June 2007

The big news from me is that I have finished re-writing the edited copy of Happiness for Two and will continue to fine-tune it until mid-June when it goes into production. My literary agent Carl Brandt and my editor Toni Sciarra are extremely enthusiastic about this new book. The publisher has decided to have it come out the day after Christmas. It will be in the category of New Year, New You as was You are Your Choices. This thrills me because the sooner the better to have the book out there and Peter and me back on tour. Peter wrote a touching forward to Happiness for Two and I am pleased how this new personal book has taken shape. We take the message of love to the heart and are deeply grateful to my publisher HarperCollins for their continued support and belief in my work.

This past month was amazing in every way. My first book was due under contract. May 2nd I gave a talk in Morris, Connecticut, at a glorious spa and friends came to add to the joyful sunny day. On May 4th Nancy Schaeffler wrote an exceptionally fine article about me for the Hartford Courant At Home: Lifestyle Guru’s Pleasure Principle Designer Alexandra Stoddard Savors Rich Colors, Uncomplicated Details. The journalist came to my talk and slide show I’d given the week before at the 26th Annual Fine Art and Flowers Show at the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art. The entire article was quite wonderful. I especially loved mention of my 46-year-long friendship with French Impressionist artist Roger Mühl, “whose light-infused” works grace many rooms of her homes. When she first saw his work, she said, “I felt a magical tingle.”

My talk was titled Creating a Happy Home with Art and Flowers. Along with the paintings of Roger Mühl, I reminisced about two other dear friends whose work I had avidly collected – the late botanical painter Lord Alastair Gordon and his wife, Lady Anne Gordon, who specialized in botanical porcelains. (I choked up when I showed a picture of Anne Gordon and told the audience she died the day before…”) What a great joy it is to collect art by artists who became our friends. One of the projects I’m going to focus on, after Happiness for Two is in production, is to help to arrange a celebration of Anne and Alastair’s life and work. I’m looking forward to this enormously and hope it can take place in New York City in the fall. I’ll let you know more information as plans take concrete form.

My agent Carl Brandt and I had a most happy luncheon celebration at my favorite restaurant, La Grenioulle. Carl had read Happiness For Two and was in high spirits. I’m grateful every day for Carl’s guidance and wisdom as well as our own friendship for over 45 years. The next morning Peter and I flew to Barbados for a week of rest, reading, writing, looking at the sky, water and palm trees from our terrace. Whenever I finish a book that is going to be published, I look ahead, to explore ideas of what my next book might be. I had many ideas, but the process of writing is the best way for me to clarify my thoughts. I was completely free with a blank canvas. This island vacation in the sun did me a world of good. We’ve been on the go since January when You Are Your Choices was published. We needed time alone, together; we needed to shoot some waves, to walk arm-in-arm, and to ponder our 33rd anniversary and our happiness over all these years. We came back from Barbados inspired by our life, ready to take on whatever good comes our way. My editor reviewed Happiness For Two while we were away and had 50 accepted essays greeting me when we arrived at the apartment.

The next week we flew to Paris for the annual celebration of our marriage May 18th. We arrived in this romantic city the morning of our anniversary. This year we had a surprise. The afternoon we came to Paris we received a telephone call from Roger Mühl’s wife Liné who told us she was not able to come to Paris for Roger’s art exhibition; the doctor told her it would be too tiring for her heart condition. We’d planned to have dinner together on the 22nd of May. Liné invited us to go to Mongins where they live, a nine-hour ride from Paris! The next morning we arranged to fly to Nice, where we took a taxi up to Mongins. Roger was awaiting our arrival at this ancient village in front of his house on the Place de Village.

The Mühl’s surprised us again by taking us to Cote d’Azur, a short distance from Grasse, to an elegant XVIII century country house where thousands of old olive trees and gardens welcomed us. We sat out on a terrace enjoying local wine at La Bastide St. Antoine. The two-star chef Jacques Chibois is without parallel. We were treated to a banquet at this heavenly place by Liné and Roger. When we were seated in the dining room, we found we were surrounded by Roger’s paintings. We were living a dream! Memories flooded in of all our visits to this favorite part of the world. Our two days with the Mühl’s were truly magical. We left to return to Paris in time to see his art show, the third one we’ve been to in Paris. It was thrilling to see a gallery devoted to my favorite artist. Peter and I had a wonderfully sentimental last supper in Paris. We went to the Ritz for a glass of wine and remembered staying there the first time in 1974. We reserved a table in the garden for the next day before flying home. The sun then broke through clouds, refreshingly warm, and the breeze was gentle. We savored a delicious lunch in the dappling sunshine with blue hydrangea all around us, and the blue, green and white tablecloths we identify with the experience of this garden in May.

I brought my book with me on my trip and worked on it everyday to meet my tight deadline. Once home I worked all day everyday because my editor Toni had delivered the final 25 essays. Peter and I feel extremely blessed. Obviously May was over the top, but June will also have great excitement: We go to Milwaukee Thursday, June 7th to talk at the Botanical Garden and on June 22nd I’ll talk at the New York Book Fair. Details to follow.

Happy June. Thank you for your notes and presence at my talks, your gifts, and our friendship.

Love & Live Happy

Peter, Alexandra and Margaret Iverson

Alexandra and her dear friend, artist Roger Muhl.

Colorful display of Alexandra's books

Alexandra and Peter

I cannot sell my new book to you directly, but I'm happy to send book plates for you and your friends. Please consider using my new book for a Book Club discussion. I would be happy to participate in your meeting by speaker phone!