NEW YEAR 2005

Here's wishing you an incredibly productive new year. Speaking of productive, it seems that departing from this life proved to be only a slight annoyance for Dame Barbara Cartland, the popular romance writer, who died four years ago. Last month two new Cartland novels were published. And that's not the end of it. There are 158 more to come, one a month for about 13 years. Who's Who lists Dame Barbara as having written 723 romance novels in her lifetime, and shedding the mortal coil hasn't seemed to stop the woman. There are about 150 new stories to come, as well, all reportedly discovered tied in a pink ribbon in her library in Hertfordshire by her son.

Another writer who continues to be bountifully prolific from the grave is V.C. Andrews, who in her lifetime wrote 9 novels and 20 short stories. Since her death in 1986, there have been over 50 new V.C. Andrews books published and a total of 24 million copies sold. I wonder when we'll be hearing from Hemingway again, or say, Nabokov.

I don't know about you, but I'd love to read a new Flannery O'Connor. The writer Arthur Hailey died in November, and perhaps he's now hard at work on "Hotel 2," to be released by the end of the year. We also lost the nation's first female poet laureate poet, Mona Van Duyn last year, who wrote, "Beauty is merciless and intemperate," and then asks "O Mother, is love God's hobby?"

My New Year wish for you is that your days be hugely productive with good art and the best of "God's hobby." I hope that,if you haven't already, you'll purchase a copy of my novel (paperback $6.99) I LOVE YOU LIKE A TOMATO. And keep in touch.

-- Marie

SUMMER 2004

Ciao d' Italia!

I'm writing this from the terrace of the villa where I'm staying overlooking the Mediterranean in the mountain village of Praiano, Italy. I'm here to research my next book in the "I Love You Like a Tomato" trilogy, and I'm rapidly becoming acclimated to this life away from all cares back in the States. Here in the sun with the sea below and the limestone cliffs of the Latari mountains at my elbow, I can easily resonate with the hoards of visitors who come to vacation here on the Amalfi coast every summer. Today a sweet breeze blows across us here above the sea, the sky is grey, and a soft rain falls. I feel the presence of my protagonist, ChiChi, in every rock, plant and drop of rain. For me her mind and heart are carved in this landscape.

I was delighted when the famous southern Italian newspaper, IL MATTINO, ran a piece on me and a poem I wrote called, "Come With Me to Positano," which I wrote for Enzo Esposito of the Mediterraneo Ristorante a couple of years ago. The journalist who wrote the story, who works for RAI TV, was thrilled with the poem and said it was just what the city needed.

There are three categories of art produced here as I see it: l. The tons of tacky tourist art, postcard stuff; 2. Fine art (that which takes imagination, daring, study and years to create -- very little of this) and 3., Natural art (the world created by the Great Creator -- in great abundance). In these towns and villages one sees or hears very little new modern poetry or writing and, as a friend who owns a bookstore here told me, "I sell to tourists who read tourist stuff. Schlock novels and travel guides." One visitor told me, "I'm on vacation. I don't want to think."

I can't imagine those words in a writer's mouth.

The new 2005 POETS MARKET is out! And there's a nice long story on me in it by Amanda Lynch. I think one of the best written stories on me I've seen. Check it out.

I think I'll go feast on some Petrarch and listen to the rain.

Keep your art pure. I'll see you in Rome.

Con affetto sempre, Marie

P.S. Have you checked out our latest ROADS POETRY online poetry journal? Do it now and enjoy! Roadspoetry.com.

WINGS -- SUMMER 2004

Hemingway threw out about 100,000 words of TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. He claimed those cut pages were probably better than what was left. He said, "All guys who can paint great big pictures can paint great small ones." He wrote in a letter to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, "... I don’t think there is any question about artistic integrities. It has always been much more exciting to write than to be paid for it and if I can keep on writing, we may eventually all make some money."

Last year the 12 largest trade publishers are estimated to have published 22,914 new books. The 55 largest university presses issued 12,003 new titles. Based on preliminary figures, R.R. Bowker is projecting that U.S.TITLE OUTPUT IN 2003 increased a staggering 19%.

Oprah has chosen Leo Tolstoy's classic novel ANNA KARENINA for her book club - even though she's never read it herself. Penguin’s version, which Oprah deems definitive, is increasing its press run by 800,000.

Is it important to keep our perspective as writers? Not all of us will rake in millions of dollars, or get chosen by Oprah’s book club while we’re alive, so maybe we ought to spend a lot of time enjoying our work for the work itself.

To quote Hemingway again, in his book, A MOVEABLE FEAST, he had this to say about F. Scott Fitzgerald: "[Fitzgerald’s] talent was as natural as the pattern made by the dust on a butterfly’s wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. Later be became conscious of his damaged wings and of their construction and he learned to think and could not fly anymore because the love of flight was gone and he could only remember when it had been effortless."

In a few days I’ll be heading for southern Italy to work on the third book of my I LOVE YOU LIKE A TOMATO trilogy. Thoreau said, "How vain it is to sit down and write when you have not stood up to live." I don’t believe he meant living as a pursuit of adventure or thrills, but as living the joys, pains and sorrows of this life with courage. I think the living he refers to could be loving the flight with whatever shape our wings are in. Have a great writing and reading summer. -- Have you read I LOVE YOU LIKE A TOMATO yet? (Now out in mass market paperback, $6.99 -- cheap.) And please do check out my website for updates.
Con affetto, Marie