Danielle Steel's Blog, page 45

10/27/14, Another Star in the Heavens

Hi Everyone,

I hope that all is okay with you.

For someone who has claimed until this summer that I’ve never lost a friend, who died, (although sadly, I know many young people, contemporaries of my children, who died tragically young, including my own son)—-but on that score, this has not been a good summer or fall. Friends have been falling at a rapid rate. And even more shocking, some of them are people of SUCH UNIMAGINABLY IMMENSE TALENT. Robin Williams two months ago, another friend this summer in Paris, and now Oscar de la Renta, the famous dress designer. In Mr. de la Renta’s case, it was not entirely unexpected as he has fought a valiant battle with cancer for the past several years. But repeatedly, he seemed to conquer the illness and continued to create, see friends, be present, and then he would win another round against the disease. He was a remarkable man in a myriad ways. And I realize as I look back, that I’ve known Oscar for about 30 years, and met him sometime in the 80’s when he was widowed, and before he married his lovely present wife Annette, who is herself the epitome of fashion. And I had heard last week through a mutual friend that Oscar wasn’t doing well, and was finally losing the battle with cancer, after several years. So I wasn’t entirely surprised when I heard the sad news.

I read his obituary and it is a litany of his extraordinary accomplishments, his stellar rise in fashion at an early age in Spain, Paris and New York. I have seen beautiful women dressed by Oscar for as long as I can remember. He has won every imaginable award in fashion, lifetime achievement awards, the French Legion of Honor, and above all the deep respect of everyone who knew him. He was truly a Legend in fashion, and such a truly lovely person.

I can no longer remember who first introduced me to Oscar, if it was Barbara Walters, or my agent Mort Janklow, because both were close to him. We attended many dinner parties, and when he married Annette, I would see them both at social events, and was grateful and touched to be their friend. When something good or bad happens to someone famous or well known, people wonder what they were really like. Certain words jump to mind about Oscar, he was the absolute epitome of, the most perfect example of the perfect gentleman, with impeccable manners, total charm, exquisitely tailored, always charming. He was the best of a breed that no longer exists. In addition to that he was outrageously funny, and above all he was always incredibly kind to me. I loved sitting next to him at dinner, because he was sooo much fun and always made me laugh. I went to several of his birthday parties, and he was a fabulous dancer.

Probably my favorite story about him involved his son. Oscar was very active in charitable activities in the Dominican Republic, where he was born. He founded an orphanage, which meant a great deal to him, and he was very involved in it. As a result of that involvement, he adopted his son Moise, while he was widowed and before he married Annette. And I was always so touched by his dedication to his son, his love for him and deep concern, as well as for his stepchildren when he married Annette. He was a wonderful father, and a truly amazing and admirable man.

Oscar was elegant, sophisticated, talented, brilliant, charming, kind. His qualities were dazzling. He was a lovely human being, he adored his wife, his children, his friends, his dogs. He had all the virtues to be an extraordinary friend, and so he was.

He dressed most of the famous women on the planet, First Ladies, movie stars, famous socialites, all the women you read about who are beautifully dressed. If you needed a fabulous dress for something REALLY special, or a major personal event, you turned to Oscar. And our family was no exception. He made my oldest daughter’s white lace wedding dress, and her bridesmaids’ elegant beige silk ones (which included all four of her sisters, and several of her friends). He made my last wedding dress, which is truly the most beautiful dress I’ve ever had or seen. It was a fairytale gown. Since it wasn’t my first wedding, I didn’t want to wear white, and he made a gown with an ENORMOUS ballgown skirt (think Scarlett O*Hara, with a skirt so wide that you couldn’t possibly get through a door), with a long train of course, in a taupe colored satin (like cafe au lait color, or a ‘latte’) with purple velvet appliqued bunches of violets on it all over the dress. It had a scooped just off the shoulder neckline, a tiny waist, the HUGE skirt, long sleeves, and around the neckline, and at the cuffs was golden sable. It was a dress fit for a princess, and I felt like one in it. It was an incredible dress, and I smile every time I see it in my closet. (See photographs below). In addition, in the ‘special events’ category for us, Oscar designed the beautiful white coming out dresses for two of my daughters, when they came out in New York at the Infirmary Ball at seventeen and eighteen. It’s an old fashioned tradition, but I did it as a young girl, and there is an innocent sweetness to it, no different than other rites of passage to mark a young girl’s transition into young adulthood. In the old days, the purpose of the event was to find a husband, nowadays for those who still do it, girls ‘come out’ as debutantes in their freshman year of college, and it begins you on the path of being an adult young woman. And it’s a fairytale night. Oscar made all of these events of ours more special, with the beautiful dresses he designed for us, to make each of us feel more special at an important time for us.

And when he became the Haute Couture designer for Balmain in Paris, I became one of his most dedicated clients, as well as a friend, and I have rack after rack of his exquisite creations, and still wear many of them. I wore one, a navy taffeta strapless evening gown, with a long train, to one of my daughters’ wedding two years ago, and it still looked spectacular (my daughter begged me to wear the dress, because it’s so special).

