Over the next three weeks, I’ll have the joy of walking along the banks of three rivers: the Thames, the Rhine, and the Seine. It’s a journey in celebration of the premiere of a musical I created with the composer Rita Abrams, based on one of my favorite novels of all time, Pride and Prejudice, which is being produced by London’s Ruislip Operatic Society.

It’s should be a blast. I loved our collaboration, and despite the bad luck of sending it out to theaters during the Great Recession, I now feel it will get its just due. I’ll let you know how it works out.

I should be working on yet another book, I see this trip as a hard-earned vacation. Besides the novella in our very own Murder She Writes anthology, Guns and Roses, I released four other novels this year. Yeah, I know, crazy.

What makes it even crazier is that all for books have launched since October.

These include Books 2 and Book 3 of my Housewife Assassin series, Guide to Gracious Killing and Killer Christmas Tips. I’m very proud that the first book in the series, The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook, has

The first book in another series I launched just this month, Totlandia, dropped to #1 in Amazon/Free Kindle Books/Humor, and #1 in Contemporary   Fiction, as well as  #9 in Amazon’s overall list. The second book in the series made it onto the paid list, at #85 in Books/Women’s Fiction/Single Women.

Between all this, and the start of filming on the pilot of the television show based on Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives, I had a lot to be grateful for, this Thanksgiving.

I love London. I look forward to seeing a couple of plays in the West End, walking into the renowned Harrods department store to see its posh holiday decorations, and seeing the town at a time of year I would not have normally considered staying in it. Right now, it doesn’t look as if snow is on the horizon, and for this Southern gal transplanted in sunny California, that’s a mixed blessing. Wouldn’t it be great to walk through its old cobblestoned streets while it looks like something out of a Dickens novel?

While in Cologne, Germany, my husband, Martin, looks forward to taking me to that city’s world renowned Chriskindlmarts, which he discovered while working as a consultant for Lufthansa. The translation is exactly as you’d imagine: “Christmas market,” which takes place in front of the city’s beautiful cathedral, ‘The Dome.” We’ll be perusing the holiday-themed crafts of pen stalls in the crisp, cold outdoors, and warming up with “gluvine” (mulled wine, heated up, and mixed with fresh fruit and sugar).

Our last six days will be spent in Paris. The last time I was there, the Musee d’Orsay was closed, so I look forward to seeing it, as well as Paris’ Musee d’Art Moderne . Paris is “the city of lights” more so during the holiday season. There is no sight as beautiful as a sparkling Eiffel Tower.

And of course, I’ll be stopping at the most famous bookstore in the world, Shakespeare & Company.

I’ll be posting pictures on my Twitter and Facebook pages, so feel free to follow me there, and please comment back!

– Josie

Soon after I get home, I’ll be drawing for the $100 bookstore giftcard tied to my contest  for the launch of The Housewife Assassin’s Guide to Gracious Killing. Have you entered yet?