i came upon this blog about a year ago, and was instantly drawn in. veronique de turenne writes about malibu, nature, dogs, books, life with such heart, soul, and dry humor. she's a wonderful writer; i sent
her an unabashed fan letter, and we became fast friends. we already have a tradition--having dinner on solstice nights. she introduced me to diesel, and it's become one of my favorite bookstores.check out yesterday's post, and click on the word "friend" to see why this particular post tickles me so.
but then go back, and enjoy veronique's writing and photographs. you'll feel you spent the day--or a few years, depending on how far back you read--in malibu. not the glitzy, tabloid version, but the wilderness where the santa monica mountains meet the pacific ocean...the malibu i love. incidentally, to make the circle complete, my fascination with cheyenne is shared by one of my favorite writers--joe monninger.
First Copy of The Silver Boat (out April 5)
Today at Shutters I received the first copy of The Silver Boat, and I am thrilled, and it seems so appropriate to have had my first look right here, because this is a place I really enjoy writing.
So many thanks to Pamela Dorman Books/Viking and the wonderful team that created my book. Many talented people are involved in every aspect of production.
Pam is a genius publisher and editor. Not only that, she is a close friend. We started off together long ago; she was my editor for Crazy in Love and several other titles, and we are overjoyed to be working together again. When I somehow managed to e-mail her my thanks while jumping for joy, she wrote back: "I love it, too, and for us all, it has been a labor of pure pleasure."
Pam and her team have made the hardcover truly beautiful; it feels like a gift, turning the pages, seeing another new and wonderful thing. The typeset, the frontispiece,the title page, the luminous cover.
How fitting to be seeing this at Shutters. This is my favorite hotel, and I often come here to write. The Silver Boat is set on Martha's Vineyard and in Ireland, connected by the Atlantic Ocean. It is wonderful to be seeing the first copy while gazing out the window at the Pacific.
Sometimes I write in the lobby, other times on the balcony. When in the sun I wear my lucky cap with this logo:
Right now, because the sun is just starting to go down, I think I'll put on my cap and read The Silver Boat outside, in a cozy wicker chair...
Away
I'm spending a little time in California.
There's a place I love to stay, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I write to the sound of the waves; fall asleep to them, too. When I think back on all my novels, so many (including my forthcoming The Silver Boat) have long sections written in this hotel--in fact, in this very room. It makes me happy to be here. 
Writing as a moveable feast. Do the ideas come differently in far-away places? I think so, a little. I like to write in different rooms. There's no place like home, but I love to dig in here, without everything around me being quite so familiar. I show up in the lobby every morning, and write as I watch the world go by. Friends visit for tea, or to write together. 
(with Audrey Loggia and Saffron Burrows.)
By day, it's right for writing; at night, it's quite a different scene... 
Exciting, filled with music and conversation. Very cozy, all through the seasons, to sit by one of the two fireplaces and dream.
It feels like my home away from home. (It's possible to have more than one of those...) Every day I see dolphins swimming past. The beach is wide; I walk along the tide line every day. Yesterday I found a sand dollar. I could watch the shorebirds for hours. 
Sometimes I do.
P.S. My home away from home is Shutters on the Beach...