When I worked as an au pair in the Loire Valley in 1979, I sampled many fabulous wines, from Sauvignons to Cabernets. Once, as I strolled through the farmers market in the Loire Valley, I sampled unfermented new wine. Here is an excerpt from my memoir, French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley, chronicling that event.
Linda Kovic-Skow, author of French Illusions
Memoir Nightmares
April 27, 2016 by 14 Comments
I’ve often wondered how the main characters in my memoir, the Dubois family, would feel if any of them picked up a copy of French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley. For those of you unfamiliar with my story, I worked as an au pair for Madame and Monsieur Dubois in France in 1979. In 2007, when I decided to write my memoir, I searched the internet using their real names and found nothing. No mention of them at all. Another search using the name of their chateau produced zero results, so with trepidation I progressed with my project. Five years later, when I published my memoir, I revisited the subject of how the Dubois family might react to my story. I had changed the names of everyone I met in France and followed my diary religiously, but I still worried about the reaction of the Dubois Family. My name was on the cover, after all, and I was sure that Madame Dubois still cursed the day she took me in. Read my book and you’ll understand.
How to Make Homemade Yogurt
February 13, 2016 by Leave a Comment
When I worked as an au pair in the Loire Valley in 1979, baking and cooking chores appealed to me more than any of the others. Unfortunately, I seldom got the opportunity because my employer, Madame Dubois, felt the same way. One of the more unusual food-related tasks I performed at the Château de Montclair was making yogurt. Here is an excerpt from my book:
A Gift to Remember
January 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
In 1979, while I worked as an au pair for a family in the Loire Valley in France, I spent a few Saturdays at the local middle school helping the teacher, Madame Bernard, teach English to her students. During the holidays, I visited the school and the children surprised me with box filled with Christmas presents. The doll in this photograph was one of those gifts. I’m so pleased that I kept it safely tucked away all these years. Here is an excerpt from my book detailing this special event:
From Tours to Paris: The Pictures that Introduce Parts One, Two and Three
December 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Back on February 6, 2013, after I published my first memoir — French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley — I wrote a blog that revealed the “story” behind the photographs introducing the four parts in my book. As I said before, it was my publisher’s design team that came up with this fantastic idea and I carried it forward to my sequel, From Tours to Paris.
The French Illusions Box Set
December 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Bargain priced at Amazon for $4.99! Thank you, Laurie, for your fantastic review. My heart is full.
