Peter Mayle was born in England in 1939.
His fascination with France began at the age ofseventeen when, as the 'lowliest trainee' in Shell, hewas instructed to accompany his boss - a Mr. Jenkins -on a trip to Paris, and discovered that there was moreto life than fish-and-chips. Jenkins, needless to say,was a caricature of the Englishman abroad("personally, I never eat anything I can'tpronounce").
In his twenties he went to New York and becameadvertising copywriter for David Ogilvy. He laterreturned to England to a comfortable life inadvertising, with a salary higher than the PrimeMinister's.
At age 35, after 'one committee meeting too many', heleft his career as an advertising executive and movedwith his wife and children to Devon in the south ofEngland to write children's books.
In 1974 one of his books - 'Where Did I Come From' -became a best-seller, but because of an unfavorabledeal with the publisher, the book didn't make himwealthy.
In his late 40's Peter Mayle moved with his third wifeto Provence in the south of France, where theyrenovated an old farmhouse.
Their experiences became the subject for 'A Year inProvence' which was an instant success and spent threeyears on the New York Times best-seller list. It wastranslated into twenty languages and turned into a BBCseries.
'A Year in Provence' was followed by 'ToujoursProvence' and 'Encore Provence'.
But his new-found fame came at a cost. Hordes oftourists and reporters descended on Provence lookingfor the writer and his house.
Not realizing the book would become a best-seller,Peter Mayle had given an accurate description of thelocation of his house in the opening pages of 'A YearIn Provence'.
Plagued with unwanted visitors, and suddenly unpopularwith the locals, Peter Mayle fled with his wife to Long Island.
Four years later, when the hue and cry had died down,he returned to France and bought a large house nearAvignon.
Peter Mayle's success with the Provence books spawneda new genre in travel writing - books by Englishmenwho leave the cold wet island, set up house insunnier climes and then write about the curious habitsof the locals. There's even a phrase for it: "Doing aPeter Mayle".
You can get your copy of 'A Year in Provence' at:
http://www.ezine-writer.com/mayle.html
------------------------------------------------
------------
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea,... Read More
So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
What is this annoying, insidious angst that permeates my psyche?... Read More
We've all seen those ads that grab our attention and... Read More
Is there a book inside of you? Yes? Then why... Read More
Back in my school days, if the teacher demanded a... Read More
A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in... Read More
"You should write a book." For years, I had been... Read More
Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo... Read More
So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that... Read More
Why should you consider creating a memoir of your personal... Read More
It's 6:00 p.m. You're dead tired, but instead of an... Read More
DEFINITIONSRetail margin is basically the difference between your book's wholesale... Read More
Simply put, it is the art of writing scripts for... Read More
I do on occasion run out of ideas for my... Read More
Despite the widespread use of e-mail in commerce today, traditional... Read More
Summer's here and the time is write for dancing in... Read More
Ever wonder why we refer to convincing an editor a... Read More
1. Write it fast, fix it later.2. Commit to writing... Read More
As you set out to create your first niche non-fiction... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the... Read More
About two weeks ago I received an article submissionthat immediately... Read More
So you've got your plot outlined, a title lined up... Read More
Okay. So I'm not David Letterman. But I doubt if... Read More
whole house cleaning Park Ridge ..Writing for the web is very different from writing for... Read More
Just about every marketer on the Internet claims to be... Read More
During my 25-year career in a variety of professional positions... Read More
Not long ago, I went to an Internet Marketing Seminar.... Read More
Reading through a writer's notebook or journal is like discovering... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some people can make millions... Read More
Have you ever wondered why certain writers are able to... Read More
I???ve spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers... Read More
Just about everyone is familiar with this beginning: "In the... Read More
WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT TO GET INTO UK UNIVERSITYHOW DO... Read More
The tiniest things can be so useful when you come... Read More
Prolific authors write; they don't just dream about it. A... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
Proofreading worksheets are a great tool to help individuals open... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
I am sure that at in some era, at some... Read More
Everyone has a unique story to tell. From explaining business... Read More
Rudolf Flesch, a specialist in writing skills, ran classes... Read More
|| Graphology & Graphotherapy ||Everybody wants to know more about... Read More
During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More
11 Secrets from an Experienced InterviewerOne of the unwritten rules... Read More
Think you can't write a book that will sell? You... Read More
Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:? The theme... Read More
Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer,... Read More
Have you ever considered writing a book? If so, maybe... Read More
Writing |