Tiki Anyone?

My upcoming novel, The Sommières Sun delves into the tiki culture of Paris and New Orleans. “The philosophy, if you will, is living moments of a peaceful life. Let the magic of the ocean and the breeze heal you and wash away your cares. Think white sand and the smell of an ocean breeze. It’sContinue reading “Tiki Anyone?”

Monique and the Gift of Resilience

Steve’s life in France seldom goes the way he expects. Surprises are not uncommon when traveling outside one’s nation. An acquaintance of his, Monique, offers up a few more surprises than most. Steve, sitting in front of Au Petit Suisse Café, realizes he’s likely been stood up by Monique. He has a decision to make.Continue reading “Monique and the Gift of Resilience”

The Gaze of the Blessed Virgin

With much of the longstanding buzz about the art scene in Marfa, one doesn’t hear as much about the traditional, but very important, aspects of the city. Though mostly a bit behind the scenes, St, Mary’s Catholic Church in Marfa plays an important role in the early part of my novel, A Moveable Marfa. AContinue reading “The Gaze of the Blessed Virgin”

Mas de Peuch (or Steve’s place in Southern France)

In A Moveable Marfa, Steve rents a gîte on an old farm not far from Calvisson and Sommières in Languedoc (about 22 km from Nîmes). He wants to get away from Paris and his curious group of friends there and write. The area around the gîte is a beautiful area featuring many small villages, vineyardsContinue reading “Mas de Peuch (or Steve’s place in Southern France)”

Stacy’s Gift to Steve (or be open to the little things)

See anything in the above photo of Julia Street in New Orleans? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But you could have… This is Steve’s acknowledgement to Stacy that she had opened his eye to new things. Let’s go back and drill down in the above photo a bit more. Let’s take a bit closer lookContinue reading “Stacy’s Gift to Steve (or be open to the little things)”

The 10 Bar

A couple of scenes take place inside this unusual bar near Jardin de Luxembourg. This bar has pretty much been miraculously preserved since 1955. Originally started by a dude from Spain named Mariano, it’d be hard to find a more authentic, vintage “dive” experience in Paris than this place which can hold about three dozenContinue reading “The 10 Bar”