I recently had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of My First Novel: Tales of Woe and Glory, an inspiring and hilarious compilation of essays from some of today's leading authors on how they got their first book published.

My writing mentor, Alan Watt, edited the book and includes his own fascinating story of how he came to write his first book, the internationally acclaimed, Diamond Dogs.

This book is something every writer should read (it would make the perfect gift too!). But even if you aren't a writer, it is fascinating to come to know the writing and publishing process from so many different perspectives. Also the stories in this book will inspire and motivate you to follow that creative spark that resides in all of us. Here is part of the description from Amazon:

Have you ever wondered how your favorite authors got their start? How did they make the leap from closet scribe to published author? In My First Novel: Tales of Woe and Glory, twenty-five authors recount the variety of hurdles, both internal and external that they had to overcome on their journey. Alan Watt, editor of My First Novel and founder of L.A. Writers’ Lab’s 90-Day Novel Workshops, states, “The goal of this book was to demystify the creative experience, to level the playing field, to say to the writer who was struggling with his novel late at the night in the garage of his parent’s house in Walla Walla, that you are no different than any of these other writers, and to keep going, and yes, at times it really is that difficult and scary, but that you are not alone, and you are up to the challenge, and here are twenty-five separate road maps to the same destination.”

Writers Tribe Books is generously offering to give away one book to a reader of the Daily Connoisseur! Please enter via the Rafflecoptor widget below. All entries must go through rafflecoptor to be fair. The winner will be announced on this widget one week from today. This giveaway is open to United States residents only.

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Best of luck! And see you Monday when we discuss the second agreement in our book club: don't take anything personally. See you then!

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Today I come to you with great news...

Last week, I received a new book deal with Simon & Schuster for my next project!

Over the last few months I have been working on a very exciting book idea. I wrote the proposal, and together with my agent, Erica Silverman, we presented it to Trish Todd at Simon & Schuster. Trish absolutely loved the idea and we are now officially going forward with it. I love working with Simon & Schuster and could not be happier to be with the same team again who produced Lessons from Madame Chic. The deal was announced in Publishers Marketplace this morning.

I will not share too much about the new book right now except to say that it will inspire you to live your best life every single day and revolutionize the way you think about your routines at home (mysterious, I know!). I will keep you posted with everything and you will be the first to know all of the details. Thank you for your support. I truly love my readers. You inspire my writing every step of the way!

To see my video announcement, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Ten-Item Wardrobe

Thank you for all of your amazing feedback on this week's ten-item wardrobe video. The video is currently being featured on the Huffington Post, along with a new motivational article on the subject. Check it out here.

Once again, thank you for your support and... see you soon! x

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It’s finally here! My ten-item wardrobe video for fall/ winter 2013. This one is shot fashion show style, so you can see all of the outfits on and how they work with each other.

After basically having two children in a row, the past few years have been a time of upheaval for my wardrobe. But now that my littlest is just over one year and things are starting to get back to normal, I am having fun donating the old clothes from the past seasons and bringing out a few old favorites that I can fit into again.

A few things to keep in mind when watching the video:

♠ Everything in this video was purchased by me (except for the emerald Chan Luu scarf, which was a present from my mother-in-law). I have no affiliation with any of the brands listed, except, of course, for London Sole, which is our family business. I am not paid to promote any of the brands in the video. These are honestly my everyday clothes.

♠ Some items are new, but a majority of the garments are old. Some, like the black jersey dress from Velvet, A.P.C. trench coat, J Crew wool coat and black velvet blazer, BCBG clutch, etc. I’ve had for over four years.

♠ This video is not about the brands mentioned. It is to give you an example of what one woman’s ten-item wardrobe + extras can look like. Every one lives in a different climate, has a different budget and different style. You must tailor the ten-item wardrobe to work for your life situation. Have fun with it! I mention the brands purely for information.

♠ You do not need to stick to ten core items. This video shows you the clothes I will wear from fall through winter, so you see I have two transitional pieces (the linen dress and skirt from A.P.C.), which brings my core item count to 12. I will most likely wear these throughout the fall, which tends to be warm in California. Once it starts cooling down, I will retire the transitional pieces and start wearing my sweaters. But, of course, I am flexible. If we have an unusually cold day in September, I can easily pull out my sweaters.

♠ The point of having a ten-item wardrobe is to cut the clutter in your closet. You will clear your head of all of the sartorial confusion you are used to when getting ready in the morning. You can easily pull out something to wear and know that you will look presentable and that you are wearing something that does not compromise your true style. It is liberating!

♠ The music in the video is a piece called Heavy Rain. It is copyright-free music, purchased by me for use in my videos from pond5.

