Paris Letters

December 2, 2013
Feeling trapped and unfulfilled in her copywriting job, MacLeod began a process she hoped would transform her life. Within several months of pledging to write three pages a day in her journal, a question bubbles up: “How much money does it take to quit your job?… I needed to figure out how to save up enough money to fund my own sabbatical, or even better, get out of my job.” MacLeod (The Dating Repair Kit) contemplates the multitude of ways she can save or make $100 a day toward her goal for financial independence. She reassesses her spending habits and devises a plan for whittling down spending and boosting her savings. With her financial makeover successful, MacLeod leaves her corporate life in the States behind departing for two years of European travel. MacLeod sheds her vegan menu choices, falls in love with a butcher, and discovers what makes her happy. She decides to sell painted letters depicting her life in Paris through a subscription service, and with that, she creates a cash flow for her daily life. “I would create a painted letter, copy it, personalize each copy, and mail them off to people who love fun mail.” MacLeod engagingly takes readers on her personal odyssey, and offers them a sweet reminder of the joy found in learning to make your life one you really love.

December 15, 2013
The story of an advertising copywriter in California who found love in Paris and turned letter writing into art. After a decade writing the sort of junk mail inserts that usually go directly from post box to garbage can, Canadian author MacLeod (co-author: The Dating Repair Kit: How to Have a Fabulous Love Life, 2007, etc.) was nearing burnout. At age 34, single and lonely, she was clinging to the middle management rung at a corporate advertising agency instead of pursing her dream of traveling and creating art. In a memoir that also serves as a self-help guide, she recounts how her journey out of cubicle-land began with a single question: "How much money does it take to quit your job?" Her answer proved deceptively simple: save or not spend $100 per day for a year. With her belongings whittled down to one suitcase and a small set of watercolors, she set off for Europe. At her first stop in Paris, she flirted with a butcher who looked like actor Daniel Craig. His English was as poor as her French, but of course, love speaks a universal language. Other stops on her tour included Edinburgh and Rome before she discovered how to finance more time with her James Bond in Paris. Inspired by the framed painted letters by the English artist Percy Kelly on the walls of her cousin's cottage in Yorkshire, she opened an online shop to sell personalized letters with drawings of her own travels. Several are included in the book and serve as inspiration for others longing for adventure. Borrowing a technique from her former advertising career, MacLeod provides a list of 100 tips to plot your own escape. A romantic romp from Santa Monica to Paris with loads of advice on how to live minimally and take risks in life and love.

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March 1, 2014

In a similar vein to Under the Tuscan Sun or Eat, Pray, Love, this book follows a woman as she travels abroad and finds both herself and love. MacLeod (The Dating Repair Kit) hated her advertising job and decided to determine how much money she needed to quit. Obeying her sage internal voice (dubbed "Mr. Miyagi" after The Karate Kid's teacher), she gets rid of her excess belongings, stays in more frequently, saves money, and dreams of Paris. After finally quitting her job she sets off on her big adventure. Once in Paris, friendships, adventures, and even love emerge, as it always seems to when memoirists quit their jobs and move to Europe. A relationship develops, despite the language barrier she and her "butcher amore" face. The engaging addition of the author's letters, complete with lovely drawings, is a nice touch. This aspect ties in to the Etsy business that enables her to remain in Paris longer with Christophe, penning personalized illustrated letters to online subscribers. MacLeod now paints and writes full time. VERDICT An entertaining, if not quite original, tale of the joys that come from risking everything to change your life. Recommended for those who enjoy similar travel memoirs and the romance of Paris.--Katie Lawrence, Chicago

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