Oscar was a man of a million talents, a design genius, he created Haute Couture gowns for the ‘rich and famous’, but also gorgeous wearable clothes for working women and people busy in active lives in the real world. He was a philanthropist, a wonderful husband and father, a devoted friend. I vaguely remember that he loved to go fishing. No one could dance like Oscar. No one could laugh like Oscar, or make me laugh as hard. Oscar made every woman he dressed feel special, and every friend feel cared about. Oscar was extraordinary and unique. He dressed first ladies and heads of state, major stars and Oscar winners, some of the most important women in this country, yet whenever I saw him, he made me feel just as special.

How terribly we will all miss him. How lucky we were to know him, for those of us who did. How lucky the world was to have him in it. How blessed his friends were, his family, and all who knew him. I can’t bear the thought that yet another shining light has vanished into the night sky again, that such an enormous talent has slipped into memory and legend. And yet, he was so alive, so vibrant, so fun, so funny, so brilliantly talented, that men like that are never gone. And even in something so simple as opening my closet, where on a high rack my still spectacular wedding dress by him is hanging, I know that I will look up forever, and see it, and remember the fittings, the fun, and how beautiful I felt in it the day I got married, and all the women who have worn his gowns, he gave us each a special, very precious gift. Think how many women’s lives he has touched, those who knew him and those who didn’t, men like that are never gone. So here we are again, looking into the sky again at night, and knowing that there is one more bright star up there, our beloved friend, Oscar de la Renta. How blessed we were to know him, and have him in our lives. I will miss him, we all will.

love, Danielle

DS with Oscar de la Renta

Wedding gown by Oscar de la Renta

Wedding gown by Oscar de la Renta

Victoria in her coming out gown

Vanessa in her coming out gown

DS, Victoria and Vanessa at the Infirmary Ball, NYC

Beatrix’s wedding, with her sisters as bridesmaids. All gowns by Oscar de la Renta

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10/20/14, TWO Exciting New Books!!!

Hi Everyone!!!

I just wanted to share with you that I have TWO new books coming out on October 28. A hardcover novel called “Pegasus”, which begins in World War II, covers three generations of 2 families who are close friends, the book takes place both in America and Europe, and it has lots of exciting things in it. Among them, there are some very interesting things about Ringling Brothers Circus, and life in the circus during the war years. It’s a big meaty book with lots of great stuff and characters in it. I love the book and hope you do too. And one of the elements of the book is about Lippizaner horses, the incredibly beautiful white horses that are used as show horses, who do elegant and amazing acrobatics. I REALLY REALLY hope you love the book!!!

And the second book is a children’s book called “Pretty Minnie in Paris”, for children about 4 to 8 years old. It was inspired by my tiny little white long haired tea cup Chihuahua Minnie (she weighs just over 2 pounds!!), and in the book Minnie lives in Paris, belongs to a little girl named Francoise, and both Francoise and Minnie love to wear pretty clothes. It’s about Minnie’s adventures in Paris….and there will be a sequel to the book a year from now. I am sooo excited about this book too, it is unbelievably cute, the illustrations by Kristi Valiant are gorgeous, and there is lots of pink and purple glitter in the book!!!! If there are any little girls in your life, they will LOVE it!!!

I hope you have a chance to enjoy both of these books.

Lots and LOTS of love, danielle

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10/13/14, Wise Words

Hi Everyone,

I hope that all is going well for you, as we slide into the fall, from September into October.

Two friends sent me some wonderful words in the last couple of weeks that I wanted to share with you. Both of these sayings really touched me.

One is a Chinese ‘precept’, which a good friend sent to me, about money, and what it can and can’t buy, and was such a good reminder.

“Money can buy a house, but not a home.

It can buy a bed, but not sleep.

It can buy a clock, but not time.

It can buy a book, but not knowledge.

It can buy a position, but not respect.

It can pay for a doctor, but not buy health.

It can buy blood, but not life.

It can pay for sex, but not love”.

And the other words that touched me were from a Jewish friend, who shared the Yom Kippur prayer with me during the recent holiday.

“To those I may have wronged,

I ask forgiveness.

To those I may have helped,

I wish I had done more.

To those I neglected to help,

I ask for understanding.

To those who helped me,

I sincerely thank you.”

I love both of those so much, and the people who sent them to me. And you, my beloved readers, always help me with your kind words and support. So as the prayer says, I sincerely thank you.

with much love, danielle

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10/6/14, A Comet Into The Sky

Hi Everyone,

I had a great privilege today, as I write this. I had the honor of knowing Robin Williams, socially through our kids (one of my children dated one of his for four years), and he was incredibly generous with his time, and came to the gala benefit evenings I gave for my son’s foundation for mental illness. He always showed up, every time which was a thrill for people who came to our event. We had mutual friends, and met a few times a year. He visited my home, and wherever I’d run into him, or when he came to my house, or to my daughter when she went to theirs, he was incredibly gracious, kind, and warm. He was a lovely person to meet and know, always charming, always funny, always nice to talk to. And I was greatly saddened to hear the news when he took his life nearly two months ago. It was a terrible shock, and knowing his children, I was particularly saddened for their loss.

