HELP CHOOSE A BOOK COVER
I'm excited to share the cover designs for my upcoming book. Please take a close look and let me know which numbered cover you prefer: comment via this link. Thank you for your feedback and don't miss today's story, just below. (Cover designs by Monica at TLC Book Design)

Or go directly to the poll page, where you will see the book covers up close and you can vote.

TODAY'S WORD: GALÉRER

    : to struggle, have trouble

"Les galères font le galérien." –Victor Hugo
(Difficult times create resilient people.)

A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse

I have been trying to gather these stories you are reading into a book for years—ever since my last compilation was published a decade ago. You'd think it would be simple to pull together some blog entries, paste them into a manuscript, and—abracadabra—upload them to Amazon's Print On Demand. After all, there are so many tools and support systems available for indie publishers. But, after struggle upon struggle–après avoir bien galéré–I realized I couldn't do this alone.

Back in 2003, as a newly-minted blogger, I managed to put these early billets into a manuscript, create a cover, and send the files off to "Instant Publisher" in the States. They printed the books and shipped them, 500 at a time, to me in France. In turn, I shipped them one by one and sometimes three by three (many of you graciously bought all three volumes) to readers worldwide. These little awkward editions (one was missing part of the title on its spine, and all three lacked proper interior formatting) were selling like hotcakes, and I was finally making a living as a writer–or at least helping to supplement my husband's income. I was now a stay-at-home mom with a vocation! My publishing gig might have continued even today if it weren't for an unexpected email from a "Big Five" éditeur…

It was a dream come true when Simon & Schuster professionally edited my essays into a hardbound book: "Words in a French Life." While the memoir did well, selling over 50,000 copies, it wasn't enough for the publisher to want to pursue a Volume 2. When my editor suggested fiction, I froze, having only ever written short essays. Allowing all my insecurities to come out and feast, I let my contract with a New York agent run out and I returned to what was "easiest" or most familiar to me: blogging. I made a few half-hearted attempts at printing more books but had lost my self-publishing mojo.

Several years later, a reader reached out, and I had the chance to work with Tami and Erin at TLC Book Design. It was exciting to see two more books published in 2009 and 2014! But after our déménagement from the vineyard, I floundered for a while. Then, in the beginning of 2024, fueled by the positive comments on the blog, the dream was rekindled. I realized part of the difficulty in gathering the stories was the overwhelming scope of it all: there were 22 years of archives to sort through! Finally, the thought came: Begin where you are. Just do your best with your current stories and enter them into the manuscript, one by one.

This decision helped me focus on the story at hand and stick to a narrative. As I worked, the title for the book surfaced naturally:

"A YEAR IN A FRENCH LIFE"

Finally, this title sounded right, given the book is based on this column "A Day in a French Life." With these pieces of the puzzle in place, I was off and running! Well, until the formatting woes, cover conundrums, etc., drained me, and the doubts returned. A quoi bon? Why bother making a book when it's so much easier to just keep blogging? As long as I kept mumbling "A quoi bon?" I was stuck.

Last week, I was ready to give up altogether when my sister Heidi called. Within minutes, she assured me it would all come together. "Keep at it!"

Once again, the message is: cela aussi passera. This doubtful moment will pass. There will be others, but they will pass as well. The next day, I was back at my manuscript, and things were looking clearer. This overwhelming project felt faisable. Around this time, I received a series of book cover options from TLC Book Designs, who I'm pleased to be working with again. "A YEAR IN A FRENCH LIFE" will be published in 2025, and though I'm only halfway through the manuscript, I trust I'll make it to the finish, with the help of faith, friends, and family. While I may like to do things on my own, experience is showing me that life is better together.

I leave you with the second most beautiful verb in the world, according to peace activist and novelist Bertha von Suttner:

"Après le verbe 'aimer', 'aider' est le plus beau verbe du monde." "After the verb 'to love', 'to help' is the most beautiful verb in the world."

Post Note: As for the nagging question "A quoi bon? or Why bother" Here is one good reason: Because if we don't pursue our goals, they will bother us until we do! I suppose that is the reason I write.

LOOKING FOR BETA-READERS
I am looking for volunteers to read the first half of my manuscript and report any typos or mistakes. If you are comfortable reading 187 pages in Microsoft Word and good at spotting errors in French and English, thank you for contacting me at kristin.espinasse@gmail.com

 

Some of the first books I self-published. The yellow book is the Simon & Schuster edition. Three more books are not pictured, as this photo was taken before they were published.

COMMENTS
Your comments are enjoyed and your edits are appreciated. Click here to leave a message.

FRENCH VOCABULARY

Listen to Jean-Marc pronounce these French terms. Click here

galérer = to struggle, have trouble

Les galères font galérien = Difficult times create resilient people.

après avoir bien galéré = after struggle upon struggle

un billet = blog post

un éditeur = publisher

déménagement = move

A quoi bon? = Why bother?

cela aussi passera = this too shall pass

faisable = feasible

Après le verbe 'aimer', 'aider' est le plus beau verbe du monde. = After the verb 'to love', 'to help' is the most beautiful verb in the world.

REMERCIEMENTS
Sincere appreciation to the following readers who recently sent in a blog donation. Merci beaucoup! –Kristi

Lo S.
Ron C.
Joan S.
Tom D.
Fred G.
Lynn R.
John M.
Linda A.
Brenda P.
Kathryn H.
Rob and Pat W.

Kristi, your beautiful posts are a delight! Merci beaucoup! –Linda A.

Kristi, sending you tons of gratitude and well wishes! Retired and looking forward to visiting France in the next few years! –Ron

Mother-Daughter lunch In Cassis at Le Grand Large. Our girls, Jackie, left, and Josie, right really hit it off. I met Jennifer, center-right over 15 years ago, when we both were blogging about family life. Jennifer's blog, Diary of 1 is no longer on line, but if she ever starts another journal I will let you know.

Posing with artists from Capetown, South Africa and London, UK. Sisters Anna Morris (photographer) and Julia Godsiff (sculptor) came to visit La Ciotat after reading my journal and ended up in an Airbnb right next to my church. Over Perrier spiked with orange juice we talked about the creative life, entering into “the zone” and the need to set boundaries at home in order to be able to write or paint or sculpt. Julia, right, shared some words from Virginia Woolf: “You’ve got to kill the angel in the house.” I left our meetup inspired and with plans to set my noisy family straight. Indeed, No more Mrs. Nice Guy! Just kidding. The truth is Life is messy and it will always come kicking and screaming into your creative zone. Instead of killing the angel of the house, we need to let life trample all over us and be imprinted with its passionate passage. After all, what would there be to say, sculpt, or paint if life didn’t get in the way?

My Notes. Scrolling through a manuscript of 187 pages can be confusing. I finally grabbed an envelope and came up with a rough system to track things: had I included a photo with each chapter? were all French words italicized? Did the chapters have numbers? These are only a few considerations but they help in the initial run-through! Thank you for reading and don't forget to take the poll for the best book cover.