A monthly look behind the stories in Embassy Kid: An American Foreign Service Family Memoir, the view from my writing desk as I share the book, and a preview of what I’m working on. What I’m reading and what I’m watching. And this month, a special story about one of Kumba’s puppy neighbors.

More photos from Jane*s childhood

[Readers of EMBASSY KID know that my family calls me Jane. When and why did I switch to my middle name of Kelly?* ANSWER BELOW. ]

When I turned 5 in November, 1959, we flew to our “new life” in Milan, Italy. It was a cold, dark contrast to the eternal springtime of colorful Caracas, the only home I knew. Embassy Kid’s opening illustration by Camila Acosta is the glass spiderweb ceiling of a fancy arcade under which we sat that Christmas Eve drinking warm milk and munching on “elephant ears.”

Milan is close to the Alps–giving it the territory to host the 2026 Winter Olympics this month–and an American base in Garmisch, Germany, where we enjoyed some winter sports in 1960.

That spring I lost my first tooth. I was not thrilled with the idea of a strange Tooth Fairy sticking her hand under my pillow, so my father took the tooth to the US Information Service office instead. My sister was so impressed with my tooth earnings that she offered her tattered blankie, much to Mom’s surprise and relief. “Lucky fairy babies!”

*THE ANSWER: My vivacious college roommate was June and people kept calling me her name. I had already been going by different versions of Jane—-Juanita, Giovanna, Geni—so I leapt to my middle name, Kelly.

My Second & Third Podcast Episodes

I’m thrilled to have been a January guest on The Roundtrip Stories Podcast with its delightful hosts Tracy Vilanova and Melissa Ens who describe their mission as: “Offering gifts of understanding, reflection, and insight… Our stories help us all understand the world and ourselves just a little better.” Tracy and Melissa seek stories about how it feels to live abroad–Part One of each interview–and then to come home again–Part Two.

Part One of my interview is “The Family Unit was Home: J. K. Amerson López’ Stories of Growing Up as a U. S. Embassy Kid.” Most of these stories come from the years covered by my memoir, including the time my sister and I wore these beautiful Colombian folk costumes in America.

Part Two is “Finding and Making New Communities: Embassy Kid J. K. Amerson López’ Return to the U. S.” Here, I reveal what happened after I “aged out” of the Foreign Service and returned to America for college while my family continued on to my father’s next post. It took me a while to find my way, and the travel included wild coyote pups. Modern dance and Spanish carried me into the arms of my husband-to-be at a health club in NYC … and to The Mermaids, 50 years later!

On the Road With Embassy Kid

I am always tickled to see whose hands are holding Embassy Kid … and where! This month, my memoir made it all the way to Oman thanks to C, the most adventurous of The Mermaids.

I’ll be signing books at the Barnes and Noble in my town of Wellington, Florida on February 7. The store has been a delight to work with, and I loved meeting the author Jeffrey L. Diamond there during his book signing. Can’t wait to introduce myself and the book to the patrons of this great brick-and-mortar establishment!

The Walker Place Book Club in Minneapolis where my Aunt Snooky lives will be discussing my book at their March meeting and I’ve been invited to join in on Zoom!

If you’re part of a book club that would like to connect with me, let me know in your comments, or email me at realembassykid@gmail.com or call me 561-942-4915.

What I’m Writing

My Work-in-Progress is Amsterdam Strong: Becoming Unstoppable.

Aneurysms are asymptomatic until they burst. Most people don’t make it to the ER. I barely did. And most people who lose their mobility after three months in the hospital will struggle to walk. I just completed a 5K race.

When you rip a hole in an artery, you die. Unless you live to write a book about it.

What I’m Reading

I’ve just finished Nancy Nau Sullivan’s fun cozy mystery, Saving Tuna Street. Here’s my Goodreads review:

“What attracted me to this book was the Florida setting of fictitious Santa Maria Island—closely parallel to Anna Maria Island—and the ambience described by the author feels accurate and enchanting. But what kept me reading this book were the believable and quirky characters, and the serious action that ensues after an out-of-the-blue murder. I can’t wait to read what Blanche does in Vietnam, Mexico, and the other exotic locales!”

I bought the book from the author at the Read It Write It event at the Delray Beach Public Library where Nancy and I were seated across the aisle from one another. Saving Tuna Street is just the first of the Blanche Murninghan mysteries. The rest of the collection travels to Ireland, Mexico, Argentina, and Vietnam. You can find them all on Nancy’s Amazon website.

Kumba’s Korner

This space is normally reserved for our rescue Lab and therapy dog, Kumba, but our neighbors and their golden retrievers have a great story to share in this newsletter so Kumba has graciously bowed out.

The Goldsteins have two golden retrievers: Nabi, a Golden Rescue South Florida rescue from the Chinese meat market, and Willow, a puppy from a breeder. The story of how these dogs found their forever family and each other will touch your heart. Click on The Golden Goldsteins.