Today, my son and I attended his memorial service, which was heart rendingly sad, and beautifully done. It had all the potential to be a star studded Hollywood event, and although there were some major Hollywood notables present, it was all deeply personal, and heartbreakingly moving. All the invitees had to promise not to reveal to anyone beforehand where the service was being held, and the reception after, and I suspect that everyone respected the request in deference to Robin and his family. There were no gawkers or celebrity watchers outside the theater where the memorial was held, a few photographers discreetly across the street, and most of the people who attended appeared to be family and good friends, and filed quietly into the theater when they arrived. Afterwards, a reception was held at a nearby hotel.

The most striking element of the whole event was his children, each of whom spoke at the service very eloquently and with great emotion, and I think everyone cried as we listened to what Robin meant to them as a father. It is not easy to be the children of celebrities and people in the public eye, nor of people with demanding careers, and yet he managed to be a wonderful father, and his children’s profound love and respect for him was plainly evident. It ripped our hearts out to listen to them speak of him and tell of things they did with him as they grew up. His kids are still very young.

The Rev Cecil Williams, an extraordinary minister and orator handled the religious aspect of the event, and the wonderful choir from his church, Glide Memorial Church, opened the service. Glide is particularly extraordinary as it serves the poor and homeless, serving meals, providing housing, jobs, medical care, and education. Most people in San Francisco know the Rev Williams and admire him greatly. Billy Crystal gave a deeply moving eulogy and opened and closed the proceedings, since Mr. Crystal was his closest friend, as was Whoopi Goldberg, who also spoke beautifully. Mort Sahl, the writer, an Admiral from Robin’s many USO tours to Afghanistan and Iraq to cheer up the troups there. There were about 8 very impressive speakers, as well as all 3 Williams children, countless film clips from his films and interviews, and slide shows of poignant photographs of Robin with friends and family. It was an extraordinary tribute to an extraordinary man. And at the end, Stevie Wonder came on stage and performed a final song. I think most of us cried through most of the two and a half hour service. Seeing Robin’s photographs and movie clips, reminded us all of his many and varied performances and brought home to all of us just how incredibly talented he was, to the point of genius. And in the course of the afternoon, listening to the speakers’ stories about him, we laughed as much as we cried. And we cried a lot, for Robin, for his children, his new wife, his family and friends. It is such a terrible loss for those who knew him and for the world.

On a more personal note, since one of my sons committed suicide as well, I was struck again by the terrible waste and loss when a great talent fades from the sky, and has chosen that loneliest of paths to end a life. One tries to reason about it, to make it make sense, to try and feel better. But any way you look at it, you can only be impressed by how talented he was, and what a great friend and father he was. Suicide is never the right answer, but to those suffering from depression, sometimes it seems like the only one.

It was clear to me today, as I sat in the theater crying during the service, that a great light on earth has gone out, and has been silently extinguished…….and in the universe, a comet is shooting through the sky with all the fire and talent and brilliance of Robin Williams. I pray for his peace, and for his children’s peace as well. I was honored to be there. It was a very, very special day.

love, Danielle

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9/29/14, No Answer

Dear Everyone,

Instead of reporting to you on big antique shows, fashion shows, world events, or personal things that matter to me, sometimes even very personal (like losing a friend this summer, or my late son’s anniversary date last week), now and then I get to share a pet peeve with you, and it’s always rewarding when I discover that you share my irritation about the same thing, and I’m not alone in my complaint. (There’s comfort in numbers).

Communication used to be complicated and slow. You had to mail a letter or even a work project and wait for a response, sometimes even a long time. There was just no faster way to get things sent from Point A to Point B. Then the fax was invented which changed that. Within minutes, you could send a drawing, a letter, a work project to anywhere in the world, a huge change in getting work done faster, with no delays. And the Fax led to Email which revolutionized all our lives. Sometimes even too much so. You write a letter or send a photo or message, hit the Send button, and your message shoots around the world (sometimes before you even have time to think about it, or prematurely). Texts were an extension of that, and now seem to be the way everyone, or many/most people communicate, especially young people. And to some extent, it’s abused. I hear constantly about romances starting by text, and then people getting ‘dumped’ by text, which seems a very inelegant way to handle important personal communications and life decisions. My kids in their 20’s rarely seem to talk to anyone on the phone anymore, they text, which seems sadly impersonal to me. Email and Texting are convenient as can be, but easily abused, and on personal issues, they seem to create a false sense of intimacy which doesn’t really exist, and then they find there is a wide gap between reality and the person they were communicating with too intimately, with no real foundation for it.

