LPNNEWS

Lupe Ontiveros, star of Real Women Have Curves, El Norte, and guest star in Desperate Housewives, interviewed her longtime friend Josefina Lopez about her debut novel Hungry Woman in Paris.

LUPE: I loved your book, and as soon as I finished reading the manuscript I had to call you and tell you and ask you, what inspired you to write the novel?

JOSEFINA: Since I was a little girl I wanted to go live and Paris.  I think every writer and artist has that fantasy.  So when I met my husband, who is French-American, he asked me if I’d ever consider living in France; I told him, “Yeah!”  So after “W” got re-elected my husband and I decided that since we didn’t agree with the war and we couldn’t stand to see the injustice of “W” getting re-elected we decided we were going to start a new life in France.  I also went to Paris to take time off from my very unrewarding writing career in Hollywood and have my second baby.  While I was living in Paris I was studying French, and I read a very funny book called “A Year in La Merde” (A year in sh*t.), which was a British journalist’s observation about the Parisians and the French.  I wanted to write about my observations too.  After I had my second child I enrolled in cooking school at Le Cordon Bleu.  I told myself I wanted to go through the experience of going to cooking school so I could write about it.  I also wanted to write about my experience being an immigrant all over again in France.  I wanted to compare life in the U.S. versus France.  I also wanted to tell the traditional American in France story with a Latina as a protagonist to
bring another perspective to this genre.  I wanted to present a delicious female fantasy that would excite Latinas and create a forum for discussion about female sexuality.

LUPE: Your protagonist Canela is very similar to you and in some ways so different.  How autobiographical is this novel?

JOSEFINA: Well none of the erotic stuff happened – that was just a fantasy, but I did go to cooking school, and I did suffer from depression.  I love to eat, and someday I do hope to open my own restaurant called Hungry Woman in Paris.  Canela is much more adventurous than I am; she’s also funnier and sexier than I am.

LUPE: How long did you live in Paris and why did you come back?

My husband and I originally left to France because we opposed the war and were disgusted with “W” getting reelected.  We had planned to start a new life in France and ultimately wanted to give our children a better life. I lived in Paris 18 months and after I saw the immigrant marches on TV I decided I needed to return to Los Angeles to continue fighting for immigrant rights.

Lupe Ontiveros, star of Real Women Have Curves, El Norte, and guest star in Desperate Housewives, interviewed her longtime friend Josefina Lopez about her debut novel Hungry Woman in Paris.

LUPE: I loved your book, and as soon as I finished reading the manuscript I had to call you and tell you and ask you, what inspired you to write the novel?

JOSEFINA: Since I was a little girl I wanted to go live and Paris. I think every writer and artist has that fantasy. So when I met my husband, who is French-American, he asked me if I’d ever consider living in France; I told him, “Yeah!” So after “W” got re-elected my husband and I decided that since we didn’t agree with the war and we couldn’t stand to see the injustice of “W” getting re-elected we decided we were going to start a new life in France. I also went to Paris to take time off from my very unrewarding writing career in Hollywood and have my second baby. While I was living in Paris I was studying French, and I read a very funny book called “A Year in La Merde” (A year in sh*t.), which was a British journalist’s observation about the Parisians and the French. I wanted to write about my observations too. After I had my second child I enrolled in cooking school at Le Cordon Bleu. I told myself I wanted to go through the experience of going to cooking school so I could write about it. I also wanted to write about my experience being an immigrant all over again in France. I wanted to compare life in the U.S. versus France. I also wanted to tell the traditional American in France story with a Latina as a protagonist to
bring another perspective to this genre. I wanted to present a delicious female fantasy that would excite Latinas and create a forum for discussion about female sexuality.

LUPE: Your protagonist Canela is very similar to you and in some ways so different. How autobiographical is this novel?

JOSEFINA: Well none of the erotic stuff happened – that was just a fantasy, but I did go to cooking school, and I did suffer from depression. I love to eat, and someday I do hope to open my own restaurant called Hungry Woman in Paris. Canela is much more adventurous than I am; she’s also funnier and sexier than I am.

LUPE: How long did you live in Paris and why did you come back?

My husband and I originally left to France because we opposed the war and were disgusted with “W” getting reelected. We had planned to start a new life in France and ultimately wanted to give our children a better life. I lived in Paris 18 months and after I saw the immigrant marches on TV I decided I needed to return to Los Angeles to continue fighting for immigrant rights.

ENTREVISTA CON LUPE ONTIVEROS

Lupe Ontiveros, estrella de Real Women Have Curves, El norte, y estrella invitada de Amas de casa desesperadas, entrevistó a su buena amiga Josefina López respecto a la primera novela de ésta, Hungry Woman in Paris (Mujer hambrienta en París).
LUPE: Me encantó tu libro, y en cuanto terminé de leer el manuscrito tuve que llamarte y decírtelo, y también preguntarte ¿qué te inspiró a escribir la novela?
JOSEFINA: Desde niña quería ir a vivir a París. Creo que cada escritor y artista tiene esta fantasía. Así que cuando conocí a mi marido, quien es franco-americano, y él me preguntó si consideraría vivir en Francia le dije, “¡Sí!” Así que luego que “W” fuera re-electo mi marido y yo decidimos que, como no estábamos de acuerdo con la guerra y no aguantábamos ver la injusticia de la reelección de “W”, decidimos que íbamos a comenzar una nueva vida en Francia. También fui a París para descansar de mi muy menospreciada carrera como escritora en Hollywood y dar a luz a mi segundo bebé. Mientras vivía en París estudiaba francés y leí un libro muy chistoso llamado “Un año en la merde”, que era la observación de un periodista británico sobre los parisinos y los franceses. También quise escribir mis propias observaciones. Luego de dar a luz a mi segundo hijo me inscribí en una escuela de cocina en Le Cordon Bleu. Me dije a mi misma que quise experimentar la escuela culinaria para poder escribir sobre la misma. También quise escribir sobre mi experiencia como inmigrante por segunda vez, en esta ocasión en Francia. Quise comparar la vida en Estados Unidos y la de Francia. También quise contar la tradicional historia de la americana en Francia con una latina como protagonista para así darle otra perspectiva a este género. Quise presentar una deliciosa fantasía femenina que emocionaría a las latinas y crearía un foro para la discusión sobre la sexualidad femenina.
LUPE: Tu protagonista Canela es muy parecida a ti, y en algunas cosas tan diferente. ¿Qué tanto tiene esta novela de autobiográfico?
JOSEFINA: Pues, no sucedió nada de lo erótico — era una fantasía, pero sí fui a la escuela culinaria y sí sufrí de depresión. Me encanta comer y algún día sí espero abrir mi propio restaurante llamado Hungry Woman in Paris (Mujer hambrienta en París). Canela es mucho más aventurera que yo, y también es más graciosa y sexual que yo.
LUPE: ¿Cuánto tiempo viviste en París y por qué regresaste?
Mi marido y yo nos fuimos al principio a Francia porque nos oponíamos a la guerra y estábamos asqueados con la re-elección de “W”. Habíamos pensado comenzar una nueva vida en Francia y finalmente queríamos darles a nuestros hijos una vida mejor. Viví en París 18 meses y luego de ver las marchas de inmigrantes por televisión, decidí que tenía que regresar a Los Ángeles para seguir luchando por los derechos de los inmigrantes.