Thursday, July 19, 2018

How Cosmo Changed my Life. Really!



HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You all know the story—don’t you?—about how my first book Prime Time, was inspired by a random spam in my computer? Or how The Other Woman came from my experience getting a root canal? If you don’t I’ll tell you another time, because today is about a different author’s unpredictable moment in time. A moment where everything changed.

And yes, it was just as random as that spam. For the fab Diane Haeger, it was …well, more about that in a minute. But since then, she’s written all kinds of fabulous historicals about people like Jean Harlow, and the secret wife of King George IV and Picasso’s paramour. 

Her very first novel, Courtesan, came out in 1993—and it’s still in print! Ooh. Let me tell you a bit about that.

Amid the disapproving gossip of the Court, a royal romance defies all obstacles.

The Court of François I is full of lust, intrigue, and bawdy bon temps—a different world from the quiet country life Diane de Poitiers led with her elderly husband. Now a widow, the elegant Diane is called back to Court, where the King’s obvious interest marks her as an enemy to the King’s favourite, Anne d’Heilly. The Court is soon electrified by rumors of their confrontations. As Anne calls on her most venomous tricks to drive Diane away, Diane finds an ally in the one member of Court with no allegiance to the King’s mistress: his teenage second son, Henri.

Neglected by his father and disliked by his brothers, Prince Henri expects little from his life. But as his friendship with Diane deepens into infatuation and then a romance that scandalizes the Court, the Prince begins to discover hope for a future with Diane. But fate and his father have other plans for Henri—including a political marriage with Catherine de Medici. Despite daunting obstacles, Henri’s devotion to Diane never wanes; their passion becomes one of the most legendary romances in the history of France.



Ooh. Can't get better than that, right?
And now—what provided Diane’s life-changing moment?


HOW COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE 

                               CHANGED MY LIFE
by Diane Haeger


I wasn’t a writer, not a professional one anyway, but what I was about to be was a bride—and as I sat perusing magazines in a hair salon before I got married, my eyes caught on a headline in an edition of Cosmopolitan: “Great Courtesans throughout History”. The story was written as a number of vignettes about famous women and their even more famous lovers. 



One of them absolutely riveted me—the story of Diane de Poitiers. 

Pretty scandalously, the noble widow and mother of two had ruled France for two decades during the glittering Renaissance as unofficial queen beside her much younger lover, King Henri II and his wife Catherine de Medici.

Cat fights, intrigue and deceptions in their story abound. It was a pretty amazing love triangle. Even though I loved France and had studied French in school I’d never heard the story.
Back then it didn’t seem like many people in the U.S. had either. As it happened, we had already been planning our honeymoon in France.

I’m not sure to this day if finding that magazine was a coincidence, or fate, or maybe a little of both. On my wedding day I was a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. After my honeymoon, I gave it up to become a writer in earnest—at least one in training, because I had no idea how to actually write a novel. 

When I first saw that Henri II had created a DH symbol in tribute he had emblazoned everywhere—one that also happened to be my new initials, it was a sign that I needed to learn.

I had to be the one to tell their story.

There was a steep learning curve for sure, a lot of career twists and turns and plenty of hard knocks but 26 years later I’m proud to say I’m still a writer. I guess I’d also have to say I’m most passionate about uncovering true love affairs from history. 



Whether it’s Pablo Picasso, William Tecumseh Sherman or Jean Harlow (writing as Anne Girard), my stories have been all over the map. The truth is so often not only stranger than fiction, it can be every bit as interesting.

One of the most thrilling parts about being a writer today, as opposed when I sold that first novel, is being able to be a part of several writer’s and reader’s communities like this. For someone who intended to have a career talking to people all day, I found it such a jarringly solitary profession at first in those days before social media. Now I totally embrace and value this chapter of my career and hope I do it with a grateful heart. 


I will never forget my very first book signing at a place called Laguna Beach Books near where I live. Watching someone I didn’t know actually buy my novel for the first time that day and hand it to me to be signed was pretty surreal. It felt like not only sharing my story but a piece of my heart.

Being able to get to meet and get to know many of my readers through the years has truly been the cream on top of a wonderful and long career.

So, tell me Reds and Readers, was there a moment when your life took a turn you didn’t expect but that turned out for the best? I’d love you to share yours with me too.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yes, we’d love to hear! What’s your Cosmo or spam moment? (Or—what’s your favorite story of illicit romance? Real or fictional?)

And a copy of Courtesan to one very lucky commenter!





