I’m Kamille. In 2023, my husband Sean and I moved our family from Southern California to the French countryside with two small kids and a very unreasonable dream.
Now it’s real. We bought a centuries-old French château, and we’re restoring it while living inside it.
This is where I tell the full story in real time. Not the highlight reel, but the lived-in version, with muddy boots by the door, paperwork on the table, and a to-do list that magically regenerates overnight.
START HERE:
WHAT YOU’LL FIND HERE
Life in France, Unfiltered
Life in the French countryside as an American: culture shocks, small joys, raising kids, and the real texture of everyday life. Two posts are free each month, two are for paid subscribers.
Castle Diaries
For paid subscribers: the château restoration in real time. Progress chapters, decisions and tradeoffs, what we do next (and why), plus practical notes, resources, and cost ranges when they’re genuinely useful.
WHY I WRITE HERE
Instagram is for snapshots. YouTube is for the big moments. This is where I can actually write the story, with room for nuance, humor, and the truth behind the pretty pictures.
If you love old houses, renovation decisions, French countryside life, and storytelling that keeps one foot in the fairytale and one foot firmly on the ground, you’ll feel right at home.
BROWSE BY TOPIC
SUBSCRIBE OPTIONS
Free subscriber
Some Life in France, Unfiltered posts and seasonal dispatches from our life in rural France.
Paid subscriber
Everything above, plus every Castle Diaries chapter, two more intimate Life in France, Unfiltered posts, along with behind-the-scenes notes and occasional extras.
Founding member
For readers who want to be patrons of the restoration and support the long, slow work of bringing this château back to life.
If you’d like to join us inside Castle Diaries, you can upgrade below.
I’m glad you’re here. Truly.
-Kamille Longstreet
Writer, renovator, American in Francer
