FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Does one need to hit the road to sell books on French life? Not when your MOM is busy pounding the pavement! Read on... (photo taken in Briançon). Note: the next word goes out in the new year. Meilleurs Voeux! Bonne Année!

le baratin (bara-tehn)

    sweet talk, smooth talk

baratiner = to sweet-talk somebody, to chat someone up
baratineur, baratineuse = smooth talker 

Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc pronounce these French words (above and below): Download MP3 or Wav File

Pour vendre des livres il faut avoir l'art de baratiner!
To sell books, one must know the art of sweet talk!

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

The Pick-Up Artist

You know what they say about a good salesman: He or she could vendre de la glace aux esquimaux! This is especially true of my dear mom, Jules, who is busy selling my book on French life to lovers of Spanish! For the past ten days, Jules has made it her mission to convert the tourists who flock to her little neighborhood along the Bay of Banderos, in Mexico.

Dressed in her trademark linen poncho (her latest one, in white, was a Christmas gift from her husband John), a red turtleneck (to match her red Converse tennis shoes), white pants and her trusty fedora, Mom sets out to beat the previous day's sales record.  

Like any saleswoman worth her salt, Mom knows that one of the best ways to market a product is to get out there and pound the pavement! In Mom's charismatic presence, travelers are forgetting for a moment that they are in Puerto Vallarta... when they begin to perceive the hum of the accordion as Mom dances up and down the boardwalk at the marina, picking up yet another potential bookbuyer with her sweet baratin. "Bonjour, Monsieur!...."

Every salesman has a challenge to overcome. In this case, that would be the absence of a tangible product to peddle! This doesn't discourage Mom one bit and, minus an actual copy of Blossoming in Provence, Jules manages to sell the goods "sight unseen", via verbal promissory notes extracted from the innocent tourists. "You will buy my daughter's book when you get home, won't you?! Merci, Madame!..."

Having worn a trail along the docks, Mom heads to The Coffee Cup, where more unsuspecting travelers are having their first cuppa, unaware of the lively scene about to take place.

This is when Jules fires up the computer (The Coffee Cup has three or four of them, reserved for customers), and logs on to Amazon.com.

"Oh, Kristi!" Mom slaps her hands to her heart. "You are at number 31 in Hot New Releases!"

A few of the customers look over, in curiosity. For the sake of drama, Mom grabs onto the sleeve of the customer beside her. "Look! That's my daughter," Mom exclaims, pointing to the screen. "This is the book she published in 21 days--and now it is topping the bestseller charts!" (Like any saleswoman worth her salt, a little bit of exaggeration--or what, in all due respect, we might call "artist's license"--is par for the course!) 

And so it is that my dear mom has spent the past ten days--betting that the Hispanophiles who visit Puerto Vallarta are really Francophiles in waiting. Win or lose, she is certainly selling books in the process!

Thanks, Mom!

Le Coin Commentaires
To respond to this post, please click here. 

See a photo of Mom, her husband John, and me in Puerto Vallarta. Click here and don't miss the story!

If you haven't yet... please click here to purchase your copy of Blossoming in Provence. Many thanks for your support--and for giving my dear mom a day off work today :-) 

 French Expression:

vendre de la glace aux esquimaux = to sell snow to Eskimos
le baratin = smooth talk
Bonjour, Monsieur! = Hello, sir!
Bonjour, Madame = Hello, Ma'am 

An interesting sculpture in front of the town hall, in Jonquières (Vaucluse)

Dreaming of coming to France in 2012? Check out these posts for some fun ideas on what to do once you get here:

• What to do in Paris?
• What to do in the Loire Valley? 
• What to do in Aix-en-Provence?
• What to do in Lyon?
• What to do in the Luberon?

And check out Where to Rent a Car in France?

The scene was so classic that I wondered, as I snuck up to snap the photo, if it wasn't staged! Notice the underwear: one per "hook". Photo taken in Nyons (next to a chichi restaurant. Well, that oughta show 'em!).

Braise (left) and Smokey (right) wish everyone a lovely celebration!

Life's merry-go-round. Read on, in today's letter. (Photo of le manège taken in Marseilles)

aigre-doux (ehgrh-doo)

    : bittersweet

Bonjour les amis,

I wanted to update you on the good news. Blossoming in Provence made it to #31 in the hot new releases at Amazon.com! 

I returned home from Marseilles, yesterday, to a flurry of excitement in the comments box (please check it out here). Mom was busy stirring up sales and announcing Blossoming's latest ranking at Amazon. Thanks, Mom! Your enthusiasm is contagious. 