And the arrival of the cell phone changed all our lives. John, my husband for 20 years, LOVED new technology. We had the first voice operated cell phone in his car, which called all sorts of people you didn’t want to talk to if you coughed or sneezed, and responded to every noise in the car. And he had the first ‘portable phone”, which was about as heavy as a bowling ball, was housed in a small suitcase, and which he placed on the table in restaurants, and loved showing off with it. That wasn’t very long ago, maybe 20 years or less. And then the machinery began shrinking to something smaller and smaller, at first hard to get into a purse, and by now so tiny you can tuck it into any bag or pocket. The things a cell phone can do today are astonishing, with endless ‘apps’. There is an app for just about anything, from random sex, to games, and things I never dreamed off, like a list of every restaurant in the area if you tell your phone you’re hungry. There are no more unanswered questions on any subject, what actress was in what movie when, who won the Oscar in 1949, history, recipes, addresses, information. Google has changed the world. And in many cases, cell phones have become as much toys as a convenience, or a business tool. And no question, originally, they made life incredibly convenient. You could sit in traffic and tell people you were late. For me, most importantly with 9 children, I could be found and contacted instantly if one of my children needed me, or had a problem. Before cell phones, I worried about it constantly, about my kids being able to reach me if they had an emergency and I was out. Or if I needed to reach them. Beepers were an interim stage, which warned you that someone needed to reach you, and you could rush to a phone to find out what the problem was, and sometimes it took a while to find a phone so you could call the person who beeped you. With cell phones, you were instantly reachable by the entire world, which has some real advantages, and admittedly some downsides. It also has its dangers, with people using cell phones and texting while driving. Even though illegal, many people still do it, and it causes terrible accidents. My children lost a close friend two years ago, texting while she drove on the highway. And I see people do it all the time, as I’m sure you do too, even worse with texting, since they are looking at their phones, not at the road.

There is no denying the fantastic convenience of having a cell phone, and being accessible to those you want to reach you. Even though it makes us too accessible, and there is nowhere to hide anymore if you want 5 minutes of peace and quiet. (I won’t look at email by phone, and only look at it at home on my computer. You have to draw the line somewhere, and that’s where I draw it, or I’d be answering emails all day when I’m out, trying to get things done, or with friends or kids). But we seem to have forgotten an important benefit that cell phones offer us, and were designed for in the beginning: So others can reach us and talk to us, and we can reach them, wherever we are, at home or out. Somewhere on the path of progress, people stopped answering their cell phones, and began using it as a screening process. At first, only a few did it. They flatly refused to answer their phones, and let it go to voice mail every time, which seemed annoying and snotty to me. Too fancy to answer their phones? Too important? Please. But now everyone does it!!!! EVERYONE, or just about. Whoever you call, whether it’s business people, close friends, a company, a shoe store, or even my kids, all you get is their message. NO ONE actually answers their phone now, whether it rings or is on vibrate. I WANT to answer my phone, and actually have a nearly antique cell phone that I love, because it has flashing lights to tell me it’s ringing if I’m in a place where I might not hear it (a restaurant, a baseball game, wherever, someplace noisy). It lights up like a disco ball when it’s ringing or has a message, and I love that. I love that model (a very, very old Nokia), and have replaced it several times with unused models of the same phone which I’ve found on EBay. I write on a 1946 typewriter, which is older than I am, and use a cell phone that is a dozen years old. It has no fancy ‘apps’, and I’m fine with that. It’s a cell phone, not a rocket science lab or a research library. All I want is to talk on it, that’s plenty for me. But NO ONE answers their cell phone anymore, EVERYONE lets it go to Voice Mail and checks their messages later. One of the great advantages of cell phones, for me, was being able to reach people quickly, especially in an emergency. It seems like people have forgotten that. All you get now is their message, and pray they pick it up soon. I don’t know a single person who answers their cell phone anymore when it rings, or vibrates. And you’re at the mercy of when they feel like picking up their messages (or worse, their message line is full, because they haven’t bothered to pick up their messages in days or weeks, and you can’t leave them a message at all). With caller ID, they can see who’s calling, so if they don’t want to talk to you, they can avoid you forever. But even if they want to talk to you, or like you, NO ONE picks up anymore. Not even my kids!!! An important feature of cell phones at all has been rendered obsolete. You can’t reach a person quickly on their cell phone now, because they just don’t answer. Okay, they may be driving. But other than that, there is just no reason not to answer their phones, except if they’re having sex or sleeping—-and even asleep, you may need to reach them quickly.