Here is a list of clothing items shown in the video:

APC linen dress (transitional item)
APC linen skirt (transitional item)

Equipment silk blouse in blush
Patterned blouse by Trouve
Blackberry silk blouse by American Vintage
Dark wash skinny jean by Paige
Black skinny jean by Paige
DVF plum snake wrap dress
Tory Burch long sleeve emerald dress
J Crew lavender cashmere sweater
Navy cashmere v-neck sweater Marks & Spencer

Extras:

Tee shirts:
Tee shirts are getting fancy these days. My favorite are still the nautical stripe tees that I always have. But you will see lace tees, sparkly tees and of course, the basic white tee that is so indispensible. Brands shown in the video are: J Crew, Anthropologie, A.P.C., Michael Stars, James Perse.

Cardigans:
J Crew cashmere cardigan in heather acorn
J Crew “tweed” blazer cardigan- this one is perfect for looking presentable for school drop offs, etc.

Blazers:
Anthropologie casual black blazer- great for travel!
J Crew velvet blazer (I have had this for ages. It is one of my favorite pieces)

Outerwear:
Lightweight jacket by J Crew
A.P.C. trench coat
J Crew black wool trench

Cocktail dresses:
This video shows just three cocktail dresses I’ve been wearing lately. Perfect for fall.
Rebecca Taylor purple silk dress (I wore this for my birthday and a trip to the theatre this summer)
Anthropologie wine lace dress (I wore this to my first book signing)
DVF lace black wrap cocktail dress (fabulous for holiday parties)

Accessories:
London Sole ballet flats and flat boots
Jimmy Choo heels (Both heels shown here are fantastic staples. They are high quality classics that have lasted me years)
Chan Luu emerald scarf (I have more scarves than this. This happens to be the one I showcase in the video)
Sunglasses by Oliver Peoples (my favorite sunglass brand)
Navy handbag by Jewell (Faux leather and very affordable, yet high-end looking. My friend, Lisa, is a representative and I bought one from her at a boutique event. Jewell give 10% of purchases to Dress for Success, which is also great).
LV Totally MM (a great luxury for everyday and last years' birthday present from Mr. Connoisseur)
BCBG envelope clutch (I might have had this for 7 years. I’m not kidding)

Here are links to the websites for the brands shown in the video: A.P.C., Equipment, Rebecca Taylor, Velvet, J Crew, James Perse, Michael Stars, Anthropologie, DVF, Tory Burch, Paige, London Sole, Jimmy Choo, Oliver Peoples,Jewell

For more on the ten-item wardrobe, check out my book, Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris.

If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or check out my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

I love to hear from you. Please let me know what you think. Are you trying the ten-item wardrobe? How is it working for you?


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Madame Chic Around the World

Thank you for sending in your pictures of Lessons from Madame Chic. I have so enjoyed looking at them! As a thank you to you, I've created this little Madame Chic fan video, with a compilation of all of your pictures. It's less than two minutes long, I hope you'll check it out. We get to see nightstands, bookshelves and cups of tea all the way from California to Australia to Lithuania and many places in between! The music in the video is a music box version of Schubert's Ave Maria*. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my youtube channel: www.dailyconnoisseur.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

And, once again, merci to you. Our little book has been embraced on a global level and I couldn't have done it without you.

Book Signing


Last Thursday was my book signing at Anthropologie Santa Monica. This signing saw an even larger turn out than the last! I love chatting with readers and hearing their stories. Here are some more photos from the event:

My dress is a simple navy shift dress by Maeve for Anthropologie. This is a great staple to have in the extras of your wardrobe. It's conservative, yet perfect for so many different occasions. I still have a broken toe, but thankfully I have my chic London Sole ballet flats to stay stylish :)

Here I am with the amazing staff at Anthropologie Santa Monica, who put on another first-class event:

Here's a closeup of my hair, which was done by Alicia at Sechoir + in Santa Monica. We were going for a modern, romantic, Parisian chignon. Molly, did my no makeup look. Thank you ladies!

The yummy refreshments, complete with French macarons from Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica.

It was another great day. Thanks to everyone who took the time to come out and visit!


*Schubert's Ave Maria is copyright-free music, which was purchased by me for use in my videos from pond5.

See you next week for our fall ten-item wardrobe video! x

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We come in all different shapes and sizes and yet only have a handful of clothing sizes to pick from: XS, S, M, L, XL. This is why it is so important to find a good tailor to custom fit your clothes.

The clothes I tailor the most are jeans. I tend to hem them for the shoes I plan on wearing them with. Most of my skinny jeans that I wear in the daytime are tailored for flats. I have one pair of “going out jeans” that I have tailored for heels.

But I don’t just have my jeans tailored. I’ve tailored everything from blazers to dresses to nightgowns (yes, I even have my nightgowns tailored!). This week’s video shows you a tailored skirt of mine, before and after. It’s a transitional piece for my fall ten-item wardrobe (which you will see in a few weeks!). The skirt, by A.P.C., is slightly too long and looks a bit frumpy on. After tailoring it to the knee, it fits my physique so much better and is now a perfect match for my frame.


