Happy New Year!!!

In just a few hours, we'll be ringing in a new year. My advice to you:

Sing like no one is listening.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Dance like nobody’s watching,
and Live like it’s heaven on earth.

I'm thankful for so many things – my family, my friends old and new, and living a simple life full of love, love, love! 2014 has been quite the ride. On October 7th, Sourcebooks released my memoir, SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS, into the wild. Prior to that, I worked diligently on the book's launch and, well, lived and loved my life to the fullest. An active family, we skied in the Pyrénées, surfed in Biarritz, and went scuba diving in Spain and in France. There was a lot of singing, loving, dancing, and living, too.

My nephew Steeve (yes, with an extra e) married the beautiful Laura in La Ciotat (the husband's home town) in June. And, earlier this year, the handsome Ollie proposed to my sister, Jessica. I didn't make it back to the US this year, but I did meet up with my family in Italy for some fun...and wedding planning. Jessica and Ollie will marry this coming June!

Prior to Jess's nuptials, Jean-Luc and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary on May 7th. It seems like only yesterday I took that fateful flight to France to rekindle my romance with the Frenchman that got away. After five years of living in France, I've found my feet. No longer do the Christmas celebrations with twenty people speed-talking in French intimidate this American girl. My life is here now. And, I must say, I love it. Jean-Luc and I work perfectly together, focusing on life's ups rather than the downs. (We crush the downs together...)

The kids and I are closer than ever, which makes next year a bit hard. Elvire will be graduating high school this June...and she wants to attend university in Canada. (Schools in Quebec have reciprocity with France). I suppose I'll cross that bridge later. 

Note: Somebody pass me the tissues come August!

BOOK NEWS

Seven Letters from Paris has been doing better than I ever imagined. In addition to the US and Australian editions, translation rights have sold to SEVEN countries so far: Brazil, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Korea, Lithuania, Serbia, and the Slovak Republic. Unbelievable! Pinch me! 

For those in Australia, Seven Letters was featured on the weekend edition of the Today Show, meaning I was on the show, too – filmed right here in a studio in Toulouse via satellite. They could see me. I couldn't see them. And I didn't realize how nervous I was until the taping was over. It was truly a new experience. I didn't see the segment, but one of my sister's friend's in Oz took the below picture of her television set and posted it on Facebook. (She said I did great, but who knows???)

My first TV appearance via satellite.

Seven Letters was also featured on a national radio show in Australia: ABC's Life Matters. You can listen to a streaming version of the emission here.

I do have more book news. But I can't share it just yet. Soon, though! I promise...

All in all,  2014 was an incredible year and I'm looking forward to 2015. I'll be toasting all of you tonight with a glass (or two) of bubbly. Thank you so, so, so much for being a part of this incredible journey! Here's hoping all of your hopes, dreams, and wishes come true this coming year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

A NOTE FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

So you want to write creative nonfiction in 2015?

Commit to your calling in Jan. and Feb. Candace Walsh will be teaching an 8-week online class ($500) through the Taos Summer Writers Conference's Rananim program. Registration deadline: January 3! Proceeds support the reopening of Taos's D.H. Lawrence Ranch. Here's the link to Candace's class:  http://bit.ly/cwclass -- and you can read more about Rananim's mission in this Santa Fe New Mexican article (bit.ly/sfnmdhlrananim).

If you're serious about honing your craft, I highly recommend Candace to guide you.

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Well, that's it for now. See you next year!

Best wishes and bisous from Toulouse,

xox and cheers!

Samantha

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