As an example, I was traveling yesterday, and staying in a hotel 3,000 miles from home. I got an alarming call from someone who thought my home was about to be burglarized, on a Saturday night at about 7pm. I couldn’t even call 911 from where I was, or I would have gotten the local police where I was, not the police at home where the house is. I called my kids in that city to have them call the police immediately. It went to Voicemail for each one. I called my assistants. Voice Mail, it was Saturday night, and there was no reason why they should expect to hear from me, and they have their own lives on weekends, and I normally don’t intrude on them out of working hours. I started to panic. Who to call who’d actually pick up their phone and call the cops for me, to protect my home??. I couldn’t find the number for my alarm company, great, now what? I called friends. Voice Mail. I literally called 20 people, and NOT A SINGLE ONE picked up. Not one. Meanwhile, the burglars could have been in my home by then, happily emptying it. It was an insane and frustrating feeling. I was able to reach NOT ONE single person. Nobody. I left frantic messages everywhere, and finally sat down at my computer, sending desperate emails. A friend called me 5 minutes after I sent the emails. And from then on, I started getting calls for the next two hours, after writing in the subject line: “I need HELP. CALL ME IMMEDIATELY”—–which if you do email, you know is also a classic form of Spam now, and a scam, where people hack into others’ computers and email and send out emails claiming to be that person, saying they are in a desperate situation, and trying to scam money from them. So half the people I wrote to by email, probably thought it was that, just another hacker sending scam emails. But no one picked up the damn phone for Heaven’s sake. They only responded to email. Who do I know who is so important that they have to screen their calls and can’t answer the phone when it rings? And yes, I know some famous people. But I wasn’t calling Sidney Poitier, Barbara Walters, or Ben Affleck to tell them my house was being burglarized, I was calling my children, friends and employees. Everyone did eventually call in the next two hours, although the problem was solved by then. And thank goodness, one friend called me minutes after she got my email, called the police and got them there. And fortunately, it was something of a false alarm of innocent people actually looking for someone else, and had managed to look suspicious, although they weren’t burglars. But what if I REALLY needed help immediately? If I’m injured or sick, or need help of some kind, or to reach someone for a serious reason? No One will pick up their phones and answer. They all think they are much too important now and screen their calls. I don’t do that, if someone calls me, I answer. Why wouldn’t I? Why call back later? In fact, much to my friends’ annoyance, I go in the other direction. I never turn off my phone, even in a movie—what if one of my kids has an accident or a huge problem? I want to know immediately. My worst sin of that kind was at my sister in law’s funeral a year ago, in that case I forgot to turn off my phone, since I never do, and of course it rang right in a moment of silence during the church service, and the entire church could hear it. I dove into my purse, grabbed the phone and turned it off, and everyone was mad at me. But I figure if someone calls me, they need me, and probably have a good reason to call me. I can’t tell you how irritating it is to call person after person, and have no one answer. I spend my life leaving messages for people who think they are too busy and important to answer their phones, instead of just talking to the people I need to speak to. I no longer know a single person who will answer their phone when it rings. I find that incredibly annoying!!!

If someone calls me, I answer my phone, unless I’m driving. And it would be soooooo nice if people would answer their phones when I call them. Even my dry cleaner doesn’t answer their phone. No one does. Maybe people need to feel a little less lofty and important, and answer their phones!!! Not doing so defeats one of the important purposes of a cell phone: being able to reach people immediately if you need them, possibly in an emergency. If we don’t abuse that privilege, then maybe people would start answering their phones again. It certainly would be refreshing!!! I’m not too fancy to answer my phone, and it would be great if others didn’t think that they are!!!

love, danielle

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9/22/14, Nicky

Hi Everyone,

It’s hard to think of a different blog this week. I will have been in 3 cities this week, in 2 countries, touching base with my children. And the day when everything comes to a screeching halt for me is September 20th, the anniversary of when I lost my son Nick, at 19, to suicide. I know that many of you are aware of it, and have read the book I wrote about him, “His Bright Light”. He had bi polar disease all his life, and put up a valiant fight to have a good life in spite of it. He was an incredibly talented singer and musician, and lyricist. He wrote extremely well, he laughed a lot, was talented and full of fun and mischief, and he was greatly loved. But his illness overtook him in the end, and I’m so grateful for the nineteen years we shared with him. Even now, he is a blessing in our family.

It’s an incredibly difficult thing to lose a child, you have to fight courageously to make it meaningful, to help others, to not let yourself be drowned by the loss. And the anniversary dates are brutally hard. like waves that overwhelm you. But however hard, or poignant the memories,I am so deeply grateful for the belssing he was, the joy that we shared, and that he came into our lives at all. I know that wherever he is, he is smiling and at peace, loving us as much as ever, just as we love him more than ever, and he will forever be a gift in our lives. May he rest in peace and the tenderness of God’s love for him, and ours….and with all my love to you,

danielle

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9/15/14, Busy Fall

Hi Everyone,

Things are revving up and speeding up, as they do after the summer. As the days get cooler, our lives seem to get busier.

I just finished a book, and am editing two others that are due out in the coming year. I’ve been travelling, visiting with my kids. We have 2 September birthdays in our family, so we’ve made plans for that. And I went to the big antique show this week that happens in Paris every two years, The Biennale. Beautiful museum quality antiques in some booths, paintings, and every important jeweler in the world has a stand at the show. It’s exciting to see it all, and a little dizzying!!! But really lovely stuff. The show is kicked off with a black tie event and dinner, which I go to whenever the show is in Paris every two years. It’s the summit of all antique shows, and really a glamourous event. Lots of women in evening gowns attend, wearing some very spectacular jewels. And they come from all over the world to see the show and attend the opening. You hear every imaginable language, and some very big ticket items are sold. It is truly an impressive event.

On a more mundane scale, I will be going to the flea market tomorrow, to try to find a vintage chair for one of my daughters (not at all in the same leagues as what I saw at the Biennale, this is more funky stuff, where you get to try and bargain down the price of some ‘cool’ beaten up item you can’t live without. Old clothes, old uniforms, old china, old furniture.) It’s fun to see it, though chaotic to go to the market, and you never know what you’ll find. It’s full of unexpected surprises.

