A Once-in-a-Lifetime (Literally) Opportunity to Join Me For a Week of Writing in Tuscany

Space is limited to just 7 participants

New year. New you.

New year. New me.

And that gorgeous woman in the photo above writing away in her handmade leather-bound Florentine journal is me. Just kidding.

Let’s hope the title of this post is tongue-in-cheek.

Laugh already, will ya?

Okay. Fine. Be that way. Having a [expletive deleted] life-threatening diagnosis of [expletive deleted] stage four [expletive deleted] metastatic cancer definitely isn’t [expletive deleted] funny.

As you already know, the New Jennifer likes being wrong. Do. Not. Laugh.

There’s been so much going on. So many moving parts. So much I’ve wanted to tell about. It’s all roiling around in my brain. But being on the computer causes a huge amount of strain on my one remaining eye. And I’m also committed to living a more analogue life (see the above new year, new you yada yada ya—).

So instead of letting y’all know how my insurance company denied my oncologist’s referral to a life-saving medical procedure that will save them literally hundreds of thousands of dollars and how we had a breathtakingly difficult and intense hearing to appeal the denial, and instead of writing a motivational New Year’s post (last year’s really resonated and brought me lots of new followers), giving you a long-ago-promised update about using ozone to treat cancer (I haven’t forgotten), I’ve been off-line, off social media, and helping my daughter drive her tin can car, which has 217,000 miles on it, from southern Oregon to central Texas.

We won the appeal. Somehow. By the grace of god. When my representative called to tell me, I sobbed for an hour.

Which means I’ll be going under general anesthesia later this month.

And if the robotic arm that is going to use targeted ultrasound waves to zap the unwanted friends doing the cha-cha in my liver doesn’t kill me, I’ll be giving a talk in March, aptly titled “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger,” and then heading back to the nicest small town in all of Tuscany to lead an in-real-life, immersive writing retreat.

New year.

New you.

NOW is the time to invest in yourself, your writing, and your long-cherished dreams.

The good news is that this is going to be phenomenal.

The bad news is that it’s limited to just 7 to 12 participants, so you’ll have to channel your inner Jennifer Margulis and be spontaneous as fuck (yes, I’ve had unsubs because my foul mouth offends some of my readers. No I’m not editing out the f-word in this sentence) and sign up lickety split.

You: “But. But. But. It’s too soon for me to rearrange my schedule.”

Me: “Tough kitties. (<==that’s autocorrect. I’m leaving it as is. Please put the letter “t” in place of the “k” for the uncensored version.) When you have a life-threatening health condition, you have to do things on short notice.”

Back to business.

Here are the specs:

Writing Under the Tuscan Sun: An Italian Life Retreat with Jennifer Margulis

Awaken your writing dreams with an immersive all-inclusive week in Tuscany this spring, brought to you by Italian Life.

March 10-17, 2026. Space is limited to 7 writers.

Your teacher:

Bestselling award-winning author Jennifer Marguilis, Ph.D. A professional writer, editor, and photojournalist, Dr. Margulis works as a consultant to a small number of highly motivated writers and aspiring authors.

Your host:

Italian Life, a family-owned and operated business that takes you off the beaten track to connect you to the true spirit, life, vitality and opportunity of Italy. We share our knowledge via concierge service, hands-on interactive retreats, podcasts, and more, Benvenuti nella vita italiana! Andiamo!

What’s included during your writing week in Tuscany:

• Personalized trip planning from Italian Life to help you navigate every step of the journey

• Inspired writing time in a breathtaking villa surrounded by the Apuan Alps to the north and west and Monte Pisano to the east

• Community building with other writers and writer wannabes

• 1-on-1 private writing consultations with Jennifer Margulis

• Lessons about writing

• Up-to-date information about the American publishing industry from a writer who has worked with eight major New York based publishing companies

• Confidence building and how to bulldoze past (we mean move aside) the roadblocks

• A true Tuscan experience–mornings are for writing, afternoons for discovering the undiscovered jewels of this amazing region

• Special guest appearance from a literary agent interested in new clients and other surprise guests

• Practical tips on platform-building, including social media support, building your list, and free author headshots to use for book promotion

• Optional afternoon cultural experiences, including a curated Italian cooking class with local, organic ingredients; a walk in the botanical gardens; and a glimpse into where Michelangelo found his marble

Testimonials:

Jennifer “made me responsible for my own success, not only giving extremely precise advice, and opening up her amazing contact list to me, but pushing me to take the steps I needed on the road to publication, to always bounce back from rejection, and to think of the writing life like a pro … To date I’ve published articles in The Atlantic, Politico, The Nation, The Boston Review, The New Yorker, Le Monde, among many more.” ~Cécile Alduy, Professor of French and Italian, Stanford University

“From planning research to generating the raw material to fine-tuning the final product, Jennifer does it all—and she does it with an ebullience that will buoy any writer’s spirits.” ~Katherine Ozment, former senior editor at National Geographic and author of Grace Without God

The cheerleader everyone needs: “My career wouldn’t be where it is today without Jennifer. Her keen, focused editing has not only helped sharpen my writing but has helped me to learn how to be a better writer. Not only that, Jennifer is the kind of cheerleader every writer needs—she boosts my confidence and champions my ideas and work with unflagging enthusiasm and positivity.” ~Christine Gross-Loh, co-author of The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life

One cost covers all: $5,250.00. From the minute your feet hit Italian soil to the moment you leave, your cost is one price.

• Italian Life will help you arrange your airfare

• Italian Life provides concierge service should you want to extend your stay and explore other places in Italy

• No tipping, no worries, no hidden fees or extras, no fuss. But if you want to buy some leather goods and other custom artisan products, you’ll have opportunities to splurge

For more information: Contact Info@italianlife.co for more information. All reservations must be confirmed before Jan 30, 2026. Andiamo!