By 1985, Andrew Kaplan successfully published two thrillers. The second, “Scorpion,” sold well. Kaplan asked the question that many writers ask after early success: Do I quit the day job and write full time? A wife and 2-year-old child made him reluctant to take that step. Then the day job quit Kaplan, and he was unemployed.
“Once Upon a Villa: Adventures on the French Riviera” tells what happened next. Stuck at home, unable to drive due to a broken foot, Kaplan could not job hunt and was frustrated. His wife, Anne, asked him what he would do if he could do anything. His dream was to move to the French Riviera for a year and write full time. Anne also wanted to live in France.