I worked a lot this week, and talked to my daughters working at fashion week in New York, and I watched their shows on Style.com, and ordered a few things. Style.com is such an easy way to see the collections of new clothes for the next season, and for me to keep up with my daughters’ work.

So I’ve been keeping busy, with more work to come. I had lunch this week with the friend who lost her husband a few weeks ago, and it was a reminder of how precious friendship is to all of us. It was a touching moment among friends.

And I’ve done a little shopping, although I shouldn’t, and try to be ‘reasonable’ about it, whatever that is. I love shopping, it is always so much fun!! And I’m putting away my summer clothes, although the weather is still balmy. But Fall is just around the corner, and life is speeding up.

I hope that all is well with you!!!

lots of love, danielle

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9/8/14, Revving Up for Fall

Hi Everyone,

With Labor Day a week behind us, Fall is getting started, and things are speeding up. The weather is still gorgeous everywhere, in every city I’ve been in, still warm and sunny, even finally sunny in September in foggy San Francisco, and still hot almost everywhere else, but with a hint of cooler weather to come, and sometimes chilly evenings.  And I definitely notice that the pace is picking up, with things I have to do, and work on my desk.  I am currently working on two sets of ‘galleys’, the final stage of a book before they print it, and my last chance to make corrections before they do. I finished one set of galleys last night, and am starting another set today, for books that will be published and available in the coming months.  Galleys look like the printed pages of a book, but they’re not bound together yet, so the pages come in a big stack, and I can make necessary changes and edits on them, it’s my last chance before the book gets printed.

Book wise—-I’m getting revved up for two new books coming out in October, a hardcover novel, “Pegasus”, it’s a World War II book, a historical novel, and my new children’s book, “Pretty Minnie in Paris”, about a white long haired teacup Chihuahua who lives in Paris and loves to wear pretty clothes. It is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, with gorgeous illustrations by Kristi Valiant, and lots of pink and purple glitter on the book. If there are any little girls in your life, they will love it!! So on the book front, things are getting busy. And my own tiny white Chihuahua, Minnie, had a photo shoot this week for publicity shots for the children’s book. She wore eight different coats and two tiny tee shirts, and she looked very cute!!!

On the social front, I am going to a big very fabulous antique show, the opening night dinner, which is always a very glamourous event, and the antiques at the show are museum quality and wonderful to see. I always look forward to it, and the show happens every other year. It’s fun to see, jewelry, paintings and spectacular antiques.  On a more human scale, I had my adorable Godchildren to dinner last night, for pasta and a movie. They are 4, 7 and 10, and really wonderful kids. They came to visit me with their parents for a week in San Francisco this summer, and we went to Las Vegas together for 3 days. We watched “Sound of Music”, which I love as much as ever, and really enjoyed with them. It had a very international flavor, as my godchildren are half French and half Japanese (and are in the dedication of my children’s book), so I knew all the songs in English because I had seen the movie in English as a child, the film we watched was dubbed in French, so the songs in the movie were in French, and my godchildren knew all the songs in Japanese, and sang along in Japanese—now there’s an international mix for you!!! We had a lot of fun, and I can tell you that the songs in Sound of Music sound great in Japanese too!!

Family-wise, it’s the time of year when I miss my kids, after spending time with them in the summer, and everyone back in their cities, lives and jobs now after the summer. My three girls in fashion are all hard at work on their ready to wear fashion shows in New York, and will be doing the same in Paris soon, and I will miss them in both places. They’re working 20 hour days, and I keep up with their shows, very proudly!!, on style.com. And the others are all busy at work too. And I’m back to editing books, and working on new ones. So it feels like ‘back to school’ for all of us, although no one is in school anymore. But we all seem to be busy. This summer was a mixed bag, with wonderful time with my kids and visits from my French friends, and then the sad loss of a close friend, and two I was less close to (an accident and two suicides, so shocking in all 3 cases), and cleaning up after the earthquake in the Napa Valley. It wasn’t a lazy summer. And things are speeding up now. Two of my daughters have birthdays this month, and for the first time, I wasn’t able to be with one of them, as she had to work on a fashion show, September is a busy month for all of us.

I hope the Fall is off to a nice start for you, with fun projects up ahead, things you’re looking forward to, and interesting things to do. I wish it were still summer, but there’s always next year…..I wish I could fast forward to next summer now!!! But there is lots to do before then. Have a great week!!

love, Danielle

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9/1/14, Forces of Nature

Hi everyone,

My last two weeks of the summer (after a very nice summer and some wonderful time with my children) have not been peaceful or easy. The loss of a close friend, that I mentioned to you, and a few other bumps, have made the last of August more like real life than the end of summer.

Almost two years ago, one of my daughters who live in New York lost her apartment and belongings to Hurricane Sandy. She lived in a ground floor apartment she loved and had fixed beautifully, and living right on the River, her building was hit hard, her street was flooded, and her apartment was engulfed in river and sewer water when Hurricane Sandy hit lower Manhattan. What I saw there at the time was overwhelming, and my daughter’s losses heartbreaking. I had never seen first-hand before the aftermath of a hurricane and the resulting floods. It was devastating, and profoundly shocking.  And in l989, we lived through the 6.9 earthquake in San Francisco. We did not experience much damage in our home, but the quake itself was terrifying.