Diane Haeger, who has also written under the pen name Anne Girard, holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from UCLA. A chance meeting with the famed author Irvine Stone 25 years ago not only inspired her, it sharply focused her ambition to tell great stories from history, and to write them only after detailed research and extensive travel to the places her characters lived. Since the publication of her acclaimed first novel Courtesan in 1993, a novel that remains in print today, her work can be found on Audible and has been translated into 18 different languages, bringing her international success and award winning status. Platinum Doll, a novel about Jean Harlow is her 15thbook. She lives in Southern California with her husband and family.

80 comments:

  1. What an interesting story, Diane. Coincidence? I don’t know, but I’m not much of a believer in coincidence.

    Often things happen in my life that I never expected. One of the very best of these was a decision to accompany a fellow teacher to a meeting where, of course, I met John. It was definitely one of those unexpected moments that turned out for the best . . . .

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    1. Isn’t breathtaking? Just that one little tiny decision… which seems so random at the time, right?

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    2. Hi Joan! I don't much believe in coincidence either, not when it's that dramatic. And that's so lovely about how you met your John. Imagine how different your life would've been if you hadn't gone with your colleague. I love that.

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  2. This is such a fascinating story Diane! I practiced as a clinical psychologist before beginning to write. Did you feel as though that career wasn't going to suit you? and I'd love to hear more about the new book and how you do your research!

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    1. Oh, Luciy I’d love to hear that too… what is your method, Diane, for writing historical fiction? How do you put yourself back in that time

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    2. Hi Lucy! It wasn't so much that the career didn't suit me, it was more that Diane & Henri's story swept me away and I was driven to tell it. I couldn't finish my doctorate and do the research required at the same time so my husband said why don't you take a year, get that story out of your system and then go back to school. I was fortunate enough to sell it rather quickly and I never looked back. I like to think my experience with psychology though helps me with my characters. At least I hope so!

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  3. Life is definitely funny sometimes. And an interesting story about becoming a writer. Thanks for sharing it with us, Diane. I love the cover on Platinum Doll - so very vintage.

    I have 3 very dear friends that I 'met' 20 years ago when each of us commented on a book site that no longer even exists. We continued to comment, along with others, and eventually realized that we had a lot in common. We took our conversations to Yahoo groups and personal email, etc. I recently got to see two of them 'in person' - only the 2nd time in 20 years. It was lovely. We've shared all kinds of things - joys, sorrows, and our reading life. All because of one little comment.

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    1. That’s wonderful, Kay! People you never otherwise would have known existed, right?

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    2. What a wonderful story, Kay. I love that! Two of my very dear friends--in opposite sides of the country, are women I met through social media. Like you, we've shared many of the highs and lows of our lives over the past 20 years. And thank you about the Platinum Doll cover! It had several incarnations before the final product (as is common). It was a little tricky with the Jean Harlow estate but my publisher was able finally to purchase the use of the one we settled on and I think she looks beautiful!

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  4. How intriguing! I'd really like to know more.

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    1. Exactly! It must be difficult to write fiction that’s not quite fiction. Diane, tell us more!

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    2. Yes, I'm wondering how you manage that, too, Diane!

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    3. Hi Judi! It can be challenging to, as Hank said, "write fiction that's not quite fiction." Since in most cases there was no "fly on the wall" or recorded conversations, I have to really get to know my characters, try to live inside them a little bit, before I start to tell their story so that I am honoring them with the way I tell their stories. I also read every biography about them I can get my hands on, go to where they lived, walk in their footsteps. It's a challenging process but a wonderful one!

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  5. One day, I mulled things over while I ran local errands. I had a protagonist and a location, but how could I combine them? Shazam! I had a defining moment and almost plowed into a mailbox. And started writing. I discovered writing is dangerous to one's driving and try not to plot storm or practice dialogue behind the wheel.

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    1. Very wise! Margaret I am glad you are OK :-)
      And how did the writing turn out? :-)

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    2. Ha, Margaret. I can't tell you how many times I've missed my exit on the freeway because I was totally lost in plot or working out dialogue!

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    3. I love your Shazam moment, Margaret! I love when that happens. Funny enough, most of my good creative moments come when I'm alone in my car too so I always have pen, paper and a recording device at the ready. Yes, how did your story turn out?

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  6. Diane, I'm fascinated with your fascination with secret affairs! What fun, to dig around and find out all these salacious and delicious details.