Aigre-Doux
These exciting bonnes nouvelles are tempered by some not-so-good news: at my doctor's appointment in Marseilles, it was confirmed that I will have to have another surgery, this time for a "spot" on my nose. I am upset, to say the least. (No need to write in or to email about this, I feel your support and I thank you for your prayers.)

Parfois on gagne, parfois on perd
Win some, lose some... I will be working on my attitude, my perspective, and my faith--trying to keep any anxieties at bay by focusing on the positive.

Speaking of the positive, for those of you who would like to offer a copy of Blossoming in Provence to someone for Christmas, it is not too late....

Here is a fun way to do so: click here and look for the "eGift this item" near the end of the page, (you will see the buble icon, as pictured here, to the left. The recipient of your gift will see a picture of the Blossoming book cover and will be prompted to select this item as their gift.

Thank you very much for your help in getting the word out about my latest book. I am grateful for and very touched by your Facebook announcements, your tweets, and your all-around enthusiasm and encouragements.

"See you" tomorrow, for a Christmas story...

Amicalement,

Kristin

The book that took 21 44 days to create, publish and put on-line for sale... thanks for your help (and special thanks to Tamara and Erin at TLC Graphics for this book's cover and beautiful interior).

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Bonjour! 

I am on my way to Marseilles this morning. French Word-A-Day will return on Wednesday.

Before I leave, I wanted to ask you a big favor, or un grand service...

Would you please order a copy of my book Blossoming in Provence? At $14 it makes an economical and educational gift for yourself or for another! 

Packed with vocabulary and insights on French life, this "memoirette" is now available at Amazon.com. Please click here to order a copy or two! (Check out Amazon's free shipping offer, when you order two copies.)

Mille mercis for all of your support and encouragement and for your help in getting the word out about this "little book that could". It may not yet have made it to the top of the hill, but the climb, in itself, is exhilarating.

Amicalement,

Kristin

P.S.: My book is illustrated with over 30 black-and-white photos, including the one below. For those who asked for color (it would have driven up your purchase cost to more than twice the price), I hope you will agree that images chosen for this book were made for black-n-white!

"This is at once a Francophile's indulgence, a travelogue, a photo-journal, an occasional diary and a learn-French blog. It is also the 'happily ever after' of a love story and who can resist that?" —Sushil Dawka

Thank you for ordering a copy of Blossoming in Provence here--and for helping spread the word about it by forwarding this email (or post) via Facebook or Twitter. I am very grateful your help!

Please excuse this extra email in your inbox today... but I could not wait to tell you that Blossoming in Provence is now available for purchase.

To order a copy please click here!

Update: the book is now available at Amazon.com, via this link. Also, please support your local bookseller by ordering Blossoming in Provence at the nearest bookstore. 

Thank you all for your help in seeing this book come to life! 

Amicalement,

Kristin

  
George Whitman's famous bookshop, on the Left Bank. Today, we remember this incorrigable angel. Read on, and prepare to share your own tributes and stories. 

A sign above the door read: 
Be Not Inhospitable To Strangers Lest They Be Angels in Disguise
. 

Saying a nervous "bonjour" to the audience... wondering if George might, by chance, be listening from his room just above...

The little cabanon, the one that makes a cameo in today's story...

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habitude (ah-bee-tood) noun, feminine

    : habit

Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc pronounce these words: Download MP3 or Wave file

prendre de mauvaises habitudes = to pick up bad habits
j'ai l'habitude = I'm used to it
d'habitude = as a rule
comme d'habitude = as usual

French Christmas Music: "Mon Beau Sapin", "Sainte Nuit", "La Marche des Rois", "Petite Ville Bethléem", "Il est né Le Divin Enfant". Order CD here.  

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

An Evening Routine

At around 5:23 each evening, I rush down stairs to the kitchen, to make my son a triple-decker PB&J.  Tearing off a sheet of papier alu, I wrap the sandwich and set it into a brown paper sack, from the stack I am collecting from the fruit-and-vegetable stand. Small as the paper sacks are, I can even place a bottle of water inside, careful not to écraser the PB&J.

Smokey and Braise watch as I grab my keys, lunettes, purse, and run back to the kitchen for the snack I have forgotten.

"No, it's not for you!" I repeat to the dogs.  Arrêtez! Vous allez manger tout à l'heure—et vous le savez très bien! Alors, arrêtez de me faire culpabiliser!

