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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND LOS ANGELES TIMES VETERAN CHRIS ERSKINE RELEASES NEW BOOK: “LAVENDER IN YOUR LEMONADE” – AVAILABLE TODAY

The fourth book from the beloved columnist finds a few sweet spots amid the worry and isolation that have marked America’s longest summer. Relatable, humorous and a sometimes sentimental look at quarantining life in the COVID era takes the form of a diary from his lauded daily musings.

Los Angeles…(September 29, 2020) — Beloved veteran Los Angeles Times columnist and best-selling author Chris Erskine, releases a new book: Lavender In Your Lemonade, out today from The Sager Group. The fourth book from the longtime columnist finds a few sweet spots in what he has deemed “America’s longest summer,” using relatable, humorous and sometimes sentimental looks at quarantining life in the COVID era. The book is available in digital and print form online and at bookstores across the country.

The writings started as daily musings that became much lauded by Erskine’s loyal following of readers and served as the launching point for his new blog, ChrisErskineLA.com. 

The book’s foreword, written by Seinfeld producer Peter Mehlman says,“The worst of times brought out the best of him.”

“I never imagined this would turn into a book,” said Erskine. “But then again, I never imagined we’d still be mostly isolated from one another over six months later. These writings were largely therapeutic for me and I found a tremendous amount of support from my readers that encouraged me to keep writing them. We ended up with yet another COVID surprise: a book about a pandemic that might make you smile. Or drink.” 

As the first days of quarantining and stay-at-home orders from the COVID pandemic set in for this Los Angeles suburban father and his teenage son, he – like many of us – thought it was a short lived hostage situation. Daily quips about shortages, isolation and gin emanate from the same mental transitions we have all been experiencing. Here, he digs deep to find the little moments of humor and relief amid the nation’s gripping battle with COVID. A mix of fear, frustration and frequent wry asides, the writing is reminiscent of his trademark style from his popular columns that ran for 25 years in the Los Angeles Times and other papers across the country.

“If there’s one lifelong memory I’ll take from all this,” he writes, “it will be that you can put lavender in your lemonade. Makes me think of summer in the Hamptons. Makes me think of pretty grandmas in faded denim, with silver hair and piercing eyes. God sends us those as well.”

“In recent years, his voice and point of view took on the beauty and bittersweetness of an Irish tenor,” said Mike Sager, veteran of Esquire magazine and the book’s publisher.

Erskine, a 25-year columnist for the Los Angeles Times and best-selling author, who has written compellingly about the deaths of his wife and son, is the master of the silver lining. His recent retirement from the Los Angeles Times signaled the start of a new chapter of Erskine’s writing as he takes his talents to his newly-formed blog www.chriserskinela.com. It’s here that his bi-weekly blog posts and monthly newsletters continue to chronicle the foibles, mischief and antics of his day-to-day life. From what some might call a sorry attempt at partial retirement to the lessons he learns as he single-handedly raises his teenage son, dreams of one-day dating again, to his shameless campaigning to be a grandfather, it’s now covered in the new blog.

Erskine is available for interviews for any media outlet looking to add a slightly lighter touch and sense of hope to their news cycle.