Read our new Paris interview with an author, catching up with Whitney Cubbison, the first in a new series of blogs for 56Paris.
An American living in Paris, her new book Will There Be Wine? charts her life as an expat in the French capital.
It’s a brilliant read, and sure to be of interest to fellow Americans thinking of moving across the pond and making a new life here!
A book ‘inspired’ by real events
56Paris: Hello Whitney. Tell us about your new book, Will There Be Wine?
Whitney: Will There Be Wine? is a romcom about the dating misadventures of a late 30s/early 40s American expat divorcée in Paris. Think Emily in Paris but the heroine is older, wiser, and much more realistic.
I decided to write the book because I’d been on so many strange dates here in Paris – my friends kept telling me I had to write a book. So one day, I decided to go for it. Of course, I fictionalized some to make the story stick together, but suffice it to say, the book was ‘inspired’ by real events and is good for some laughs!
I started writing it as a bit of slapstick to help me cope with my own dating disasters, but over the course of writing it, I decided it should carry something deeper. As I crafted the main character’s journey, I focused on the power of female friendship, the mind-expanding benefits of travel, the curiosities and delights that lie in cultural differences, and how one goes about rebuilding a life when hit by a curveball.
Cherished reviews online
56Paris: How was the response to the book after publication?
Whitney: The hundreds of reviews on Amazon and GoodReads have been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s had critical industry support as well. As a first-time self-published author, I defined success as someone other than my friends and family enjoying it.
I’ve now sold six times as many copies as the internet said that I (the average independent first-time novelist) would sell, so I’m officially thrilled. I read every review, and am always excited when someone new has enjoyed it.
My favorite review – from a stranger – called the book “lighthearted but not lightweight.” If it makes people laugh and also makes them think a little, I’m happy.
Life, love and real estate
56Paris: What was your first apartment in Paris? Did you rent or buy?
Whitney: I moved here in 2009 with Microsoft on an expat package so my first apartment was a rental that they helped me find. It was a 100m2 two-bedroom, two-bath in the 16th with a wraparound balcony and a view of the Eiffel Tower.
I was still married at the time, and we’d moved from a three-story, three-bath house in Seattle, so it felt like a major downsize. But thinking about it now 14 years later, it was massive by Parisian standards! All things are relative in life, love, and real estate!
After I got divorced, I moved into a smaller rental in the 14th for a few years, and then I found my current apartment in the 15th which I bought in 2014. Buying here was a very interesting process, and I’m so glad I did it.
56Paris: What made the apartment buying process interesting?
Whitney: A few things stood out for me as an American. But it’s the French way!
For example, after receiving the offer on the mortgage, I had to wait for two weeks before I could sign it. It was a cooling-off period of sorts, I suppose, which the American in me didn’t understand. I was ready to go, but the French state wanted to be sure I was ready to take on that responsibility!
There was also a funny anecdote about Napoleon. I’d had a long-running joke with myself whenever something in the French bureaucracy seemed strange to me, I always thought, “Well that’s probably how Napoleon decided it should be, and no one has thought to change it since.” When I met with the notary to review the contract on my apartment purchase, I asked him to explain a particular piece of French legal-ese in the contract, and he said, “When Napoleon was in power…”
I didn’t hear the end of his explanation because I burst into hysterics. He validated my theory!
The best parts of Paris
56Paris: What is your favorite arrondissement, and why?
Whitney: I adore the 6th. It simply oozes history and charm. I love the smaller winding cobblestone streets, all the bustling restaurants and cafes, fantastic shopping, interesting art galleries, and more. I once went on a date with a French guy who called the 6th “the center of the universe.” I asked if he meant the center of Paris, but he maintained that no… the 6th was the center of the universe. He’s not in the book though… maybe I should have put that anecdote in there!
Anyway, I’m not sure if he was right about the universe, but I do think it’s a fabulous part of Paris.
56Paris: If you could live on any street in Paris, where would it be?
Whitney: Great question! As much as I love the 6th, I think my street in the 15th is the best street in Paris. I live on rue de la Convention which I love for many reasons.
First, it has a farmers’ market three times a week, so fresh food is rarely more than a few steps away. Second, in addition to the market, the street is full of all the small shops one thinks of when they think of Paris – the bakery, the butcher, the cheese shop, the florist, the post office, the perfumery, the wine shop, the bookstore, the pharmacy, multiple cafés… My street has them all! Everything you could ever need is within a five-minute walk from my front door, which I love. However, it’s not super central so there are no tourists. It’s very calm but also on the Metro (subway) which gets you anywhere you need to go in Paris relatively quickly.
It feels like a small village inside Paris, which I adore.
The allure of Paris for Americans
56Paris: Why do you think Paris has such an allure for Americans?
Whitney: For me, Paris is the most beautiful city on Earth. It’s steeped in history, which has such an appeal to me as an American, given the relatively short history of our country.
It seems like every time someone in a book or a film talks about wanting to whisk their love away on a romantic holiday, they always want to go to Paris. I don’t know where that began, but by now it’s become the standard.
Interestingly however, I think it’s worth noting that Paris isn’t France, in the same way that New York isn’t the U.S. In most home décor shops in the States, there are items that say ‘Paris’ on them. Here in France, the same décor shops carry things romanticizing New York. However, any American will tell you that New York has very little to do with the average American city. It’s a universe of its own.
Paris is equally dissimilar from the rest of France. It’s worth exploring far beyond that singular city that both countries associate with the other.
The love of Paris
56Paris: Your book also addresses some of the challenges of living in Paris. Do you think you will stay here long term?
Whitney: I’ve always said that if I leave Paris, it will be for a big job or a big love.
As a writer, I could happily stay here forever. But if some amazing job opportunity or an incredible man dropped into my life that required me to move, I’d be willing. I got French citizenship last year, so that makes a potential move easier to contemplate because now I know I can always return without any hassles of needing a visa.
I’d be super sad to leave because I love it here, but as I say in my book, I think there are two types of people in the world: orchids and weeds. Orchids need very particular circumstances in order to thrive, but weeds can thrive anywhere. I am a weed – but a weed who loves Paris!
French wine and book signings
56Paris: In response to the name of your book, what is your favorite wine? Hopefully French?!
Whitney: Yes, with that title it should shock no one that I love wine, and I’m a red wine girl all the way. Most of the wines name-dropped in the book are French reds, but there are a few scarce mentions of French white wines, each with a subtle meaning – which as far as I know, no one has picked up on just yet. If they have, they haven’t mentioned it to me.
Anyway, my current favorites are a Pic St. Loup from the Languedoc region and a Saint-Amour which is a Beaujolais.
56Paris: What’s next for Will There Be Wine? And where can people buy a copy?
Whitney: If you’re in Paris, the Red Wheelbarrow bookstore near Luxembourg Gardens has signed copies in stock. If you’re in Houston, Texas (my hometown), I’ll be signing copies at the Blue Willow Bookshop on December 28! If you’re elsewhere, it’s available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
A sequel to Will There Be Wine? is currently in the works, so follow me on Instagram for details on that and any future events. Thank you so much!
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Photos: Kelly Anderson Photography