✨The Empress Questionnaire: Francesca Bossert On the Art of Enchantment✨👑
Wit, Words & the Joy of Breaking the Rules Beautifully
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Fellow Empresses, How’s Queendom holding up? Hanging in there?
There are people you meet who remind you that life is not a to-do list—Francesca Bossert is one of them. I first encountered Francesca through her generous, wholehearted support of Empress Editions (a rare joy in the wilds of indie publishing) and quickly became enchanted—not just by her words, but by her way of seeing.
Born in London, raised in Geneva, and seemingly conjured out of the kind of café daydream Nora Ephron might have had while sipping espresso in the 6th arrondissement, Francesca brings an irresistible mix of mischief, elegance, and deep creative fire to everything she touches. Her poetry collection, Illicit Croissants at Dawn—a glorious, illustrated collaboration with her daughter, Olivia—proves that not only can midlife women do anything, they can do it beautifully and together. (And anyone who's ever attempted a group holiday with their mother knows what a high-wire act that truly is.)
Francesca’s writing is a love letter to resilience, to whimsy, to mornings when everything is going awry and you still eat the croissant. She writes with wit, warmth, and a worldly twinkle that reminds us—especially those of us steeped in American urgency—to slow down, sip something strong, and find the magic in the mundane.
Please join us in celebrating this week’s Empress: the indelible, inimitable Francesca Bossert.
About Francesca!
Born in London and raised in Geneva, Francesca Bossert is a lifelong creative whose work spans craft, fiction, and poetry. After studying translation and working for a law firm, she began writing for a Swiss magazine, and went on to publish a romantic comedy, Mucho Caliente! (republished in 2023 as Just Like A Movie). A former competitive dressage rider, she now writes poetry and fiction full-time. Her 2024 poetry collection Illicit Croissants at Dawn—illustrated by her daughter, Olivia Bossert, has been praised for its wit, warmth, and emotional resonance. Francesca lives between Switzerland and Spain with her husband.
About Her Work… in Her Own Words
“I’m a writer, poet, and constant creative. After a winding path that began in a law firm and zig-zagged through silk painting, glass painting, sewing, knitting, crochet, and dressage competitions, I returned to doing what I love most: storytelling. I write across genres, from sunny romantic comedy to witty, uplifting poetry.
My latest poetry collection, Illicit Croissants at Dawn, is a mother-daughter collaboration elevated by the gorgeous illustrations of my daughter, Olivia Bossert. It’s a book for anyone who’s ever challenged doubt, sought the bright side of bad luck, or found beauty in the details of everyday life. I wrote all the poems while mostly housebound with an autoimmune disease.
On Substack, I publish
, a newsletter that blends poetry, behind-the-scenes book news, and the occasional outrageous anecdote. This is where I truly found my tribe and pulled myself out of a long creative funk. Think of my newsletter as regular chatty postcards from a slightly eccentric friend!In 2023, I republished my romantic comedy, Just Like A Movie, a fizzy, happy tale of fresh starts, fabulous girlfriends, and a famous pop star. It’s ideal for readers who love friendship-focused fiction with a sunny Mediterranean twist.
I aim to create work that connects, that makes you giggle, sigh, smile, and then call your sister and your best friend. Fun stories are meant to be shared, don’t you think?”
1. What is your idea of perfect midlife happiness?
At 63, I passed the equator of life a while ago - which makes my mind boggle, but I guess that’s always the way. The last few years have been tumultuous health-wise (I have an autoimmune IBD and chronic pain), so if the fairies can grant me the last decades of my life in relatively good health, I’ll vote for the Fairy Party forevermore. My husband retired two years ago, and we would love to travel a little—if only around Europe—and have some easy-going fun.
I don’t want to jinx anything, but there’s a glimmer of hope with a new treatment I recently started. I would love to be able to go to restaurants, do some sport, go for walks, swim in the sea, see friends, and simply live a normal life interspersed with lots of writing, in the form of poetry and another novel.
2. Which empress, queen, goddess, or mythical figure do you most identify with?
My grandmother, Anne Connolly, was an empress, a queen, and a goddess rolled into one. She left us long ago, yet I think of her every day. Like so many women of her generation, Nana lost her husband during WWII and was left to raise two small children on her own. Nevertheless, she didn’t hesitate to take risks, showing keen business sense when she opened the very first ladies’ fashion boutique in Ormskirk, a small town in Lancashire in the north of England. I seem to recall she had to remortgage her house to do so, which was particularly brave. Her business, Anne Connolly Fashions, flourished. It also gave my mother constant access to beautiful clothes, probably making her the best-dressed young lady in town!
