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FROM MARILYN MONROE TO BRIGITTE BARDOT, A CHARMING INSIDE LOOK AT THE UNLIKELY ‘SISTER CITIES’ OF LOS ANGELES & PARIS!
A lifelong Angeleno, from the first time Diane Ratican stepped foot in Paris when she was an eighteen-year-old university student exploring Europe, she knew she was destined to live there.
A highly successful entrepreneur who built a business importing clothing from France for upscale retailers across the U.S., Ratican’s excitement for and infatuation with her resident city and second home have led her to create the stunning new book, Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? [Illustre Books, September 2017] – for the first time ever revealing the stark differences and surprising similarities between these dynamic destinations.
Accompanied by vibrant, colorful illustrations from acclaimed artists Eric Giriat and Nick Lu, in Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? Ratican acts as a captivating personal tour guide, with tips, stories, and quotes pertaining to their respective historical landmarks, architectural icons, style codes, and cultural peculiarities of the City of Angels and City of Lights.
“The day I turned sixteen and got my driver’s license was the day I realized what it really meant to live in Los Angeles,” Ratican recalls. “My free spirit was liberated! It is an eclectic, energetic, and stunningly beautiful place, and I never tire of waking up to it.”
“But Paris, like no other city I have traveled to, enables me to experience the privilege of being who I really am,” she continues. “I want to share my Los Angeles and my Paris with art, architecture, design, fashion, and culture lovers. With sociology and history degrees that practically force me to seek out, on an analytical level, the unique aspects of every situation I’m in, these two cities have kept me intrigued and captivated for decades, and knowing them has given me the feeling that I am experiencing something greater than the sum of its parts.”
Diane Ratican has select availability for feature/profile and expert commentary interviews around the September 2017 release of Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?. Among the topics she can speak to include:
What to see, do, wear, eat, and experience in Los Angeles: home of Hollywood glamour, the Sunset Strip, suburban sprawl, boho-chic, and so much more!
The beauty, drama, and history of Paris: from its most famed museums to little neighborhood cafés to bucolic parks, tips on savoring the sophisticated and simple pleasures of the City of Lights like a true Parisian
The Yin-Yang relationship of everyday life between L.A. and Paris: the surprising things these seemingly disparate cultures and landscapes share in common
Making the decision to follow your dreams: how she created a life wherein living in Paris and L.A. became a reality
Historical and cultural trivia about these two iconic cities
Why she says Los Angeles is like her husband and Paris is like her lover
And much, much more!
DIANE RATICAN received her bachelor of arts degree in History and Sociology from the University of California Berkeley, and then earned her master of arts degree in Sociology and Education from UCLA. She started her career educating gifted children, and then moved on to become a risk-taking entrepreneur who built a highly successful business importing children’s clothing from France for upscale retailers across the U.S. Ratican’s excitement for and infatuation with Paris, her second home, plus her enthusiasm for her resident city, Los Angeles, uniquely positions her to engage readers to develop their own love affair with both of these dynamic destinations.
Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? will be released in September 2017, and retail for $26.95 USD / €25, with distribution by SCB Distributors in North America and Groupe Flammarion in France.
Connect with Diane Ratican on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at whylapourquoiparis.com.