fagioli and read Phil Doran's hilarious memoir about his move from glitzy Los Angeles to a ramshackle, 300 year old house in a village in Tuscany. I have recommended The Reluctant Tuscan to countless people and was thri

Glaces de forme de roses fabrication artisinale! Savvy visitors to Paris have probably heard about Berthillon , a family-owned gourmet ice cream shop located on the Île Saint-Louis. Established in 1954, Berthillon has become somewhat of an institution and was voted the best ice cream shop in Paris.  To that I say: Tu plaisantes? (Which translates: Are you joking?) The best ice cream in Paris is not found on the tony island but at Gelati d’Alberto (45, rue Mouffetard) in the lively and bourgeois Latin Quarter. The shop is not as charming as Berthillon, the atmosphere not as posh, but the ice cream is so outrageously delicious that it is easy to overlook the tacky sign and pink neon lights. Made with only the freshest and most natural ingredients, it is scooped using a paddle and shaped into a beautiful rose. I had Belgian Chocolate and Raspberry while my travel companion had French Vanilla and fresh blueberries. If you are fortunate enough to find yourself in Paris, be sure

Exciting News!! I just received the gorgeous cover flat for the Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance.   My short story, After the Gloaming , will appear in this anthology, which is due to hit bookstores in January 2011!   The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance is an anthology which contains romantic fiction from bestselling contemporary authors (including my pals Cindy Miles and Elle Jasper ).  Set in Scotland, this collection includes both contemporary and historical settings, time travel, ghosts, and plenty of fantastic and paranormal elements. Are you as excited as I am?

See Spot Run! Run Spot, Run! You might recall I wrote about my mad-cap adventures in the article How NOT to Visit the United Kingdom . Well, when I wasn’t giving first aid to unfortunate pedestrians, being interrogated by Buckingham Palace Guards, and flying on the queen’s own search and rescue helicopter, I was touring historic homes like Number 1 Royal Crescent in Bath. This magnificently restored home allows visitors to see what it would have been like to live in a townhouse in Georgian England. In the kitchen I found an item that captured my interest. It was a large iron wheel located above the fireplace. I asked the sweet-faced, blue-haired docent what it was and she told me it was a turnspit. Apparently, a dog would be placed inside the turnspit (it looked a little like a hamster wheel). The dog would run, causing the spit to turn and allowing the meat to be perfectly roasted and evenly browned. The docent even told me that the dogs put inside the turnspit were called turn

"How delightful were these groves scented with lilacs, peopled by nightingales . . . the queen spent most of the fine season there." Baroness Oberkirch remarking on the grounds of Petit Trianon In, Rainy Morning with a Master , I told you about a sweltering summer day in 1978, when a frazzled librarian gave a biography about Marie Antoinette to an inquisitive, loquacious child. From that day on, I became obsessed with the tragic queen and with the notion of visiting the Chateau de Versailles. I imagined myself gliding through the  Hall of Mirrors, sunning myself on the green grasses of Le Hameau, inhaling the earthy scents that permeate the air in the Orangerie. Twenty-two years later, my dream of visiting Versailles came true.  Was it magical?  Did I feel exhuberant?  Not exactly. The moment I walked into the chateau I felt an overwhelming sadness, as if I had donned a mantle of meloncholy.   The gloom persisted through the King and Queen's Grand Apartment

I have decided to start a new column on this site. Every Friday, I will be posting a brief article about one of the fabulous objects d’art I have seen during my travels. These objects have aroused my curiosity and inspired my creativity. I hope you enjoy Friday’s Fabulous Finds! Napoleon's Nécessaire (Travel Box): While wandering through the Louvre on a blisteringly cold winter day, I happened upon this curious object: Napoleon’s Nécessaire. The emperor would bring this mahogany box containing over one hundred useful items (including a silver tea set, a ruler, compass, almond powder, mirror, ear picker, and shaving brush) with him on all of his military campaigns. One little gold box apparently contained licorice (one of the Emperors preferred treats). I couldn’t help but marvel at the opulence and practicality of the nécessaire, nor could I help but wonder what the little objects would say if they could speak. What would his mother of pearl handled penknife tell us about the “gl