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Leslie’s On Zee Go Newsletter

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
— Stephen King

Wrapping up 2018 . . . in stilettos.  

NOT ON THE ROAD
After Berlin, London, Paris and New York for “Welcome to Marwen” it was so nice to be at home for Christmas.
Berlin was cold and decorated for Christmas. The biggest and supposed best was a quick walk from our hotel where these giant snow angels were walking about.

While Bob did a day of press I found an amazing hat store with crazy custom hats, here is one I did not get, only because I was afraid the bird feathers would be squashed traveling. A quick tea with a new friend, Brit Kanja, a “creative Style Icon” who is on the cover of my friend Ari Seth Cohen’s new book “Advanced Love.” Then we zipped off to Paris.

The Bristol welcomed us with open arms, and a bottle of Dom. Dinner in their 114 Faubourg restaurant. If it’s good enough for Sir Paul (who was in town for a concert) it will do. Actually it was great! Breakfast in a chic local café with a French friend and her new baby. My fav driver from years and years of trips Olivier drove me around to a million places doing research for my next book (currently writing), a visit to the Madeline (love this church where Marie Duplessis would pray. She is the Marie Alexandre Dumas wrote about in Las Dames aux Camelias (played by Garbo and every important actress ever!) Tea at Nina, were supposedly Marie Antoinette (my idol) had her tea made. Yes, I bought some. The lights were fantastic and festive in Paris!! The best. Bob did a French TV show and they surprised him by highlighting my character! Suzette.

From there it was on to London. The most awesome festive decorations. They know how to celebrate. Saw lots of friends, artist David Downton for breakfast, Virginia Bates for tea. (Sadly a couple days later Virginia was caught in the Paris riots and badly hurt! She is on the slow mend. Send her love). Zipped to the V&A for a fashion exhibition about fashion and nature. A quick meal with burlesque artist and friend Duchess Debarry. Great!!! Had a very eccentric tea at the Wolseley with eccentric, author, historian and more, Tyne O’Connell, where to dull the pain from a malignant brain tumor she delves into the lives of eccentrics from centuries past. She wore a ball gown, gloves and tiara. My kind of lady! Then on to Prague for our anniversary. (Okay, first I did find a few hats at Fenwick’s!)

Prague so beautiful. A private tour of a library in a monastery with a book dating back to 800 something or other! Best tour guide ever, and I hate tour guides, yammering on and I tune out.

We walked the streets where Milos Forman filmed “Amadeus.” It was cold, beautiful and I visited some swans. (Love my Flamingos better). More great Christmas markets and eating all manner of decadent sweet things. Highlight: Ballet with a Czech company. We were pretty tired, so left at “half time” but it was amazing! Even Bob loved it. A tour through the Jewish Cemetery with something like 12 layers of burials. Visited churches, shops, wonderful eccentric restaurants in towers and below ground and on the water.

Home just in time for our annual Polar Express party with about 50 kids wired on sugar cookies that they decorate! I “believe” and the mess was worth it!

Okay, so I finally discovered “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” I know I’m always so late to everything TV. But this is great. I love the costumes, makeup and my friend Tony Shalhoub is in it! It will be my go-to as I am soon to bury myself in what I hope will be my next book. I already have 100 UGLY terrible rotten pages. Terrible first drafts neither phase or daunt me. I know with each rewrite they get better, clearer.

So having said that . . . I will be at the computer every day for hours and hours to get this done!!! I’ve got a stack of books I have to read for research (my favorite part of writing) and big calendar of events to keep my character’s timeline clear 9which isn’t easy when one dips back into history, long long ago history.

I still maintain the most important book to keep on your desk and open is a Super Thesaurus!!! I keep notebooks by the dozens – completely unorganized and with notes all over. But it is an addiction I will not give up. Give me a good notebook, cheap, fancy, expensive, leather, dime store they are all good.

 Loved this book so much. Learned a whole lot about structure, moving the story forward while painting a character’s past. I highly recommend this – which makes my book count approximately 75 books for the year (I think I have a few more I didn’t list or didn’t finish)

Stay tuned……please visit my website to check out previous newsletters

Burlesque and Pinup Emojis
 

If your BOOK CLUB would like me to visit via Skype I’m available on the road or when I’m at home. It’s been fun coming into your homes, sending specialty FAN cocktail recipes before for you all to try. email me at staar@staarlet.com  if you want me to join in on some Fun FAN talking. A questionnaire is available on my website to download for your Book club.

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