by Janice Nieder, Dining Diva Photos by Patty Burness At first I wasn’t sure if I was interviewing the director of the Michelin Guide or the next potential James Bond. Jean-Luc Naret is movie star handsome, suave, sophisticated, and as beautifully appointed as many of the restaurants the guides cover. When I told him that…
In between writing her current books and fantasizing about the next one, Rachelle Chase works as a business consultant in the unromantic, though sometimes comic, corporate world, and squeezes in the occasional modeling gig. Her first published erotic romance novella, “Out of Control,” appeared in Secrets Volume 13 in July 2005. Next year, The Sex…
by M. Y. Mim To celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a motley group of pets and their human companions gather on the lawn outside the exquisite Santa Barbara Mission. Although fall means crisp temperatures in other parts of the country, Santa Barbarans stand under clear blue skies in short-sleeve weather, overlooking the…
Jane’s love of art and travel goes back to childhood. Raised in South America and Europe, she was exposed at an early age to diverse cultural and artistic traditions. Decades later, she still has a bright visual memory of her first visit to an art museum at age 7. In high school she passed the…
by Jacqueline Harmon Butler Looking out the window of a music store in Lisbon, Portugal, I laughed outloud watching a passing parade of vintage convertible cars progressing along Avenue Liberdade. They were filled with brides in all sizes, shapes and ages, dressed in all their bridal finery. The store owner told me they were the…
Diva Destination Questionnaire for Alexandra-Fee Beyer: Where is your favorite place to dine? GOA on Andrassy Street—I love the atmosphere ’cause it’s cozy and has a nice design at the same time. My favorite dish is the Tom Kha Gai Chicken Soup. www.goaworld.hu Pata Negra—a Spanish Tapas Bar on Kalvin Tér, nice atmosphere and good…
by Amy Mallett Ah, Paris. Just saying the word conjures a feeling of wistful longing and evokes a little, breathy sigh. I can attest that everything you’ve ever heard about it in a song or seen in a movie is true: Paris is a magical, mystical place. With the exception of picking up a flu…