Ooh La La .... A Book Review and Contest!

*art by Georges Pavis

On the late Spring afternoon I began reading Jamie Cat Callan's latest book,  Ohh La La   A French Woman's Secrets To Feeling Beautiful Every Day , the sun was out in full force. A heat wave was upon us quite early in the season.  Regardless, I could not resist sitting outside, in a puddle of dappled shade. The melodic song of the Mockingbirds, and the sight of Scrub Jays "stealing" the peanuts I had set out was too great to ignore.  So, I set up a little relaxation area with a comfy outdoor chair, a glass of lemonade, my note pad, pen and of course the book. I was ready to get started. 

I was surrounded not only by the nature I so very much adore being in the middle of, but also the contractors that have been here for the last two months and my husband working like busy bees within and around what is now becoming "Sunshine Cottage" . The sounds of hammers, saws, drills and various other tools created a song of it's very own, that when blended with the traffic sounds that are always a constant here at Muse Cottage ( formally known as the cottage on the busy corner) , nearly overwhelmed what I had come out to listen to, though it did seem the birds were determined to win out , for that I was pleased; much easier to get lost in a book with their song than the other. As I opened the first pages to the Prologue, it was not long before I realized that I was not going to have any problems with "getting lost" within the pages.  Jamie's words grabbed me and pulled me into her world and thoughts; suddenly all distractions fell into the background, and I no longer heard the birds nor the workers. I was ready to learn the French woman's secrets to feeling beautiful every day. Even though I am featured in the pages of the book, (YES ME!) with all the recent stresses and health issues, I was in desperate need to still find my inner beauty and push it outward too!

As I turned each page, read each line, quote, chapter and of course "French Lessons" , I quickly remembered the reasons I fell in love with her latest offering, just as I did with Bonjour, Happiness ,

which I did a few blogs on as well as a review ( check under the labels section BOOKS, and look for French Lessons, You can also find many other book reviews and studies there as well). Her words then and of course the book, lead to an online friendship, and ultimately to her including me in this book, to which I am so honored. Just as I did the first time around I recommend going out and grabbing a copy of Ooh La La  .... OR..... You could win a copy just by posting here what makes you feel beautiful.... but more on that later. First let me further introduce you to Jamie, and her book. 

Jamie Cat Callan The Author and my friend. 

Jamie's bio:

Inspired by her mysterious and beautiful French grandmother, happiness expert, professional speaker and author, Jamie Cat Callan traveled all over France, where she interviewed hundreds and hundreds of French women and came home with their secrets to joie de vivre, beauty, love and the secret to leading a romantic life.  Jamie shares those secrets in her books:

Bonjour, Happiness!  Pleasurable Secrets to Finding Your Joie de Vivre

French Women Don't Sleep Alone.  Pleasurable Secrets to Finding Love
Ooh la la!  French Women's              Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day

Jamie’s literary awards include the The Massachusetts Council on the Arts Grant in Fiction, The Goldwyn Award in Screenwriting, The New York State Council on the Arts Grant, First Prize in the Writers Digest Fiction Competition (twice), a Connecticut Commission on the Arts Grant and artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts,  the Ragdale Foundation, the Djerassi Foundation, The Dorland Mountain Artist Colony, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation and VCCA International Fellowships in Germany, Auvillar, France (twice) and most recently, at the St. James Creativity Centre on the island of Malta.

Jamie is married to William Thompson, a climate change scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. She lives on Cape Cod.  

Jamie offers keynote talks, lectures and workshops on beauty, love, and joie de vivre.  She is an empowering and inspirational speaker and has helped thousands of women (and more than a few men) find their joy.

French women seem to have a special knack for life's most important things--food, love, raising children. And in matters of beauty and style, they appear to be at an unfair advantage. But the good news is that everything French women know can be learned. ...

French women are not born more attractive than anyone else. They simply learn at a very young age how to feel beautiful, confident, and sexy, inside and out. It's an allure that outlasts youth--in fact, some of France's most celebrated women are femmes d'un certain âge. Experience only makes them more irresistible. Growing up, Jamie Cat Callan had a French grand-mère to instruct her on style, grooming, and genuinely liking her reflection in the mirror. Now she shares that wisdom along with advice from other French women on fragrance, image consulting, makeup, and more, and shows you how to:

Discover the power of perfume

Find mentors who will help hone your personal style

Begin at the ends--hands, feet, and hair

Choose lingerie that makes you feel magnifique

Get an internal makeover and nourish your soul

Embrace your age gracefully and gorgeously

Bid au revoir to Botox, fad diets, and agonizing over every imperfection, and say hello to the truly timeless beauty that comes with making the most of your own unique je-ne-sais-quoi.

The Contest Details....

 Leave a comment below about what makes you feel beautiful ,

it can be like me, being among nature, or that special pair of shoes

that just make you walk with a little more umph!  Beauty 

is not just an outward thing, but something that grows from the inside...

keep that in mind.  You DO NOT have to be a google follower, just

 leave your contact information within the comment... a name and an email will do ,

have to know how to reach you if you win. 

THATS IT!!! 

The winner will be announced NEXT Monday, and the 

winner will receive a copy of the book, signed and mailed to you by Jamie herself.