En plein coeur

mainly sunny, humid, sticky day. warm temps 29

Exciting day! It started with the most wonderful breakfast with our friend Myrna. A large black woman who is a psychologist in Montreal. Sound familiar? her last name is Lashly. Not Landers. So you can see she absolutely did not inspire me to create the large black woman named Myrna who lives in Three Pines!

OK. I lied. She did. We adore Myrna, and when it came time to create the Three Pines characters I chose Myrna first, because I love her company. But we'd moved to the country and had lost track of her a few years earlier, though when the book first came out I told her about the character and (fortunately!!) she was delighted - and saw it for what it is, a celebration of our friendship. Still, it was very generous of her.

But then I finally wrote her again yesterday, and we emailed back and forth and then decided we needed to have breakfast together. Michael actually knew Myrna before I did - and they adore each other. We've missed Myrna in our lives. And as soon as we saw her again our hearts just filled. We met at 9am and were still yakking away at 11:30, when Michael and I had to scoot across town to meet my French publisher for lunch.

So we said bye to Myrna - but I know now we won't drift apart again. I'm not sure I knew how much I missed her until she was again in my arms...and I saw Michael and Myrna holding each other tight. What a blessing.

then off we rushed, up to Outremont, and lunch at Milos, a magnificent Greek restaurant on Park Ave in Montreal. Renown for its fish. We met Louise Loiselle there to celebrate that copies of STILL LIFE in French had arrived. As we made it to the table Louise was already there, and sitting on the white linen table cloth was the book. I was actually trembling as I held it.

It is beautiful. And deeply meaningful - that the book can now (or as of Sept 2nd) be read by my friends and neighbours. By the majority of people in the place I choose to live. In the language most of my characters speak in.

The book is called: En plein coeur.

With a full heart.

How lovely. And true.

and such fun, to celebrate with this wonderful publisher in one of the finest restaurants in Canada. With Michael. And the book. And the memory of Myrna fresh.

En plein coeur indeed.