Letter from Joy
December 6, 2024
Hi, everyone,
As I have said often, as soon as it’s September, it’s Christmas! And here it is, right on our doorsteps. Time seems to go faster every year, and I honestly can’t believe we’re almost a quarter into the next century. I still think of the nineties as just a few years ago. You would have thought that COVID would have slowed everything down, but while it changed almost everything else, it did nothing to slow the steady progression of time. In fact, it somehow seems to have sped time up. My grandson, who was just a baby a few seconds ago, is now fifteen! My granddaughter recently turned twelve. How did this happen?
At least the weather here in Toronto has been mostly pleasant. We just saw our first smattering of snow a few days ago, and despite a few cold days, it’s been surprisingly pleasant and relatively mild. Of course it’s always better when the sun is shining and the wind isn’t blowing too hard. Cottage country hasn’t been so lucky. They have been bombarded by snow and a major highway had to be shut down, leaving some unfortunate motorists stranded up to twenty-four hours! We’re heading to Florida shortly for about six weeks, then back and forth for the rest of the season. So I guess I shouldn’t complain too much about the cold.
I wish I could tell you that the last month has been very productive, but I’ve been taking it pretty easy, trying to spur those creative juices on. But while I have a number of interesting ideas, nothing has really grabbed me. I’ll get what I consider a good idea for a novel or an interesting cast of characters, but so far I haven’t been able to mesh the two together. But I’m sure something will come together soon, and come spring, I’ll be fast at work. In the meantime, my US publishers will be releasing the trade paperback version of THE HOUSEKEEPER in March. And my new novel will be out this August. It’s actually being published in Germany this month under the title DIE BESUCHERIN, which translates to THE VISITOR. This is not what it will be called in the North American version. I’m thrilled to say that THE HOUSEKEEPER was Number 1 on German bestseller lists. Hopefully this will be the case with the new book! Photographs of the German cover are available on Facebook and Instagram. As soon as my North American publishers give me the go-ahead, I will be announcing its English title and posting a photo of its cover.
The most exciting part of the past month is that I got to see Taylor Swift when she was here in Toronto! I’ve been a fan of Taylor’s since she first burst on the scene as a country artist with her song “Tim McGraw.” My daughter, Annie, who lives in Miami, managed to snag a couple of tickets to her show - and paid a small fortune for them - and took her daughter, and they loved it. My daughter, Shannon, was desperate for a ticket but unwilling to pay what scalpers were asking and afraid to risk being scammed. (Who are these miserable people anyway? How many young women did they leave broken-hearted?) But on the afternoon of her Saturday night concert, Shannon received a call from Tracy Anderson’s assistant in New York, offering her two free tickets for that night. (Tracy Anderson, for those of you who don’t recognize the name, is a world-famous exercise guru with a huge, star-studded following. My daughter has been a devotee of hers forever and when she lived in New York, she regularly attended her classes, as well as attending week-long retreats in Palm Beach.) Shannon promptly called me and asked if I’d like to go with her!
Well, as you can imagine, it was quite the event. We subway and walked to the Rogers Centre, getting there an hour early and joining some 50,000 other fans in the large arena. Our seats were unbelievable - on the floor about twenty rows from the huge stage. I heard the next day that those seats were going for up to $30,000 each, which is absolutely nuts! The opening act was a beautiful young girl named Gracie Abrams, who was wonderful. And at two minutes to eight, a clock began ticking down the time for the show to begin, accompanied by Dusty Springfield’s dynamite version of “You Don’t Own Me.” And then, at exactly eight o’clock, the show started. Out came Taylor, looking and sounding gorgeous, and she proceeded to sing for the next three hours and fifteen minutes! The audience, composed mostly but not exclusively of elaborately dressed young women - there were plenty of men and a few older broads like me - sang along with her, seeming to know every word of every song. Thanks to today’s acoustics, you could hear Taylor’s voice loud and clear. (Unlike when my mother took me to see Elvis Presley when I was thirteen, or later when I went to see the Beatles, and all you could hear was screaming!) Of course, everyone was on their feet, and let me tell you, standing for more than three hours is not easy. I confess having to sit down every so often. Luckily there was a giant screen, so I didn’t miss anything. The show ended at 11:15, and it took over an hour to get home, most of it spent trying to exit the stadium. Exhausting, but what a night! So exciting to be part of it. So, thank you Tracy Anderson for both the tickets and for making my daughter one of the happiest women on the planet.
As for movies, I saw a wonderful little film - in an actual movie house - called A Real Pain, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. I can’t say when I’ve enjoyed a movie more, and Kieran Culkin deserves an Oscar for his performance. I’m also looking forward to seeing The Conclave, Wicked, and even Gladiator. And I’m loving "A Man on the Inside" on Netflix, starring Ted Danson. It’s so relatable and smart, plus occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. A real treat. And “Day Of The Jackal” is also superb. Except - toooooo many commercials! Enough already! And happy to say that the abominable Real Housewives are back at it in Beverly Hills. They really are an appalling bunch, but I can’t stay away.
And that’s about it for now. Have a wonderful holiday season and be kind to each other.
Warmly,
Joy