PERSONAL UPDATE: Hello, I’m back!

Hi Luscious Lifers,

Thanks for all the incredibly kind emails and comments relating to my little break.

As you can see, I’m back, and as a thank you I’ve put together lots of new posts for you to scroll through. I hope this will provide you with a bit of good cheer and inspiration, and that you will keep popping back each day to see what else is new.

The following post is an update about some of the things which have been happening at Chez Luscious in the last few weeks.

Natasha xx

THE GOOD NEWS

• Mr Luscious and I have celebrated our anniversary – it’s 11 years since we met and he’s still completely fabulous! There’s always some joy when we’re together, even on the not-so-nice days. To celebrate, we had a night staying in the city and a lovely dinner at The French Brasserie off Flinders Lane in Melbourne – merci beaucoup!
• It’s Mabel’s fifth birthday today! Woof! BEST DOG EVER, naturally. See some photos here.
• I’ve spent most of the last month dedicated to working on my three books – details below.
• I’ve been attending my classes in French, Italian and tennis, and – hopefully – improving a little each week.
• Whilst it’s a cold and rainy winter here on the Mornington Peninsula, it’s always lovely watching the ducks, kookaburras, cockatoos and parrots in our garden, bringing some cheer, and keeping Mabel diverted.

THE BAD NEWS

• I’ve been mourning the loss of our baby, who would have been born this week (due on our anniversary, July 14). Whilst Mr Luscious still thinks there’s a tiny chance, I’ve been trying to accept that this is the end of the road along our journey to have a baby. Read about our IVF journey here.
• It’s doesn’t rain, it pours: I’ve had quartet of illnesses, all in one week: A cold, kidney infection, PMT and migraine. Not at all glam, but hopefully that will be it for a while!

WHAT I’VE BEEN WATCHING

• Yves Saint Laurent starring Pierre Niney and Guillaume Gallienne – an excellent film overall, and Pierre Niney was completely convincing at YSL.
• Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman – fab frocks and scenery but otherwise it was disappointing as expected.
• The Trip to Italy starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon – dry British humour, luscious-looking food, and Italian countryside.
• The Grand Budapest Hotel starring Ralph Fiennes – quirky and entertaining – who knew Ralph Fiennes was so funny?!
• Silent Witness, Maison Close, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Poirot, Inspector Morse and Lewis, and a plethora of home renovation, art history, food and fashion shows.

BOOKS I’VE READ

Many of these books relate to the research I’m doing for my novel, which looks at the joys and perils of ‘high society’:

• Manhattan Classic: New York’s Finest Prewar Apartments by Geoffrey Lynch
• The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz
• Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making by John Curran
• Answered Prayers by Truman Capote
• My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme
• The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)
• A Season of Splendor: The Court of Mrs Astor in Gilded Age New York by Greg King
• The Gillian Flynn Collection: Sharp Objects, Dark Places, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• The Rich Boy by F Scott Fitzgerald
• Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald
• Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr
• Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
• Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
• Generation Deluxe: Consumerism and Philanthropy of the New Super-Rich by Iris Nowell
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
• David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
• A Privileged Life: Celebrating Wasp Style by Susanna Salk
• Rose Valland: Resistance at the Museum by Corinne Bouchoux
• Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty by Jerry Oppenheimer

BOOKS I’VE BEEN WRITING

I’ve been working on three books for some time now, with priority moving between the novel and the travel guide, and now research into literary agents. Fingers crossed all three books will be picked up, and ultimately each turned into a series.

Here’s a little summary:

The novel: A murder mystery novel set in Capri, Italy. Think Edith Wharton-meets-F Scott Fitzgerald-meets-Agatha Christie.

I’ve had the first two chapters reviewed and the feedback has been excellent, including a comment likening it to Donna Tartt who is the hottest thing in literature right now. Win!

The travel book: A 3-month itinerary exploring Paris, Central France and the French Riviera.

Think Taschen/Rizzoli/Thames&Hudson/Assouline-meets-Luxe City Guides/Goop City Guides, a coffee table book with a customisable app for your phone and tablet.

The lifestyle book: A guide to luscious living, based on the Luscious blog, featuring tips for creating and enjoying a stylish life through fashion, interiors, food, travel and music.

But until I find a way to publish these books, I hope you’ll spend some time browsing through the Luscious blog, photo galleries, Shop, Pinterest boards, and follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Google +, YouTube and Facebook.

Thanks, as always, for your kindness and support.