It is snowing in Auvergen already, but the weather in and around Paris is still mild. So I will nevertheless post this Fragonard, L’hiver (Winter) from the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This is an early work (1755) and his manner is still very close to that of Boucher, though there […]
Marguerite Gérard (1761-1837) is remembered, when she is remembered at all, as the sister-in-law, student and collaborator of the great Jean-Honoré Fragonard. She was also an extremely successful painter in her own right, to the point where her fame eclipsed that of her brother-in-law from the 1780s on. Then after her death Mademoiselle Gérard fell […]
This time for the The Historical Novel Society’s North American Conference, to be held in Schaumburg, Illinois, from Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14, 2009. This will be a unique occasion to meet readers, writers, editors, agents and historical fiction fans from all horizons over an entire week-end. I will of course attend, with […]
I already mentioned that Fragonard is one of my favorite painters and that I am honored to have a detail of one of his paintings adorn the cover of Mistress of the Revolution. A very versatile artist, equally at ease with religious themes, insightful portraits and light, sometimes libertine scenes. This painting, Les débuts du […]
Don’t run away! It’s still me. So what happened? Very simply, I had a talk with a new visitor, and it went about like this: “Oh, your blog is for writers!” said that lady. “No, not especially,” I answered. “Why do you say that?” “Well, you have a fountain pen on the header, and your […]
A delightful Fragonard, The Good Mother, to illustrate this post. Isn’t it a bit late for Mother’s Day? Well, in France it is celebrated on the last Sunday in May. I will not be able to visit my own Mom, who is currently taking a well deserved vacation in Spain. So happy Mother’s Day to […]
To paraphrase Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, it is a truth universally acknowledged in the publishing industry that an author has little say in the design of the cover of her book. I was aware of it and believed that the best way to make my voice heard was to be proactive. For months I […]
I said earlier that I would report on the Fragonard exhibition when I returned to Los Angeles. Well, I am a woman of my word. Not that going to the Getty required too much of an effort. The weather here is balmy, as though to make me me feel how foolish I am to spend […]
If anyone had mentioned galleys to me a year ago, I would have thought of ancient ships powered by oarsmen, Ben-Hur style. But one year is a long time. Now I know better. In the publishing world, galleys, or uncorrected proofs, or advance reading copies, or ARCs, are created by the publisher months before the […]
Now in trade paperback.
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