An Affair With an Author

       Recently my friend Becky Povich wrote in her blog about the letters she has written to various authors.  She has even gotten replies.  I asked her who had written back: she kept mum.  I momentarily thought about replying about my affair with a writer, but thought it would be better to speak about it in a post...

      Years ago, I fell for George R. R. Martin.  His book Fevre Dream is such a gem: vampires meet the river boat trade of the 18oo's.  The plot is engaging, and the book became one of my favorites.

        When he came to St. Louis several years ago for a book signing/groupie gathering, I was there, ready. In my hands was my copy of Fevre Dream; everyone else had one of his sucky popular "fantasy" novels.  No one else in the room knew Martin as well as I did, they were unaware of his wonderful touch, otherwise they would not have been clamoring for the uninspired drivel that they lapped up. 

Kurt Sutter
photo by Himes Images

     When I stood up and proclaimed my love for Fevre Dream, in front of all the gaping onlookers, our eyes met. George saw a spark, from across the crowded room he knew we were kindred spirits, but I was too timid to make any further overtures and George...well, George could not suggest, surrounded by book purchasers, that we drive off into the sunset together.  Alas, I only had my old, worn copy (Fevre Dream was out of print for a while) and I was unwilling to shell out money for crap his recent tale so I could nab a line ticket to get his autograph.  $24.99 was all that stood between Martin and I consummating our connection.

     A few years later, I became bolder. I was at a teacher's conference and heard Rick Bragg speak about his memoir All Over But the Shoutin'.  Although I was happily married and in spite of the fact that I was sitting next to my very proper Mormon friend, I fell hard. He told poignant stories, he told hilarious tales, and it was clear no one else in the banquet hall knew him as I did.  I stalked him for years after that...devoured Ava's Man and later sobbed, when he broke it off with me in The Prince of Frogtown.  He had found another lover and married her; my heart was shattered...

        Now my sights are on someone else. Again, a writer.  This man has the ability to paint characters that are so dark (to most people's morality) yet so complex and so infused with their own "light."  This past season, he even wrote of a devoted father who traveled to Ireland to save his son as well as hunt down the man who kidnapped the little boy.  When this father spied on the couple that had "adopted" the baby, he walked away...this child now had a chance at a life free from violence and as heart-wrenching as the decision was, he knew it was the greatest act of love he could perform.  

       Kurt Sutter. I've got you in my cross-hairs. When you tire of Katey Sagal, I'll be waiting for you...

     And thank you to my newest follower, Fireblossom.  If you have not read her poetry, sit down first (otherwise you will topple over when she blows you away) and then enjoy.

    Also, one of my blogging buddies, Linda O'Connell is hovering close---but not quite---to 100 followers.  She's a serious freelancer and has millions of publishing credits (only a slight exaggeration) and is generous with her talent and knowledge.  Perhaps you will be the one to put her into the triple digits...





  

Running Down Kites

          If I was a stalker, I would stalk a few people...Khaled Hosseini, John Reynolds Gardiner, Rick Bragg, Sandra Dallas, John Prine...There are others, but these are ones that come to mind immediately.

        They all have one thing in common: they're all writers (although Prine is a singer-songwriter, albeit a brilliant one).

John Prine---photo by Steve Hopson

       For me, a marvelous book is better than crack or meth (or at least how powerful I imagine the drugs are).  Perhaps I should not include meth, because I think that drug makes you very energetic---you can stay up for days---and since I love to read on the couch or bed and eventually fall asleep, I can't really compare an engaging novel to meth.

       Writing about an alluring author is easy this afternoon, because I just finished watching the movie The Kite Runner.  Truth is, I had been avoiding it for years...

photo of Khaled Hosseini  by wnyc

        Falling in love with a book, and then seeing the story being butchered on the screen, is painful.   When the novel came out, I read it and was completely enamored.  (Alright, there was a part that didn't quite ring true, but I remained loyal until the last page, and it redeemed itself.)  It was such a powerful story, I did not know how a movie---a decent movie---could do it justice.  So when the film came out, I refused to see it.

          Then there were press releases about a second book by Khaled Hosseini.  I scanned the internet when that month came, and...no book.  I went onto this website and found the book was taking longer than anticipated. Drats!

          There I was, waiting like an impatient lover.  And no car lights coming up the street...I was all dressed up, make-up on, anticipating the arrival.

         When the book A Thousand Splendid Suns finally came out, I fell in love all over again.  And as hard as it was to believe, I loved his second book (a book about women) even more than his first (which is really a book about boys and men).  If you have not read either one, and would enjoy seeing a small picture of life in Afghanistan, read them.  They are among my favorites...

         Grudgingly, this morning I put the disc in, still dubious.  Mostly, I was afraid of the movie being all whitebreaded-up.  Would all the Afghans speak English throughout the film? (Why in the world does that happen?  Do producers and directors think Americans are incapable of reading subtitles?  Do they think we don't want to hear the richness--the diversity--of a foreign language?) Would it look like American cheese---all wrapped up in plastic sleeves---instead of fragrant and a bit rough around the edges?  I was prepared for the worst...

        In my opinion, they did a great job.  It was like reading the book all over again.  (And if anyone wants to pay me for this review/opinion, I will gladly accept it.)

photo of Rick Bragg by Kalamazoo Public Library


         To the above authors, consider this a warning:  If you see a frumpy woman, bags under her eyes and a bag of books in her hand, her hair several different colors (unless she gets it dipped this evening) lurking around a corner, watch out.  She might chase after you, snare you, and pepper you with questions about what your writing process is like, as she slobbers out praise for your words. 

A Well-Crafted Phrase

        I admit it. I'm a sucker for a great line. 

        I once went to a writing conference (Write to Learn, in Missouri) and fell in love with Rick Bragg.  He was touting his book All Over But the Shoutin'.  The images he created, black ink on white pages, made me swoon.  The affair continued for quite a few years, through his next two memoirs and his collection of newspaper columns. 

        Unfortunately, the affair was one-sided.  I adored his writing.  He never read any of mine..

         I am reading the book Peaches and Cream by W.E. Mueller.  The stories range from crime stories to humorous ones, and even poignant ones.  Here are some of the lines that really hit me:

"It was on the cusp of run-down..."
(part of the depiction of a neighborhood)

"Then his hand dropped from the doorknob and swept to his mouth..."
(Can't you see that old man?  This is a great example of "show, don't tell.")

"Charlie mentally prepares his usual spiel, feeling the rye pinch his stomach, the cheese coming around again in the heat."
(great rhythm, and again, showing---not telling)

           I do  love a well-crafted line...