If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Madame Chic Around the World

Lessons from Madame Chic came out in Lithuania this past week. I'm so excited that our little book is now reaching all the way from California to the Baltic sea! One reader sent me a picture of her book... which got me thinking...

Please send me a picture of your copy of Lessons from Madame Chic, wherever you are in the world. I am compiling all of these great fan pics and will put them together in a YouTube video as a thank you to you. If you'd like your picture included in the video, please tweet me or post on my facebook page using the hashtag #MadameChic. eBooks count too! The more creative the picture, the better. Here are some examples:

Book Signings

Southern California readers, this Thursday, August 29th, I will be doing a book signing at Anthropologie Third Street Promenade. Refreshments will be served and RSVP is required:

Anthropologie Santa Monica
1402 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA
Thursday, August 29th 1-3pm

RSVP Here



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I've read some great books over the last few months and wanted to share them with you in this week's video, which discusses everything from historical fiction to Victorian home life to unputdownable thrillers. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or check out my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Books mentioned in the video:

Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle
The Butler Speaks by Charles MacPherson
Through the French Door by Carolyn Westbrook
Inside the Victorian Home by Judith Flanders
Daughter of Empire by Lady Pamela Hicks
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Queen’s Gambit Giveaway


Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. Queen’s Gambit tells the story of Katherine Parr, the wife who survived the treacherous Tudor court of King Henry VIII. We all know the story of Henry VIII and his more famous wives, like Anne Boleyn, but few of us know details about Katherine Parr's life. This wonderful work of historical fiction takes us right there and fills in the blanks deliciously. If you love historical fiction, especially about the Tudor time period, you will love this book.

Simon & Schuster sent me an advance copy of Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle to read and were also kind enough to offer to give away one copy of this excellent book to a reader of the Daily Connoisseur!

Enter to win your own copy of Queen's Gambit, via rafflecopter. The giveaway is open to US residents only. I will announce the winner directly on this rafflecopter widget one week from today. Best of luck!
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To learn more about Elizabeth Fremantle, visit her website here.

Book Signings

Southern California readers, I hope to see you at my next book signing for Lessons from Madame Chic.
Refreshments will be served and RSVP is required:

Anthropologie Santa Monica
1402 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA
Thursday, August 29th 1-3pm

RSVP Here

News

I am featured on the Liberation Artist this week in a great interview with the lovely Laura Saba.

See you next week! x

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Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful summer. I am officially back to the blog on Monday with a post and video on great books I read this summer (along with a giveaway for the exciting new book, Queen's Gambit!) but before jumping back in, I wanted to show you my summer in pictures.

It's been an interesting summer...

I turned another year older...


I got to meet principal ballerina Allyssa Bross of the Los Angeles Ballet* ...


I baked a blueberry cake**


I broke my toe***


I attended the theatre on crutches. (Nothing could keep me from the arts!)****


I did my very first book signing at Anthropologie in Rancho Cucamonga and got to meet so many lovely readers (some who drove all the way from Barstow and San Diego!)*****



Here I am with the amazing and welcoming staff at Anthropologie Victoria Gardens, who hosted a first-class book signing from start to finish.


So, all in all, the summer has been fabulous. Broken toe and all :)

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Monday as I share my favorite books of the summer with you.

See you then! x


*Allyssa and I are at London Sole for Art Walk.

**Yes, I will share the recipe with you soon.

***Boo!

****A very worthy cause, Dizzy Feet Foundation's celebration of dance provides dance education to underprivileged youths.

*****The next book signing is August 29th at Anthropologie Santa Monica from 1pm - 3pm, RSVP HERE! And in this picture I am wearing Anthropologie. A lovely wine lace dress to add to my cocktail dress 'extras'.



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Bonjour Everyone,

I hope you are all having a delightful summer. I'll be taking some time off from the blog. Taking care of a toddler and a baby is fun and rewarding but it's also exhausting and I need a break to refresh my little grey cells (as Poirot would say :) ).

Summer Ten-Item Wardrobe

Many of you have asked about my summer ten-item wardrobe. I've only purchased one dress to update my wardrobe (the full story is explained in my video). But this dress, from Anthropologie, is the dress of the summer for me. I love it! And it's machine washable too. Who could ask for more?

Book Signings

I have two book signings coming up in August:

Saturday, August 10th 11am at Anthropologie Rancho Cucamonga
7812 Victoria Gardens Ln
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
RSVP HERE

Thursday, August 29th from 1pm to 3pm at Anthropologie Santa Monica
1402 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
RSVP (coming soon)

I hope to see you there!

Check out my summer dress and more in this week's video. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Even though I won't be blogging for a few weeks I still look forward to connecting with you on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a wonderful summer...

See you soon! x


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