    So many pivotal moments in my life; I woke up this morning thinking of a big one, which completely pulled me out of my small-town existence and dragged me, unwillingly, into a far bigger life than I ever would have had without it. At the time it was devastating, but nearly fifty years' of perspective shines a much different light on the event. I would not be the person I am today without that experience, as difficult as it was.

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    1. So many of us have stories like that! Something we think is terrible happens… And we are who we are as a result, most often for the better… Xxxxx

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    2. Hi Karen! I honestly didn't start out thinking it would be a career path for me, hunting down secret affairs, haha! But it kind of became that. My agent years ago used to call my books "sexy love affairs from history" which many of them were. And you're right, it is the most fun to uncover the little details that are really unbelievable. For example, in "Courtesan" King Henri was so in love with his Diane that he actually had coins minted and circulated with the emblem he designed for the two of them rather than one with his queen. I have one of those coins from 1558 in my collection and I always get a little shiver when I hold it and think how it links me back to them. And I love your story about being pulled away from your small town by fate. I have a similar story in my own life and sometimes it does take that long--forty years in my case--to see what a different person I would be if it were not for that turn of events.

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  7. Great story Diane, and welcome to JRW.

    Life changing moments. There are so many for each of us. I wonder if the most important are the roads not taken, the flight we missed that ran into a storm, the extra five minutes in the grocery store that meant we met up with an old friend, that light bulb I didn't replace on the stairway that caused me to miss the last step and dislocate my shoulder. So many mre that we don't even realize.

    Je suis pensive aujourd'hui.

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    1. Oh, and, I am so sorry about that :-( yes, I so agree, many moments like that, we’ll never know…

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    2. Hi Ann, and thank you.Courtesan remains for me today,even after 25 years, my greatest creative Labor of Love, that's for sure, and I'm thrilled to be here on this wonderful site.... I so agree with you about the roads not taken. I'm sure for all of us there are many, most we were probably not even aware of, like the examples you gave. When I discovered that article in Cosmo, the funny thing is I do think I knew it was pivotal for me. Being in grad school, writing a novel at that point wasn't even on my radar but Diane de Poitiers was an incredibly powerful force even from the page of a magazine. I felt her then, as I have felt her presence for many years since. It has always been so lovely for me that my initials, DH, are the same as the emblem King Henri created to honor her and which he had put quite literally all over France!

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  8. I think life presents us with odd opportunities every day. It's up to us to recognize them, say yes, and take the leap. Thousands of other women must have read that Cosmo article. Some might have even thought it would make a good novel. You wrote the novel and changed your life.

    The tiny, life-changing moment I remember was that time I didn't get a job I wanted. I decided, on the spur of the moment, to go spend the weekend with my sister, who was helping to run a science fiction convention in Kansas City. Hey, it beat sitting around the house moping, right? At the pre-con party I was trying to stay away from the smokers when a young woman rushed into the room yelling, "Warren Norwood's here! Warren Norwood's here!" I had no idea who Warren Norwood was, or why she would be so excited about him, so I paid attention when he made his entrance. Turned out he was a darned cute writer from Texas. We were together for the next 22 years.

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    1. Oh my gosh, Gigi, I love your story! How awesome is that, really beautiful! It's so true the times we mourn the loss of things we thought would make us happy, only to find that what we were led to instead was far more perfect than we might ever have imagined...

      You're totally right about other women reading that same article I did. I actually never thought about that before! The other thing about it was that there were 3 other 'courtesans' detailed in the article but she was the only one with whom I connected--and in such a big way. The first time I visited their castle in Chenonceaux, I literally wept. It was very moving for me. Because she was older than he, and a widow, history had not always been kind to Diane (the biggest motivating force in me wanting to tell her story) but she truly did take Henri de Valois from an unsure adolescent and helped him become a magnificent king, Henri II!

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    2. Oh, Gigi, you are SO right! Only Diane actually did it. Wow.
      (and aw, what a story you have!)

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  9. I enjoyed this fascinating and wonderful post about the author whose novel I would enjoy greatly. Missed opportunities and coincidences have been a constant in my life so I do believe in them. Beshert and life go together and have great meaning for me.

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    1. Hi traveler! "Courtesan" definitely was and remains the story of my heart. I've loved all of the wonderful people from history I've gotten to write about but perhaps because Diane and Henri were my first they are the most dear to me. And I agree with you, coincidences and missed opportunities are constant in many of our lives. I think it's age and perspective that allows us to see them more clearly.

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    2. And also missed disasters, right? And we never know..

