[Photo by Manny Rodriguez]I had an information-packed lunch recently with Jan Showers at Parigi, one of her favorite restaurants in Dallas.
She just finished her first book, Glamorous Rooms, which will be out in the fall under the Abrams imprint. It was a family effort, of sorts. Her nephew, a talented fiction writer, offered to help her write it. But first he had to prove to the skeptical editors at Abrams he could do a better job than the one they already had in mind for Jan to work with. (Can't you just see those jaded editors in New York rolling their eyes at the mere thought of the idea?) A couple of sample chapters later, and the editors were smitten by his personal, conversational writing, Jan says. He got the job.
The collaboration was fun. "We'd send chapters back and forth to each other and make changes. It was a wonderful process. I don't know if he'd ever do it again with me, though," Jan says laughing. Looks like she got in under the wire at Abrams, before they shut the doors to any new books because of the economy. (Rumor has it that Abrams even turned down a book from Gloria Vanderbilt recently.)
Maybe if Jan gives me a sneak peek at the book I can post a preview for you later.
More News: Jan just introduced this smashing glass and brass coffee table (below) called the Harrison. It's part of Jan Shower's collection at David Sutherland Showroom. Jan designed it, inspired in large part by the chrome coffee table shown in the yellow and white room (top photo above) with Jan, which we worked on together last year for a magazine shoot. The one-of-a-kind table had been in her showroom, and Jan fell in love with it -- not only because of its good looks, but because of its large size, which is so hard to find in antiques, she says.
Jan has the prototype in her own living room in Dallas, shown below
These invitations just went out for Jan's once-in-a-blue-moon showroom sale. You should stop by.
If you're not on Jan's email list to get her charming "Jan's Notebook" updates, call Gretchen at the store ask to be put on. The new Notebook emails should be going out soon (she hasn't updated it in, like, a year or two). Jan's a wonderful writer, and I've encouraged her to keep her notebook updated. She travels to so many interesting places on buying trips, that we want to read about it.