WELCOME TO MY BLOG
I’m Michelle Martinez and I run a bed and breakfast in south-west France. And as I’ve finally published a book, I can now call myself an author, although I’ve been writing forever.
Stories, stories, they’re everywhere. I’ve been collecting them all my life and scribbling, scribbling, scribbling. Now it’s time to get them out there.
Through the twists and turns of life, fate and many adventures, I find myself running a bed and breakfast in the gorgeous Gers, a sparsely populated, idyllic area in south-west France immortalized in the Chocolat series of books by Joanne Harris.
It’s a far cry from London where I spent most of my adult life and even further removed from the northern coal mining town where I grew up. But it’s now home. I love it and I’m here to stay. Giving guests a wonderful welcome and a relaxing escape from the hurly burly, joining in local village life and writing. I love writing. And reading. People watching. Chatting.
I’ve just published my first book Dear Marco, a memoir of addiction, family secrets, joy, love and loss. It’s about my relationship with my adorable but often maddening husband who sadly died in 2019 as a result of his addiction to alcohol. It’s a celebration of our wonderful life together, and even though I haven’t shirked from the reality of living with alcoholism, it is by no means a misery memoir.
More books will follow, I’m working on a new idea to keep me busy through winter. In the meantime, I’m going to start scribbling here. The perfect place for me to chat about what’s happening in my perfect little corner of rural France. I hope you’ll join me.
Dear Marco, a memoir of addiction, family secrets, joy, love and loss
I’m so proud of the feedback…..
‘Marco’s story is not unique. Addiction is a dark story that lurks in so many peoples lives. This book details the sadness and the love; the loss and the understanding of alcoholism. Books like this need to be written so that others can learn how tough life can be in the darkness that surrounds this evil disease.’ Chris Difford, musician, songwriter, record producer and a founding member of Squeeze
‘I celebrate your honesty. It seems your book’s greatest gift is to de-stigmatise the experience of the sufferer and those that valiantly do their best to help in a world lacking in answers and often in empathy.’
‘I couldn’t put this book down. It is happy, funny and heartbreaking. Love shines from every page.’
‘Family members and relationships are by turn hilarious and maddening, but are always depicted vividly and fondly. At times this is a hard read, but the author’s optimism and grit make it ultimately an uplifting book.‘
Really Michelle 