Books: Ex-"L.A. Law" Stars Move To Italy

Newsmaking Books And Authors Featured On The Early Show in July

(CBS)  This is where you can get information about many of the books featured on The Early Show in July.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

"Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy," by Michael Tucker

What could be more romantic than dropping everything and moving to Italy? That's just what former "L.A. Law" stars Michael Tucker and wife Jill Eikenberry did.

Now, Tucker is out with a memoir about their leaving L.A. behind and buying a home in bella Italia – beautiful Italy!

Tucker and Eikenberry stopped by The Early Show to talk about the book — and their new lives.

They don't live In Italy year-round, but spend extended periods there, often six weeks in the spring and six weeks in the fall. They now make their U.S. home in New York.

The book tells of a long vacation in Italy, during which they made a detour to Umbria, and stayed in a castle near the town of Spoleto. A woman they knew showed them around for a few days; she happened to be a real estate broker, and brought them to a house with which they instantly fell in love. They bought the house and went on to become friends with its former owners.

Tucker and Eikenberry befriended the locals, as well as a group of Americans who'd also moved to Italy.

He writes of many wonderful meals, restaurants and local taverns. There's lots of cooking and wine-drinking, and exploration of the area, not to mention a few pitfalls, such as filling a car with unleaded gas instead of diesel.

The couple added onto their house, and part of the book is about that experience.

To watch the Early Show segment, click here.

To read an excerpt of "Living in a Foreign Language," click here. The book is published by Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007. All rights reserved.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2007

"Sammy's House," by Kristin Gore

Author Kristin Gore is no stranger to politics.

The middle daughter of former Vice President Al Gore grew up in Washington.
So, it's no surprise her new novel, "Sammy's House," takes readers behind the scenes in the West Wing of the White House, with a humorous slant.

Gore, 30, writes of Sammy Joyce, the health care adviser to the vice president. Readers first met her in Gore's debut book, "Sammy's Hill."

Sammy is riddled with idiosyncrasies. For starters, this health care expert is — a hypochondriac! She also loves talking to telemarketers, and celebrates odd anniversaries, such as "the 29th anniversary of the finale of "The Partridge Family."

On The Early Show, Gore told how being raised in Washington helped with the writing of the two books. She gave some insight into her writing life, and advice for young authors. She also explained why she likes writing comedy.

To see the segment, click here.

To read an excerpt of "Sammy's House," click here.