When my grandmother retired, she moved south with her sister Beatrice (also widowed) to a little town on the edge of the New Forest. My family and I often flew over to stay with them during the school holidays. I shared a special bond with Nana, and in my mid-teens, I loved staying on for a few extra weeks to spend time alone with her. We’d drive to the coast, walk along the front, roll up our trousers, grunt-hobble across the pebbled beach, and paddle in the sea. She often drove me to a nearby riding school where I went for long rides in the New Forest on a horse called Falcon. She also loved taking me shopping in Bournemouth, buying me clothes, books, magazines, and records. Some of the records I chose she enjoyed, too, especially ABBA, or the soundtrack to Grease, and we’d dance around her living room with Auntie B!
My mother, my uncle, and I were by Nana’s side when she passed away. It was hard; I hated seeing her in so much pain. But she was very Catholic, and I believe she was certain of being reunited with her husband, John.
3. Which living midlife woman do you most admire? (And why?)
There are so many women I admire! I’ve decided to steer clear of celebrities, although Victoria Durrer-Gasse is well known in Ibiza, where she lives. We met during my second year of university while I was temping part-time for a bank. We were both colorful oddities in that stiff, staid world and clicked immediately.
We soon became close—two peas in a pink, sparkly pod - and later lived together in a small flat in one of Geneva’s more bohemian areas. It suited us perfectly! We had a TV in the kitchen, where we installed a sofa bed so we could watch Goldie Hawn films under the duvet while eating far too much chocolate. We got married one day apart; I was her witness, and she was mine.
In the late ’90s, Victoria, her husband, and their young son moved to Ibiza. It made me sad knowing she was no longer close by, that we couldn’t just meet for a cup of tea and a giggle. But when I visited her there for the first time, I knew she’d made the right choice: Ibiza is Victoria’s soul landscape. She emanates whimsy, warmth, and bohemian spirit, and she’s woven that essence into her business, La Galeria Elefante.
The Galeria is an Aladdin’s cave of vintage treasures, global finds, art, books, and the most gorgeous, ethereal, flowy clothes - many designed by Victoria herself. But more than a boutique, it’s a celebration of collaboration. She works with artisans and NGOs around the world, many of them women in underprivileged communities. Her ethos is rooted in fair trade, craftsmanship, and empowerment.
Victoria’s success has reached far beyond the island. She’s designed collections for John Lewis, Urban Outfitters, and most recently, Monsoon. A pocket-sized dynamo and charismatic connector, Victoria has truly made a name for herself. But what I admire most is her passion. She’s doing what she loves, and to me, that’s the highest measure of success.
4. What aspect of midlife or the menopausal journey do you most deplore?
I’m well beyond menopause now, but goodness, do I remember it! Especially perimenopause, when I used to joke about my “pornographic boob”! My right boob would always swell up far bigger than the left. These days, they’re just your floppy, garden-variety 63-year-olds’ after-kids! Also, because of all my meds for IBD and fibromyalgia, excess weight has come home to roost. I hate it! My clothes don’t fit. Even if I barely eat. So yes, big deplore. Huge.
I never really had night sweats. The moment the tiniest trickle ventured anywhere near my neck, I got grumpy and went on HRT, which was a godsend. But what I really deplore is how my body has gradually betrayed me. Chronic pain, and my IBD—Microscopic Collagenous Colitis—completely changed how I live.
But here’s the upside: I’ve reconnected with my love of writing. I traded in prancing around on a dressage horse for jousting with my intestines and ended up writing over 400 poems in a year. I wouldn’t have written Illicit Croissants at Dawn or met so many wonderful people through my work if not for this detour. I’ve learned to lean into the happy. Most days, at least.
5. What do you most treasure or value about this phase of life?
I love the slower pace. I love that my children are independent. I love that my husband and I still enjoy each other’s company after thirty-five years of marriage.
We’re lucky to own two homes—one in the Swiss countryside between Geneva and Lausanne, and one on the Costa Brava, an hour north of Barcelona. I adore being in Spain. Our Spanish house is on a golf resort, which sounds posh but isn’t all that posh, really. I’ve met wonderful women here, many in the same chapter of life as me. We all love having more time for ourselves, no longer care (so much!) about how we look or what we’re wearing, and there’s no more petty competition. We have wrinkles and saggy bits, but who cares?
6. If you could share one key midlife lesson, hack, or nugget of wisdom, what would it be?
If you’re fit, try to stay fit! I used to be incredibly active: dressage, Pilates, yoga, hiking. Then came chronic pain, followed by the onset of IBD. Now, movement is harder, but when I’m in Spain I swim as much as possible. I’ll return to Pilates and most of everything else as soon as I can.