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    3. So true, Hank. There are stories everywhere about people who missed getting on the Titanic, or going into one of the twin towers. We never do know...

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  10. Welcome, Diane!

    I'd have to say getting fired. I'd been with the company for almost 12 years and I had no expectations of leaving. One day, it all ended. But that was the point at which my husband encouraged me to finish the book I'd started years ago, so it was a pretty serendipitous event.

    Mary/Liz

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    1. Thanks so much, Mary! I absolutely love this amazing site with so many wonderful women. And your story is a perfect example of what I meant in my post. At the time you were fired you quite likely thought of it as a tragedy (I would have!), no one likes being fired after all, but without that moment in time you may not have felt you had the time or energy to finish your book.... I'd love to know if you did finish that one, and what the title is!

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    2. Yes, being fired--often leads to wonderful things. Because it gives us the courage we didn't know we needed!

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    3. Courage, and it also pushes us whether we want to be pushed or not, toward something often better for us than we ever could have imagined.

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    4. Oh, it was tragic. At the time, I had kids in private elementary school, one on the cusp of high school, and I didn't know what I was going to do.

      And I did finish the book - but it's a trunk novel. Basically, that book told me all the things I had to learn about writing. But because of it, ROOT OF ALL EVIL, will be my debut in a little less than a month!

      Mary/Liz

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  11. Life is filled with so many fortunate events which direct your life. What makes it worthwhile is following through with these chances. Friends, jobs, careers and travels all contribute to these memories through the years. One was a chance meeting many years ago and this gave me the impetus to reverse my original decision upon where I would live. Happiness and contentment happened.

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    1. Hi Petite! I totally agree with you about following through, and how lovely that you found happiness and contentment by doing so...I think most of my friends at the time thought I was a little mad trying to write a novel set in 16th Century Renaissance France when I'd never written a thing anyone knew of. My wonderful editor at Simon&Schuster actually told me she really didn't want to buy a whopping 550 page novel with that obscure setting but I'm sure glad she took a chance on me. :-)

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    2. SO funny. The tiniest little pebble in the pond makes winder and wider ripples..

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  12. Welcome, Diane, what a great cover for Platinum Doll!

    Life takes its biggest turns in the tiniest decisions. Part of the fun is looking back and finding the moment.

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    1. Hi Kait! Thanks very much, and I too love the beautiful cover Mira gave to Jean for Platinum Doll! They worked hard to get the rights to use her actual image, so I was enormously grateful. And I agree with your absolutely profound comment about life's biggest turns often being in the tiniest decisions. Like you all, I can look back over my life and see that many times over.

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    2. Exactly! (And she was so fascinating..imagine looking like that!)

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    3. Jean Harlow was beautiful and actually very smart. She packed a whole lot of life into her short 26 years.

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  13. Diane, I'd love to hear more about the new book! And I'm fascinated by what it must take to write a novel about real people and real events. Do tell us more.

    My "Cosmo" moment was glimpsing a house on a country road in the Yorkshire Moors and thinking, "Wow. What a great place to set a detective story." So it turned out to be, and that book was published in 1993 as well.

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    1. That is SO great, Debs! I didn't know that story!

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    2. Oh how fabulous, Deborah! 1993 was a good year for us both!:-) What was your book called? I'd love to look it up!

      To answer your question, writing about real people is not for the faint of heart. It's a lot of work. I take it very seriously and feel a lot of responsibility to get it right when I decide to take someone's true story on. Also now with so much information available on Wikipedia I get mail from people telling me I got my facts wrong. If I can't confirm a fact on my own (non-Wikipedia) it doesn't make it into my books.

      Any story always begins with several weeks, even months sometimes, reading everything I can get my hands on about them--biograpies and in some cases reading their own letters or writings, newspaper articles from the time. I really need to get into their skin, as it were. Then I always travel to where they lived and spend time there to get the sense and the rhythm of their world. Every time without fail, I have met people, or seen things that greatly enhanced the story, things I could not have found on the internet or even in books. I could go on and on! Haha! Thanks so much for asking.

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    3. It was the first of my Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series (now working on #18!) and is called A SHARE IN DEATH. The house I saw that day in Yorkshire was a timeshare in a faux Georgian mansion. I asked my ex-husband if we could stop and take a look at the place. From that moment the story grew in my head until I just had to write it. I still like that book, even after more than twenty-five years.

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    4. I still love it - A SHARE IN DEATH! Shall I tell you how many times I've reread it? It's on my 'comfort' list, along with others. So, no pressure at all...but...#18???? Ha!

