Garbo and head scarves, a classic book leads to classic cigars, and French Sable cookies
Dear Friends & Readers:
Here’s my latest newsletter. In it, you’ll see that I share discoveries I came across when researching John Robie, Francie Stevens, and life in the French Riviera. I also share a principle I came across in my writing experience, and whether or not I adhered to it.
Enjoy, and feel free to share the link!
John Robie’s World
I love cigars. It’s a polarizing habit, I know, but they’re my last vice. I like the camaraderie of having a cigar, but I also like the solitude of smoking by myself.
Anyway, I wanted John Robie to be a man who enjoys cigars, so I did some research. I discovered that cigar factory workers paid for lectors (readers) who would read to them while they rolled cigars. Workers at one factory loved The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas so much that the factory decided to create a line of cigars based on that amazing story. Hence the founding of Montecristo cigars. Today, the Montecristo #2 is generally recognized as the best cigar in the world. Who would have guessed that an adventure book about betrayal and revenge would lead to such a pleasing, smooth cigar?
I like the Avo and Macanudo brands, but recently my friend Dick gave me a Montecristo #2, and it was as good as advertised. Better, even -- the best cigar I’ve ever had.
Enjoying cigars with friends Dick and Craig
BTW, some cigar factories still have lectors…
One final note…that book influenced more than cigars. Maybe you’ve had the famous sandwich of the same name, available in many of the best diners. I’m guessing the ‘french toast’ component led to the name, but who knows…
Francie’s World
It’s often said that hair is a great fashion accessory. But as we all know, wind can wreak havoc on hair.
Wind is especially problematic when riding in convertibles. Today, the solution is often braids, ponytails, or ball caps, but what was the answer back in the 1950s? After all, Francie Stevens owned a convertible -- remember that famous scene when Grace Kelly takes Cary Grant on a picnic? In my book, she’s also into fashion, so if I wanted Francie in a similar car, I had to think about what she would do to secure her hair.
Turns out chiffon scarves were the answer back in the 1950s. Greta Garbo, the intriguing Swedish-American actress, made head scarves a thing in the 1930 film Anna Christie, and they took off.
They’re still popular today for fashion, cultural, and medical reasons. And there’s a bunch of ways to tie them, as you can see here.
That’s one reason I love research! Discovering the rich history behind a seemingly innocuous fashion accessory is really fun.
Riviera Life
In French culture, sable cookies are often ranked just after Madelaine’s in popularity, but let’s be honest -- Madelaine’s are tiny cakes, more like Twinkies than cookies. Having said that, I never turn one down!
Back to the cookie. It originated in Sable-sur-Sarthe, a French town near Le Mans. Sable means ‘sand’ or ‘breadcrumbs’ because of the cookie’s sandy texture, which you get when you mix hard butter into sugar and flour.
I tried a couple of similar recipes, one at Allrecipes, and one at Gemma’s Baking.
Here’s how my latest batch came out…
Mine didn’t look anything like the website pictures, but they tasted great. My problem was I couldn’t roll the dough; it was too crumbly. I had to warm it with my hands, then press it down. To keep them from falling apart, I had to make them thick -- like hockey pucks!
Even with that, they were really good! I can see why they’re as popular in France as the chocolate chip cookie is in the U.S.
Friends Zach and Sami ‘enjoying’ my sable cookies; they were good sports!
My World
When I was first learning how to write, one principle I read about was to pick a genre and stick with it.
The main reason for this is reader expectations. We all have preferences -- some like thrillers, some like science fiction, some like biographies or literary fiction. Whatever your preference, you invest in a book for that specific experience.
I like espionage thrillers, and I recently started reading a book by a legendary author who writes that genre as well as anyone. About 2/3rds of the way in, the author mixed in genres based on established properties like Alien, The Walking Dead, Interstellar, and Mad Max. That wasn’t my expectation. Add coincidence to that, and it wasn’t what I’d signed up for. So I stopped reading.
But was that principle correct -- don’t mix genres? Not exactly. It turns out that thrillers mix well with many other categories, like romance and science fiction. Some readers love the combination, and others (like me) don’t respond to it.
So what did I learn? Two things, actually. The first is that books are genre -- and reader -- dependent. Some categories mix well, and those readers expect combo stories. On the other hand, some readers don’t like genre-hopping. So we need to do our homework before investing in a book.
The second learning was this -- legendary writers have a lot of leeway since they have loyal followings.
I’m no legend, so the principle holds for me -- I’m sticking to one genre, espionage thrillers.