Last month, I had the unusual experience of returning to the US for the second time this year. Usually, we go once and visit all four states where our family lives. This latest trip was for our niece's wedding in upstate New York. Such a delight to gather and celebrate in a beautiful area new to us. We had to fly through London, so on our way back we stopped for a few days to visit a good friend. Come join me on a whirlwind tour through these two unique places. Our reward for

I got in! And back out again! The fort of St. Hippolyte opened its forbidding doors to the public this summer. Once for a jazz festival that I missed. Then, for the Caminade , which I was fortunate to attend. Come enjoy a dramatic, comedic presentation of local history inside the fort that gave St. Hippolyte du Fort its current name. The word caminade comes from the Occitan dialect and means to follow a long path together, or simply, to walk. Every year a local group of writ

Did you know that during World War II there was a significant Jewish internment camp in the south of France? I didn't! Not until I dove deep into research for my third novel did I discover this unsettling fact. Near Aix-en-Provence, just a two-hour drive from my home, I visited Camp des Milles recently. Join me for a sobering and informative tour. Camp des Milles, 1940s As war broke out across Europe, French authorities converted an abandoned tile factory to a detainment cent

Drive a short distance down the road from my little town, St. Hippolyte du Fort, and you'll find this charming scene: Welcome to Sauve, with its rich history dating back to the 11th century. Come, wander with me across the river, through narrow cobbled streets, under stone arches, and past ancient buildings. If only these walls could talk! We enter the village by Le Pont Vieux, the Old Bridge, built between the 11th and 13th centuries. These dates cause my American head to sp

I'm immersed in research for my next historical novel in the Huguenot Resistance series. The third book will take place during World War...

The Light Shines Through, The Huguenot Resistance Series Book 2, will be available in May. Wohoo! I can't wait to share the story with...

We recently visited the charming medieval town of Aigues-Mortes, about an hour south from our home. Set in the Camargue region, this...

In our little town, St. Hippolyte du Fort, there exists an impressive limestone building. Within its walls, we find our Silk Museum,...

Our little town is uniquely blessed with not one or two, but 21 sundials. Perched here and there on various homes and buildings, they add...

One of the most iconic structures in St. Hippolyte is an ancient limestone tower, just across the bridge and around the corner from my...

Surprise! Our tiny little town has a museum. It’s small but nicely done and follows the history of the significant silk industry in our...

On one of my daily walks, not long after we moved here ten years ago, I came to the end of a path and…voilà! Seemingly out of nowhere, a...

I have written about the mountains of St. Hippolyte du Fort in a previous blog, but majestic Le Cengle calls us to take another look....

The Route de Lasalle starts right outside my front door and winds its way up through beautiful Cevenol countryside. I love watching the...

For over 100 years, on the first Sunday of September, a massive gathering of descendants of the Huguenots (French Protestants) takes...

Bienvenue au Château de Planque! Welcome! Come on in for a tour of the centuries-old château where we work and live. We are situated at...

Our little town of St. Hippolyte du Fort boasts not one but two old-fashioned cemeteries. There's a reason for this: one was for...

The tradition of resistance runs deep in the Cévennes and in our little town of St. Hippolyte du Fort. We're situated at the southern end...

Our lives unfold as stories, scenes of seasons, events, places, and people woven into the fabric of our lives. When I think back over my...

If you took a stroll through our little town, you’d be pleasantly surprised by the sound of water as it spills through fountains on many...