As I told you in my last blog, I went to Las Vegas with friends and their children last week, had a great time and came home, and hours later was woken out of a sound sleep, as my bed shook violently and woke me up. It took me a few instants to realize that it was an earthquake and not a bad dream. And living in San Francisco, we are allegedly prepared for that to happen, but after a while, you start to assume it never will. You get complacent, and then suddenly a good shake wakes you up and scares you, and you are sharply reminded that you live in earthquake country, which is a serious matter, and we should always be prepared for what can happen.

The epicenter of the quake was within 5 miles of my children’s country home in the Napa Valley, and within seconds after it stopped, I got a call from my son, who sounded shaken and reported on the quake. It had lasted twenty seconds, which doesn’t seem long, but when you’re living it, on nature’s very own roller coaster, and scary ride, it feels like an eternity. In my home in the city, 50 miles away, my dogs were barking frantically and continued to do so for an hour, until an aftershock, and then they stopped. The actual quake had been 6.1, which is a very strong earthquake, enough so to do considerable damage. Objects in homes and stores were broken, people were injured, homes were damaged, roads were broken and closed, water was cut off, phone service was not working, and California was rapidly declared in a state of emergency. The highway to Napa was closed for most of the day, so I decided to wait until Monday morning to visit my children’s home. My other children were away and anxious about the extent of the damage, and I had promised to go up there. My son had already warned us that it seemed very extensive to him.

One thing I learned in the ’89 quake is how erratic earthquake damage can be. A tiny fragile object is unharmed, and another one 10 inches away or less is smashed to smithereens. There is no predicting what will be damaged and what wont.  I left for my children’s Napa home early on Monday morning to evaluate the damage for them. There are several structures on the property, which is an old farm/ranch, built in 1857, and most of the buildings had been unaffected, another had very minor breakage in the house, but my son had already warned me that the main house on the property was severely damaged. Even knowing that, I was not prepared for what I found when we opened the door to the main house on their property. I brought several men with me to help, and we all stood awestruck for a moment. It looked like a bomb had exploded in a war zone. We entered through the kitchen which was a shambles. Dish cupboards had opened and poured their contents out, mountains of broken glasses and plates were on the floor, decorative objects were in a heap of broken pieces, wine bottles had fallen and smashed pouring wine over the floor. There were literally mountains of debris, light fixtures were broken, it looked like a sea of broken glass, the windows were broken, and two tall antique cabinets with glass doors filled with fragile objects had sailed toward each other, and crashed to the floor, face down. When we pulled them upright, the glass doors were not broken, and not a single fragile item in them had broken, yet everything else in the room appeared to be smashed. It is the strange selective process of earthquakes as to what breaks and what doesn’t, and makes no sense. Three crockery canisters sat on the counter, two unharmed, and the one between them smashed to smithereens. My heart was aching for my kids and the home they love and where they spent much of their childhood in this quaint old cluster of farmhouses, and which they work hard to take care of now. It was built in 1857, so it is old and needs loving care, which they provide. From the kitchen, we made our way into the dining room, a closet had poured out their best dishes and glasses, all family things that have great sentimental value to them, and had smashed to bits. Another cupboard had opened with wine and alcohol, which had broken and had poured the contents into my grandmother’s Persian carpet. The living room and den had that same post nuclear explosion look, with upended furniture, broken art objects, and everything broken on the floor, and displaced. Things had flown all over the room. In the den, the sheet rock on one wall had buckled and torn jaggedly, and the same thing had happened in the stairs and in addition a broken banister. Marble columns had broken, and repeatedly if there was a pair of anything, one had broken and one hadn’t. Mirrors were intact, while lamps and other objects were destroyed. The two bedrooms and office were a heap of rubble and a mess.

