A Letter from Danielle for February ’21
Hi Everyone,
The holidays are behind us, and we’re starting off with a new year. January is always a little dreary—with bad weather, and the after-holiday let down—and February fills us with hope, and the wish for an early spring.
We are still battling with Covid—and inevitably paying the price of those who had a little too much fun over the holidays, or travelled, which raises the Covid numbers again. So a number of places are under lockdown again, to improve the situation. And one of the great comforts in confinement, or sheltering in place, is the joy of reading a good book. My latest book came out in hardcover in January, Neighbors, and if you haven’t read it yet, you can catch up now. It’s about an earthquake in San Francisco, and the neighbors who meet each other, first as strangers, and then they become friends, in the crisis and the aftermath of the quake.
This month, my book The Numbers Game will come out in paperback. I love that book, the theme of it is that age doesn’t matter, and that you can start your life over at any age. One of the most vital people in the book is a famous female sculptress (who does big bronze work) in her late eighties, living with an equally famous photographer, who is close to her age.
What I love about the book is that there is a broad range of ages in it: a young high school senior, facing a huge dilemma; a successful young woman in her late twenties, having an affair with an older married man; and her mother who is a famous actress facing the professional challenges of turning sixty. The wife of the married man having the affair is turning forty, with all the fears and challenges attached to that, especially when she discovers her husband’s affair, and she feels as though her life as a woman is over. Instead, she decides to stop living to please everyone else, and she leaves hearth and home (and husband and kids), to pursue her dream of becoming a Cordon Bleu chef in Paris, and a whole exciting new life unfolds her—because she was brave enough to seize the dream and live it. Good things happen when you decide to pursue your dreams!! Each of these people need to face daunting challenges and earth-shattering changes in their lives, and when they do, they frequently find their lives altered for the better. And defying age is a good thing, if you dare to chase your dreams, at any age.
Thank you for reading my books, and being a faithful reader of my work.
And in the midst of February is Valentine’s Day, one of my favorite holidays—when it goes well. Looking ahead to Valentine’s Day, let’s hope you are high on Cupid’s Nice List!!! Flowers and candy and cute cards sound great to me. I hope that you get smothered in cards and flowers, and certainly in chocolate and, above all, I hope that all your romantic wishes come true!!!
Lots of love,
Danielle