Dear Friends and Readers,
Is it possible that another entire year has already zipped by? Well, apparently it has. As the old saying goes, tempis fugit—time flies. Or, as we tend to say, time flies when you’re having fun—but it seems to me that it flies even when you’re working, or not having fun! Now, if only someone could come up with a way to stop the clock...or better yet, turn it back! But since that’ll never happen—onwards and upwards! Just remember that famous line from Auntie Mame: “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers out there are starving to death!” Or something to that effect. Well, it’s true.

Now then: here’s the latest scoop from yours truly!

This year, September and October were “Judith Gould” months! The Signet paperback edition of The Parisian Affair was released on September 5th, and then, on October 5th my new hardcover, Dreamboat , hit the shelves! (Pssst! The paperback of The Parisian Affair includes a teaser chapter from Dreamboat  in the back—and this web site lets you have a taste of even more—just click on the READ SNEAK PREVIEW and you can read the very beginning!)

Also, for 2006, May and October are going to be “Judith Gould” months! How about that?

Anyway, if you’ve already read Dreamboat —or even if you haven’t, NOTICE THAT I’VE GOT A NEW SWEEPSTAKES running! Last time around, for The Parisian Affair it was THE PRINCESS KARIMA EMERALD NECKLACE—and yes—the Grand Prize was a genuine emerald pendant necklace! I urge you to try your luck.

I’m also giving away two other prizes—an autographed hardcover of Dreamboat , as well as an autographed paperback edition of The Parisian Affair. Just click on the appropriate spot below my Home Page banner for details, then check the Official Rules and fill in the Entry Form. It’s that simple! And rest assured—I never sell or trade my reader lists. They’re confidential and shall always remain that way.

Now to the Dreamboat  Sweepstakes. Talk about exciting! Would you believe you could actually win a FREE luxurious 5-Day Western Caribbean Dreamboat  Cruise for TWO? Yep, here is your lifetime dream-come-true—your own real-life cruise, with luxury galore and an ocean view cabin. Well, Ms. Gould wouldn’t settle for less—so why should you?

Just click here (or on the banner at the top of this page) to get all the details; from there you can go on to the fine print and rules, and then the entry page. And please, I beg of you, READ the rules before you enter! Also, since this is a drawing of people who have answered the correct three questions (wrong answers are instantly disqualified, as are non-residents of the U.S. [sorry, Canadians, Brits, and U.S. states wherever such contests are prohibited!] And, since this sweepstakes does NOT require you to purchase a book, guess what? You can STILL supply the correct answers—all you have to do is find the answers on this web site—it’s that easy! So take your time before answering, peruse the web site carefully, and supply the right answer. That will already put you in the top 2/3rds of eligible winners and put the odds in your favor!

My advice: Don’t just fill out the form. Read before you e-mail your application! The Dreamboat  drawing isn’t until July 31, 2007—so take your time, read the novel, or give yourself time to get acquainted with the correct answers via this web site. Everything you need to know is all right here, somewhere on these very pages!

Please Note: Due to a variety of reasons (postal, legal and customs fees among them), entries are restricted to residents of the 50 United States, where such contests are legal) or those contestants who have an APO or FPO address.

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Would you believe I’m already on my last rewrite of my new novel, due to be published in 2006? Yep, I am—but for the time being I’m keeping the title a secret. Like Dreamboat  and The Parisian Affair, it’s got more suspense than some of my earlier novels. I just looove suspense, and I have the feeling that you do, too.

Anyway, if you want to share some of my experiences about the real-life Dreamboat which was the impetus for the plot and characters (I know I’ve mentioned a bit about it in my last Newsletter) just click on All About Dreamboat . There you’ll find the itinerary of the real cruise as well as new photographs—plus behind-the-scenes “footage”, like how I took real life characters I met onboard and—zing!—converted them into fictional ones. (By the way, don’t forget to take a gander at the Scrapbook section—it’s been updated with some new pictures, too.) Also note that besides All About Dreamboat, I will soon be adding two other new sections to this web site: Back Issues of Newsletter and Judith’s Favorite Recipes. So if you like to cook, do try them.

Now, what else did I do since my last newsletter aside from writing and gardening, and writing and whipping up meals, and writing and visiting friends, and writing some more? Well, if you’ve visited this web site before, you’ll know that I just adore the Greek islands. So, considering I’d live there at least part time, I thought I’d best check it out during the “worst” weather month, which is February. (Much like California, Greece has its rainy season and its dry season.) So off I flew this past February to see what the weather was like.

I wasn’t interested in living on Mykonos, which is spectacular, but a party island infested with tourists for half a year, after which it pretty much shuts down for the other half. But neighboring Paros has a large expatriate community (Americans, Brits, and other Europeans) and has a permanent year-round population. It’s also the only Greek island I know of with an animal activist group! In February, there were very few tourists, and one thing I love about Paros is that cruise ships don’t stop there, so you don’t get inundated by day-tripping crowds every summer.

Naturally, there were the expected rainy days, but the island was green, the lemon and orange trees heavy with fragrant fruit, and the date palms waved in the breeze. There were even sunny days during which I could sit at outdoor cafes without a coat on—in February! I was in heaven, and set out to purchase a house. Yes, one of those cuboid dazzling little white houses in the Cycladic vernacular.

And guess what? I found the perfect place, within a few hundred yards of a beach and views of Naxos, the island “next door.” And guess what else? After dealing with banks, notaries and lawyers, getting Greek tax IDs in order to purchase property as a foreigner, filling out paperwork out the whazoo (and the horrendous exchange rate of the dollar versus the Euro), the deal fell through. Talk about a massive disappointment! But in retrospect, perhaps it was all for the best. After all, there’s a difference between vacationing someplace (with no cares in the world) and living there.

And you know what’s the strangest thing of all? It took a potential, if part-time, move to the Aegean for me to truly appreciate my vacations and, above all, this place I call home.

Also, I was reminded that when I lived in Manhattan for over two decades and had this getaway in the country, I discovered that you can’t be in two places at the same time. Add a difference of 7 time zones and a 9-1/2 to 10-hour nonstop flight from New York City to Athens alone, then taking the ferry, plus traveling with three animals—two 80-pound dogs (Billy and Jeffrey) and Mina, our 18-pound Maine Coon cat, wisdom told me to stay put.

So here I still am—which just goes to show that no matter how hard you try, sometimes fate has other things in store for you...sometimes probably for the better. Besides, so far, I’ve spent more time in my pool this summer than in the last two years combined, thanks to an unusual amount of sunny days.

So who am I to complain? I keep reminding myself how lucky I am. I can travel for research and pleasure. I write books and live on the proceeds, and I have YOU, my faithful readers. Add a lovely if perpetually unfinished barn-turned-house, my little darlings, Jeffrey, Billy, and Mina, plus family and friends.

Good heavens above! Who needs more blessings than those?