Trying to decide where to start was a tough choice. We photographed everything before we started, and outside, marble statues had broken (one had lost its head and we never found it though we searched the bushes, a small stone statue of a little girl had her head sitting by her feet, but the matching little boy statue was unharmed. A pair of angel statues near the front door were victims of the same random selection process too, one was intact and the other broken.) Ceramic pots had broken, plants were overturned, an antique rocking horse from their childhood had broken off its base and lay on its side, and tables were overturned. And all of this had happened in a mere 20 seconds. It was hard to believe. Taking the time to photograph it gave us time to develop a strategy. We had worn heavy boots, heavy work gloves, and brought hard hats in case we needed them, and a host of tools. In the end, we started where we entered, in the kitchen, and started shoveling broken plates and glasses into huge garbage cans. Through the day, we set up a long table outside where we put objects that looked like they could be glued back together, many just had to be thrown away and were nothing more than slivers and dust. There were a lot of losses and some victories too. Once we threw the irreparable things away, and put the things to repair on the table, removed the wine soaked carpet, and vacuumed up the little bits of glass and china (with an industrial vacuum cleaner—-we still had no water or phone service, but the electricity came on), then we put things back in place and filled in the gaps. We went from room to room, and never stopped, we tidied up the porch and the grounds as best we could, and 8 hours after we’d arrived, with 9 of us working nonstop as a team, the house looked like a home again, with familiar objects that had survived, and no sign of debris. The only glaringly obvious ‘injuries’ were the 12 broken windows and the two walls where the sheet rock had ruptured and torn. I had made an inventory of everything that had been damaged or lost, but it was still shocking to see it, and imagine the force with which the earthquake had hit the house. Twenty seconds had turned the contents of the house upside down, and shattered a lifetime of family treasures. In the end, they are only ‘things’ and the real blessing was that no one in the house was hurt or killed. The house was standing, and it actually looked pretty good when we left for the night. There is still work to be done, windows to replace, walls to repair, things we are still gluing, or trying to find or hope to replace. And as I left to go back to the city, I was so grateful for the people who had helped me, the closeness of my children, and that I was there to do whatever I could for them, to help them clean up and restore the home they love and share. I’m glad that I was in San Francisco to do it. It was a poignant experience as I saw familiar objects of mine or their father’s, or souvenirs of our days together, some of which survived, and others that were smashed. This family home that meant so much to us, and belongs to the kids now had survived the earthquake, and as tired as I was when I left, I was grateful that I was able to do what I could to help. And as I drove home, I thought again of the kind of ravaging damage Nature can do in a matter of seconds. It was a sobering experience, and I was left with immense gratitude for what we had saved, and the love that home still represents. It actually looked pretty again when I left, and not the disaster it was when we arrived. I felt very blessed.

love, danielle

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8/25/14, Las Vegas

Hi Everyone,

I just took a vacation with friends from France, and their kids (my Godchild and her siblings again), to a place where I haven’t been in 14 years: Las Vegas. I’d been there 3 times in the past, just for a day or so, and found it a bit dazzling and overwhelming, but it’s definitely a place one should see at least once. And on my friends’ American Tour with their kids this summer, it was their next to last stop and I agreed to join them. And Wow!! What an adventure that was!! I never thought of it as a place for kids before, but we didn’t stop for 3 action packed days.  We saw the fabulous Cirque du Soleil’s O show, which is as beautiful as I remembered, combining acrobatics with swimming, a pool which appears and disappears, and then disappears partially, while one part of the cast is dancing on a solid floor, and the others are diving acrobatically (or from high trapezes) into the water. It is a breathtaking experience for all ages, and the children I was with were as dazzled as the adults were. On our last night we saw David Copperfield’s magic show, which is less poetic than O, but totally amazing and fascinated us too. And in between we went to roller coasters inside 2 hotels, Circus Circus and New York New York, we watched the volcano erupt outside the Mirage Hotel, and the water show of fountains outside the Bellagio. We walked for miles along the Strip, peeking at enormous, impressive hotels, each with a special flavor of its own. Some of our group went to the Venetian Hotel, but I missed that, we walked through the lobby of the Bellagio, and walked for many blocks along Fremont Street, which was a little less my cup of tea, with half naked people in costumes posing for photographs, and a lot of souvenirs and tattoo parlors. I wasn’t as crazy about that, it felt like the old days in Times Square in New York, a little on the seamy side. But the rest of what we saw in Vegas wasn’t seamy at all, but mostly fun and exciting.     We were fortunate to go with a friend who knows Las Vegas well, so he knew just where to take us. We lounged at the pool of our hotel, but not for long, just long enough for the kids to have fun swimming. We ate at very good restaurants, and indulged in gargantuan desserts at Serendipity 3, which were amazing and delicious. (I even had a banana split—shades of my own childhood!!).  And I’m not a gambler, but shopping is my vice, so I never gambled, but I indulged myself with 2 heavenly hours on my own at the shops at the fabulous Wynn Hotel….and wow!!! I had a ball, and came away with trophies I love, some costume jewelry, a skirt, and 3 pairs of really pretty shoes. The wares in the shops are glitzier than one would find at home (lots of sparkle and rhinestones!!), I got some really cute gold flats, and a pair of evening shoes!!! Much more fun than gambling—-for me—-and I get to take something home, instead of just losing money. And I found the people in Las Vegas, the locals, amazingly friendly and kind, helpful and welcoming. It must be tiresome having hordes of tourists around all the time, but they are really nice about it. And it’s a fairly international community. I had a Filipina, a Kenyan, a Chinese, and Russian cab driver at various times. And you hear every imaginable language on the streets. We arrived on Wednesday, left on Saturday, and by Friday I was walked out, we had covered miles!!! It was a wonderful trip and a fun time, a unique American city that everyone should see at least once, there is something for everyone, even non-gamblers, and for kids. The trip was a huge success, and I had a ball with my friends and their wonderful children, who had incredible endurance and were as sweet as ever. We kept them up late, trying to see everything, and walked their feet off (and mine!!) and they were still happy, cheerful and polite even close to midnight when we got back to our hotel (the 4 year old was still singing—-I was not by then). It was a perfect end of summer for me, 3 action packed days among friends I love, in a city that provides LOTS to see. And now it’s back to work for me!!! End of the summer, but a very nice one!!  I hope your summer has been great too, and ends on a happy note.

love, danielle

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