I love Paris. I stopped by the café next to the metro today for a hot chocolate. The waiter is a friend by now – as I wrote a good portion of Lunch in Paris sitting in one of his booths. He said he sent the reference of the book to his two brothers who live in the US. I hope he mentioned that he had a great hand in its completion – my morning café crème (and croissant from the boulangerie up the street), was essential for artistic inspiration.

I’m back to writing pitch letters, thinking of every angle. The book has opened up some exciting journalism opportunities – particularly with the women’s magazines. In my former life as an art critic, I wasn’t exactly on their radar. As a newly minted Parisienne, I seem to be more interesting to them. So I’m back to that eternal cycle (familiar to all free-lance journalists) of “throw it at the wall and see if it sticks”.

My reading at WHSmith in Paris is tomorrow night – and I’m finding myself nervous – which is not my normal reaction when faced with a crowd. These people don’t want to hear about molten chocolate cakes and outdoor street markets – they live that every day! Rather than talking pros and cons, I hope we will get into a discussion of the synergies between French and American culture. What I want to say – what I hope the book says in the end – is that, for us, two cultures have been better than one.