Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Welcome. Like You Care What I Think?

So, like, Bonjour. Under orders from my publicist, I am to begin blogging today from my kitchen table here in Geneva, Switzerland, where I've been living with my husband, the Amazing Bob, for the past three or five years or so. The idea is that millions of readers will be hanging on my every word from overseas based on the success of my last two books-- which actually had very little to do with living in Europe -- but lots to do with attitude and ineptitude and my own highly partisan, potty-mouthed opinions. So tah-dah. Here we are.

Over the next few days/weeks/months, I'll be delivering dispatches from Kitscherland, otherwise known as One of the Whitest Places on Earth, except for Geneva, where I live, which is so international that it actually rivals my hometown of New York City (is that blasphemy?) Riding the buses here, I'm part of a daily smorgasbord of the United Nations: African men in kente cloth, Arabic women in hajibs, Italian teenagers with rhinestone cellphones and hair gel, stooped Portuguese men in tweed jackets, blue-haired French women with moth-balled Chanel and Chihuahuas in hangbags, cool blondes speaking Russian, bedraggled tourists speaking Dutch, diplomats in pin-stripes speaking Swahili. And then, of course, there are us Americans. You can always find us because we're the ones speaking English the top of our lungs, drowning out everyone else on the bus. There's a metaphor in this, but that's for another time. Anyway, thus begins my story. I'll keep it updated -- but only when I feel I have something genuinely interesting or funny to say. Life is too short for me to waste your time.

But if you are still in the mood to procrastinate, why not pre-order my new book on Amazon.com? It's called "Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven," it comes out in March 2009, and it is about being overseas and getting into all sorts of trouble-- except that it takes place in China, not Yurup. It's a true story. It's funny, it's harrowing, it's a page-turner. There. I've done it. The shameless self-promotion as instructed. Now I can get back just being a writer.
But please, stay tuned. And thank you for reading.

3 comments:

Marc Acito said...

Is this THE Susan Jane Gilman, author of some of the best books ever written? I LOVE her. Seriously, welcome to the wonderful world of blogging.

cervicalgia said...

I personally am looking forward to the potty mouth in action. the prospect of having someone talk dirty to me from abroad is just thrilling

--Gary G

Todd from Woodstock said...

Hi, sweetie! I, too, would welcome you to the wonderful world of blogging, except that I've never blogged (one of the few things I haven't tried since meeting you). I take it living in Geneva is sort of like living in an apartment at the U.N. An extremely clean and orderly apartment, if what I hear about the Swiss is true. And there ends the parallel to NYC... well, I suppose you'll get used to it. Congratulations on being out of the US during the last, dark days of the soon-to-be-former administration. I hope you're voting absentee!