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    5. WOW! #18 Deborah, you have me beat by 1--and by 3 if we are only counting the ones currently sold! That's so impressive. I'm writing the title down right this minute and am going to see if I can find a copy. Congratulations on a long and fruitful career.

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    6. I think I need to reread A Share in Death!

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  14. Congrats on your new book, Diane! Were your other books born of similar "aha" moments or was it only the case for the first?

    I agree with Gigi that life is full of opportunities, but often, we're not paying attention. Or we might notice, but then dismiss our response. Your story is a lesson to all of us to embrace those moments when we're truly engaged in something and then take the next step.

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    1. OR--to be sure to read Cosmopolitan. Just saying. :-) . xoox

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    2. haha! You'd think I would have bought myself a lifetime subscription after that! :-)

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    3. Thank you, Ingrid. And yes absolutely there have been other moments for me and mainly when I read about a couple that I feel in my heart was misunderstood by history. That happened for me with my novel "Madame Picasso" about Pablo Picasso's early love, Eva Gouel.

      To this day, Picasso is represented very negatively as a man, particularly when it comes to his amours. I was able to see and represent the young Picasso, vital--and with hair!--- on the cusp of the fame that was yet to come, a man still vulnerable and open to true love.

      For that novel, I was really blessed to be able to travel to Provence and meet with one of Picasso's last living friends--French photographer Lucien Clergue (who sadly has since passed) to hear his 1st hand accounts of the gentle and generous side of a man who was often remained hidden behind his image. I hope I was able to convey much of that in my novel.

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    4. Oh, my goodness, Diane--what an incredible adventure! and such a treasured moment...

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    5. It so was! I always tell people it felt a little like having an audience with the Pope. I had to be led to his private atelier by a guide in Arles, then by his butler up an ancient stone staircase to find him, stern and white-haired, sitting behind a massive carved desk. He was rather antagonistic for the first few heart-thumping moments. After I stuttered my way through the explanation of what I was trying to do, he warmed up, smiled and said, "So tell me what you would like to know." It was an exceptional experience.

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    6. ::shaking head:: Amazing. Cannot wait to hear. xoxo You must come back and tell us about this!

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  15. I read Cosmo all through college and enjoyed it. Who knows? I may have read that article too. I quit reading the magazine after I married. I got tired of the “gushing” writing style. My horizons were broadened the middle of my junior year of high school. Dad was promoted and we moved to another state. How I hated having everything disrupted and leaving my friends behind. I can look back and see both positive and negative aspects that still impact my life today.

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    1. Hi Pat!I actually didn't read Cosmo with any regularity and who knows, if I hadn't been at the hair salon needing to wait for the stylist with a copy there waiting to be perused, my life might today be a very different one.

      Gosh, what a difficult age to be asked to leave school and friends behind. I can tell you that the very same thing happened to me in 9th grade and I was none to happy either. They say those experiences make us stronger and are character builders, which may be true, but they are also darned painful at the time. Like you, I look back on that adolescent experience in both positive and negative ways. Even back then, the one thing that helped me through was books. I'm so happy I have always been a reader!

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  16. Hi Diane, Though I've known you for a few years now I never knew about your Cosmo moment! I can't say I ever had a specific moment. Over the years I've told friends again and again that I would write a book. I didn't have a topic or subject, but I knew I had something to say. It wasn't until my mid fifties that some good old fashioned heart break told me that life was short and if I wanted to make a dream come true there was no better time than NOW. So, a year after quitting my job, selling everything I own, and moving to Italy, I've finished my first draft. I did it. I really did it. AND you were one of the people who encouraged me along the way. Thank you!!! xoxoxoxo

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    1. Hey there sweet friend! Obviously I knew the early part of your story (lots of fun nights with popcorn!) but I didn't realize you had finished a book! BRAVA! I'd love to be one of your beta-readers, or help encourage your project in any way that I can. You are an amazing woman with a great deal to say--and an amazing way of saying it. If I've had even the tiniest of roles in encouraging you to go for it, I am honored. Can't wait to give you a big hug next month! xx

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    2. Perfect! LOVE this story..and eager to hear about your book, Christine! COme back and visit! xoo

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  17. My favorite book of illicit love is Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve. My "Cosmopolitan moment" was when I was attending a small college in Virginia and visited D.C. for a weekend. The next week, my transfer papers to George Washington University were in the mail, and I switched my major from romance languages to political science. I even used my degree (well, sort of) by working on Capitol Hill for several years during and after college. Thanks for visiting Jungle Reds and telling us about Courtesan -- it sound like a wonderful and intriguing read ~

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    1. Hi Celia, it is truly my absolute pleasure to be here with so many amazing women! I haven't read Fortune's Rocks but I have added it to my list.... I love your story! Just a weekend visit probably changed your entire future path. That's beautiful. :-)

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  18. Diane, I love the stories secreted away behind the front headlines of history. Diane de Poitiers sounds completely fascinating, and I will have to read Courtesan. That must have been so much fun to research. I'm thinking you had some gasping moments. And, Platinum Doll is quite the intriguing subject, too.

