Bonjour, Happiness!

A new book from Jamie Cat Callan

BONJOUR, HAPPINESS! is the latest book from part-time Cape Codder Jamie Cat Callan, just released by Kensington Publishing in Spring 2011.

Part memoir and part self-help, the book describes the author's journeys through France and America, meeting with hundreds of women.

Her spiritual journey includes her struggles with weight and body image, accepting middle age, coping with a new marriage at age fifty, and rediscovering her French heritage.

Jamie unabashedly embraces the beauty, mystery and magic of discovering a new culture. As a middle-aged woman living in youth-obsessed America, the author searches for the French answers to the issues of aging gracefully and finding joy in her imperfect body.

She's is not as interested in finding the Fountain of Youth, as she is in finding the Fountain of Happiness. And as Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign suggests, she discovers the joys of loving her perfectly imperfect self.

Here are tips from Jamie to finding your joy - American Style:

• Happy is the New Sexy. A recent piece in the Washington Post revealed that a third of women in their 50s haven't had sex in the last year. By our 60s, nearly half have gone sexless in the previous year. The femme d'un certain âge knows no bounds on sex or style. When you're happy with who you are—no matter what your age—you're more likely to find love. And make it!
• French Dressing. What's the secret to looking chic? Less is more. Start with a basic palette and some well-chosen classics (the black pencil skirt, the white shirt, the perfect jeans, the trench coat and the cashmere cardigan) then add your own unique signature. This could be something you found in grandma's closet or even at a thrift store. Yes, French women love to recycle!
• There's No Such Thing as Perfection. Want to know the real secret to confidence and happiness? Let go of the idea that you are good or you are bad. You are perfect or you are a mess. Borrow the philosophy of the French woman and learn to live in that mysterious middle ground.
• Weight Watchers in France. Enjoy the occasional indulgence. French women don't beat themselves over eating that extra macaron from Ladurée. And French Weight Watchers are filled with women who struggle with extra kilos (just like us!) The difference is, they don't feel guilty. They take their pleasure and then move on.
• You Deserve a Nap Today. We're all overworked and this makes us grumpy. We think if we work some more, make some more money, and buy some more things, we'll be happy. The truth, we need to stop the madness, slow down and smell the roses. Enjoy each day's gifts. Go for a walk. Adopt a puppy. Grow a garden. And yes, take a nap. Simple pleasures and a little loving self-care will bring you true joy.

Bonjour, Happiness! is available at:
Kensington Books

Jamie Cat Callan is the author of Bonjour, Happiness and French Women Don't Sleep Alone (Citadel, 2009).

She grew up under the tutelage of her French grandmother who taught her the secrets to how French women find and keep love.

Jamie is the creator of The Writer's Toolbox and the author of Hooking Up or Holding Out.

Her writing has appeared in The New York Times' Modern Love column, Best American Erotica, and Bliss Magazine.

When she's not traveling, Jamie lives on Cape Cod, with her husband, a climate change scientist.

Visit her website at www.JamieCatCallan.com
Or email Jamie at JamieCatCallan@aol.com