I lock the front door and head out to the driveway. When I put the key into the car's ignition, the radio blares and I jump—seized with a fight-or-flight response! My hand slaps my heart to calm it.  "J'en ai eu assez! This time I am really going to have a word with him! I say of my husband, who has once again left the volume full blast. 

Never mind, time to get a move on! The clock reads 5:31 and my mind's eye shows my son standing at the bus stop waiting too long in the cold.

The road to the village is flanked with leaf-bare vines in wintertime. As I drive, I look out to admire a favorite stone cabanon, its roof fallen long ago. As always, my mind's eye sees newly painted shutters, in blue or green (I can't yet decide which). Inside the abandoned one-room abode, there is now a roaring fire in the hearth... red checkered cups and saucers dry on a quaint rack beside the sink. The floors are no longer dirt, they are covered with little earth-red tomette tiles. There is a cozy sofa facing the cheminée, blankets draped across the arms. A basket of yarn rests on the floor, knitting needles tucked into the wool. The simple, unhurried life.... 

My daydream ends as I coast into town, taking the busy boulevard to the centre ville. I see my son standing on the curbside, laughing with his friend, Antoine, with whom he will share his triple-decker PB&J. 

Pulling into the bus zone for an illegal 30-second drop-off, I lower the car window and prepare to do the nightly exchange in which Max hands me his backpack and I hand over the snack. 

"T'as de l'argent?" Max winks.

"You are persistent!" I answer with a smile, handing him his sandwich and his drink instead of the money.

Oh well, he isn't so disappointed, and by the gentle way he says merci beaucoup, Maman, he seems sincerely grateful.

I watch as the young man with the sandwich crosses the street, heading towards the auto-école for his night class. One day he will drive away and this evening routine will be no more. 

I will miss making the triple-decker sandwiches. I will miss my son's breezy attempts to pry money out of me. I will miss watching Mr. Merci Beaucoup walk off... looking like a dashing stranger.  And so I linger in my car another moment or two, letting the images transfer themselves into my mind's eye, to mingle with the painted shutters, the cozy fire, the basket of knitting and the checkered teacups... and even the forgetful husband and the dogs....

Oh, the dogs! Time to get home and feed them their dinner!

 
French Vocabulary

PB&J = peanut butter and jelly sandwich
le papier d'alu (d'aluminium) = aluminum foil
écraser = to squash
lunettes (fpl) = eyeglasses
Arrêtez! = stop
vous allez manger tout à l'heure = you're going to eat a little later
et vous le savez très bien! = and you know that!
alors, arrêtez de me faire culpabiliser! = so stop making me feel so guilty!
j'en ai eu assez = I've had enough!
le cabanon = one-room abode where farmers would rest and/or store their tools
tomette = a traditional floor tile found in Provence
la cheminée = fireplace
le centre ville = town center
t'as de l'argent = got any money?
l'auto-école (f) = driving school

Tis the season! Are you feeling a bit bah-humbuggy by now? Or is it just me?

I used to dream of having a writer's room in Paris. Lately, I would rather live life (the stuff of books) rather than dream of writing about it. Writing isn't, after all, a romantic life. Life is a romantic life!

Book update: If all goes well, I will upload my book to Amazon.com tonight! Tamara and Erin, at TLC Graphics, are putting on the finishing touches now. Fingers crossed that Blossoming in Provence will be ready to order very soon! 

patate (pah-tat) noun, feminine

    1.  sweet potato
    2. imbecile

Audio File: Listen to Jean-Marc read these French Expressions: Download MP3 or Wav file

une patate douce = sweet potato, yam
un sac à patates = a dress (or something) without a shape
avoir la patate = to feel great, full of energy
en avoir gros sur la patate (from "en avoir gros sur le coeur") = to be very sad
rouler en chasse-patates = (cycling term) to be between two groups of cyclists, unable to pass the first group, while not being surpassed by the second 

Note: patate is also a synonym for pomme de terre, or potato

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Today, Smokey receives a letter from a long-time fan...
(note: click here for the English translation to this letter)

Cher Smokey,

Le Coin Commentaires

Help me to thank Carol for her histoire a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e! I love Carol's letters to Smokey. You can read another one, here and here. Meantime, click here to leave a message in the comments box. 

         

Tomatoes--two summers ago. Last summer there were little tomatoes popping up in the most unlikely places (in the middle of a flower patch, and even behind the house!). I guess the wind had spread the dried tomato's seeds... in time to give us a future bounty!