Playing House in Provence is my fifth book. It had been gestating for years while I was writing Traveling While Married, to which it is a sequel. (Why, I wonder, do we liken writing a book to gestating a baby?) Because giving birth feels giving birth to a book. A very big book. A long labor of love.

~ Mary-Lou

Books by Mary-Lou:

Playing House in Provence

My husband, Larry, and I don't want to tour a foreign country, we want to become part of it. We want to pierce the tourist veil, get as close to the essence of the culture as we can. No more observing from the outside, our noses pressed to the glass. We yearn for someone to open the door and invite us to step right in and make ourselves at home. To accomplish this would take time, more than the week we usually allot for a vacation. read more

Al Jaffee's Mad Life

Now available in paperback! Al Jaffee's Mad Life (HarperCollins) is a biography of Al Jaffee, whose mad life began long before he became a celebrated writer/artist for MAD Magazine. Although Jaffee has become a cultural icon, the most compelling part of his life story has yet to be told. read more

Traveling While Married

Traveling While Married (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill) is a gender-driven, book of humorous essays covering a lifetime of travel a deux, from honeymoon to Elderhostel. read more

My Middle Aged Baby Book

My Middle-Aged Baby Book, (Workman Publishing) is a best-selling parody of a baby book and a satire of middle age. Like the baby book in which your mother recorded your every physical and intellectual accomplishment, this book celebrates the memorable firsts of middle age. read more

Intensive Care