    In my family history, the Boones, we have the story of my great-great-great-great Grandfather Edward and my great-great-great-great Uncle Daniel and the years Daniel was thought to be dead. Edward and Daniel married sisters, and so they all were pretty close. They got closer when Daniel had been gone for a few years, and the others had rather given up hope of his return. Of course, Daniel Boone was the great explorer, and he was off exploring. Edward doesn't get as much credit, although he did accompany his brother to Kentucky and got killed in his place when mistaken for Daniel. Anyway, keeping an eye on Daniel's family and taking care of them, along with his own family, was what Edward did while Daniel was away during this extended period of time. When Daniel returned, he had a new daughter, who according to even the most lenient of timetables was not his issue. Apparently, Edward took care of Daniel's wife very well indeed. But, all's well that ends well. Daniel raised Jemima as his own and he and Edward remained close. I keep thinking I need to write a book around this story.

    One of my favorite movies, Sliding Doors, deals with the "what if" of life. The female lead, Gwyneth Paltrow (in her acting days before she became the expert on everything), in one scenario catches the tube in London and arrives home to find her husband in bed with another woman, and Gwyneth ends up meeting another man, actor John Hannah (whom I love). In the other scenario, Gwyneth misses the train by a mere few seconds and doesn't discover the affair right away. Moments matter.

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    1. I loved Sliding doors, Kathy! A fabulous movie premise, wasn't it? And WOW what a story you have to tell of Daniel and Edward. I absolutely love that. Someone really should tell it, so maybe that someone is YOU. :-) I only wish I had famous people in my family history. The only one I have is the Irish boxer Gentleman Jim Corbett and I never found enough story there to make into a full novel.

      Diane De Poitiers was, and remains for me, the most fascinating woman in history. She was brave, smart, beautiful and independent. She followed her heart even against more odds than most of us could ever imagine. I hope you have a chance to take a look at Courtesan on Amazon.com and see if it's your kind of book. Jean Harlow was a wonderful character to write about too, entirely different but fascinating!

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    2. SO wonderful, Kathy...you always have the best stories! (hope you are well?)

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    3. I've put both book on my TBR list, Diane. Hank, you are always so sweet, and I'm doing okay right now. I have an appointment with a pulmonologist and a hematologist next week, trying to figure out what caused the blood clot. Thanks for asking, dear friend.

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  19. Not long ago I finished a book about Catherine D'Medici and her daughter. I grew up reading historical fiction with my parents. I know these people all died centuries ago but when I'm reading, I almost expect them to win the battle, get married, not get killed even if I know the story. It's kind of strange to be sad when everything happened years ago. I never understand how people don't like history. Some of the true stories are like a soap opera.

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    1. Well said, Sally! You totally captured my feelings about both reading, and writing, historical fiction. When I wrote the end of COURTESAN I cried for hours. They had become like family to my creative heart. They had lived with me, and I had been in their world, traveled to their homes, seen their clothes, Henri's battle armor, read their letters, for over four years by the time I wrote "THE END". They stayed with me.

      And yes, I absolutely agree with you that some true stories are indeed like a soap opera. So many times when I'm doing research, I find myself laughing and shaking my head thinking readers will never believe this! But those are the moments I think I love best--bringing the true, hard to believe facts to print!

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    2. Yes, so amazing how we root for them! And Diane, aw, I can completely picture that...xoo

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  20. Just back from the dentist! Ahhhh… Reading all the new comments now!

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    1. Such fun Hank! Truly this has been a joy. Happy to come back anytime!

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  21. Yes, Diane, you are wonderful amazing perfect. Anytime! xooxo

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  23. Thank you all for a fabulous day! ** AND THE WINNER of COURTESAN is Judi! **
    Hurray!

    Judi, email me at hryan at whdh dot com and we will get you your book! Love this! xoxo

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