Dear May 2020, A quick note to let you know I am no longer a writer in self-isolation. I am an artist-in-residence. – Best, Sandra
For the past six or seven weeks, it’s been a challenge to fill the long days. Even with a writing and book marketing to-do list that could keep me busy for the rest of this year, I’m finding it difficult to focus. In fact, the only writing I’ve done is re-writing my to-do list.
I confess to spending my time as follows
- Binge-watching Gran Hotel on Netflix
A Spanish television dramatic series set in a grand hotel in Spain in the early 1900s. I’m not a fan of subtitles, but by Episode 2, I was hooked. The English subtitles are on-screen long enough so the viewer has time to read them and visually appreciate the beautiful period costumes and set designs. The series has been likened to a Spanish version of Downton Abbey. With 66 episodes at 45 minutes per episode, the three-season series clocks in at 49 hours of watching and was a great escape. Take a look at the wonderful vintage photos used in the Intro:
- Listening to audiobooks
Code Name Helene: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon. An eye-opening historical novel about Nancy Wake, a name new to me and a much-hunted American spy in World War II. Among her preparations for each dangerous assignment: applying a fresh coat of red lipstick.
Staying in the WWII-era, I listened to Chanel’s Riviera: Glamour, Decadence, and Survival in Peace and War, 1930-1944 by Anne de Courcy. A nonfiction account of the Riviera and its cast of glamorous characters from its early days as a getaway for the rich and famous to its tension-filled days under German occupation.
In conclusion, I’ve no idea what I’ll accomplish in May 2020 – if anything.
Best from Casa McGee,
Sandra
In case you missed it:
Writers are self-isolationists