And if you can’t exercise, find something you love, and dive in. For me, that’s writing. It has been a joy and a lifeline.
7. What gives you the greatest sense of agency in midlife? (i.e., “Knowing that I can…”)
Knowing I have nothing left to prove. These days, I just want to enjoy what I do. I’ve learned that as soon as I put pressure on myself, I fall flat on my face.
Years ago, I wrote a whole manuscript in “I-am-a-serious-writer-must-pull-my-tummy-in” mode because I was trying to impress my agent. Kerplunk! So when I came back to writing after a long hiatus dedicated to dressage and all sorts of other craft, I promised myself I’d write purely for fun. I even named my Substack
to keep myself accountable.In 2023, I republished my romantic comedy, Just Like A Movie (originally titled Mucho Caliente!). I still love it. It’s joyful, mischievous, romantic, and perfect for anyone who’s ever been dumped, blown off course, and dreamed of starting over somewhere sunny. And in this case, in Ibiza, with a younger pop star!
Then, while plotting another novel in early 2024, poetry unexpectedly took over. I’d never written poems before, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. I wrote about all sorts of things: birdsong, friendship, love, lust, the patriarchy, horny frogs, bad holidays, midlife resilience, meanies!
Encouraged by readers, I wondered about publishing. But the project really took off when my daughter, Olivia Bossert—a UK-based fashion photographer and mixed media artist—offered to illustrate it and design the cover. A mother-daughter collaboration is such a joy!
Ooh, also, one rainy afternoon, I made an Illicit Croissants At Dawn Spotify playlist with a song for each poem! It reminded me of those fabulous cassette tapes we used to swap at school!
I’m very proud of my poetry book. One reader recently described it as “a grown-up, bohemian Shel Silverstein… funny, poignant, and full of life’s beautiful mess.” I’ll take that. In fact, I might even frame it!
8. Give us the headline for your Empress Age. (one that captures the bold narrative you are rewriting for the latter half of your life)
“Wiser, wonkier, wonderfully me!”
Francesca’s Empress Edit
Clothes from Victoria’s La Galeria Elefante. I own lots, but you can never have too many!
Shoes from Sole Bliss. I have big, wide, grumpy feet. These shoes are comfortable, good quality, and gorgeous.
Ricky Martin! I’ve had a crush on him for decades. The love interest in Just Like A Movie is based on Ricky, whom I’ve seen live countless times. He’s phenomenal! And I’m still trying to get the book into his hands…
Facials by Mercedes, nails and feet by Yolanda at Espai Bioestetic, in Girona. The women are absolutely adorable, and my skin always looks wonderful afterward. And would you believe Yolanda painted tiny dreamcatchers on my big toes? My first nail art at 63!
Books! My TBR is ridiculously out of control. I’m currently listening to The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey. I began this book during the final edits of Illicit Croissants At Dawn, but I was too scatterbrained to concentrate. So I’ve begun again, and I love it. There’s nothing nicer than a great audiobook on a timer at bedtime.
Candles by Cire Trudon. Especially the Moroccan mint-scented Abd El Kader. Pricey but divine and long-lasting.
Blush sticks from Anastasia Beverly Hills. I love Latte and Bubblegum, often together. Creamy, easy, radiant, and mood-lifting.
Where readers can find you:
Just Like A Movie and Illicit Croissants At Dawn can be found on Amazon.
Find me on my website: www.francescabossert.com,
On Substack:
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francescabossertauthor/
Lastly, the winners of The Longevity Formula book giveaway are:
, , and ! Please DM me with your deets so we can ship you the book gift box!
We hope you enjoyed this week’s questionnaire.
Yours in Grandeur & Deep Sh*t,
PS - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated.
*The information contained in this post is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness. Before using any practices or products referenced in this piece or others, always consult your healthcare providers, read all labels, and heed all cautions that come with the products. Information received from this piece, or anywhere in this Substack, should never be used in place of a consultation or advice from a healthcare provider. If you suspect you have any adverse conditions, please consult your healthcare providers immediately. This Substack, including Alisa Jones and any other writers or editors, disclaims any responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of any information contained herein. Opinions of any writers in this Substack are their own, and the Substack does not accept responsibility for statements made by writers. This Substack does not make any representations or warranties about a writer’s qualifications or credibility.
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 | A guest post by
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Thank you for finding Francesca and giving her front door coverage. She is a remarkable person and writer and her readers are better for it. Celebrate
all her words. 🌸👑🌷
Really enjoyed this interview. I've added Illicit Croissants at Dawn to my TBR list (which, like all of us, is constantly expanding!) - it sounds like it would be much better to get this in print than e-book format so I can see the illustrations. Great title and cover too.