Fig & Vine

Lightning flashes, thunder booms, the atmosphere trembles, reverberating waves of energy. Rain pours down for days on end. Then, ah! The sunshine breaks through, and villagers emerge from houses, faces turned up like sunflowers soaking in life-giving warmth. Welcome to the wild winter weather of the Cévennes. After the rains... rainbows! These prismatic arches delight those who behold their beauty. We stop and pay attention as if we've never seen such a sight. "Look! A rainbo

Living in a small town dating back to the time of the Roman occupation of the south of France definitely provides interesting material for my historical novels. I'm grateful to live in such a history-steeped place. I only wish the walls and the trees would tell all the stories. Join me on a tour of several of the places in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort that inspired the Huguenot Resistance Series. The Château de Planque First, let me present the Château de Planque, where I live and

Last month, I had the unusual experience of returning to the US for the second time this year. Usually, we go once and visit all four states where our family lives. This latest trip was for our niece's wedding in upstate New York. Such a delight to gather and celebrate in a beautiful area new to us. We had to fly through London, so on our way back we stopped for a few days to visit a good friend. Come join me on a whirlwind tour through these two unique places. Our reward for

I got in! And back out again! The fort of St. Hippolyte opened its forbidding doors to the public this summer. Once for a jazz festival that I missed. Then, for the Caminade , which I was fortunate to attend. Come enjoy a dramatic, comedic presentation of local history inside the fort that gave St. Hippolyte du Fort its current name. The word caminade comes from the Occitan dialect and means to follow a long path together, or simply, to walk. Every year a local group of writ