Michael Jarmer’s Monster Talk

Just read Michael Jarmer’s novel Monster Talk and tweeted about it. It’s extraordinary. Why isn’t it a best seller? Everyone read this book! about love, childhood, the monster within, and Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. A young child, Victor, lives in Arizona, grows up with the family story that he is descended from ‘the monster’– the boy goes to school, gets bullied, falls in love with his teacher and when she dies, wants to bring her back to life. Adventures ensue. The writer has given us a meditation on loving, childhood, immortality, and Mary Shelly’s great masterpiece that is worthy of it. If anyone is a Mary Shelly fan, they should read this modern twist on the story. Quite delightful. Jarmer is a new favorite writer.  

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Hard to let go

It’s hard to let go of a book! Especially this one: Accidental Birds of the Carolinas. I have sweated over the words, the characters’ lives, their very souls, for almost 20 years.  I gave the okay to my publisher yesterday afternoon to send to the printer. And though there’s yet another “proof” to come, there’s no turning back, no rewriting, no words of wisdom remaining to say, as I let this piece of my life and mind and heart go into the world. Like sending 8 kids to college at once! I had empty nest syndrome for about six minutes. Then I immediately started cleaning up the piles in my office….worry not, there are many to keep me occupied!

A few phone calls to friends, a weak margarita, a dinner out with Sam, and finally a sweet sense of freedom, a glimmer of free days, before the weight of book promo comes crashing on my head. Okay, parts of that are fun too!

Celebrate with me! Read the title story, which Dawn Raffel kindly published at The Literarian at the Center for Fiction. Dawn is one of those New York editors who’s been shepherding fiction writers for years. I responded when she put out a call for manuscripts–and lucked out. Because it really is luck, in a magical combination with strong writing, that keeps this publishing machinery moving.

More on writing and book promotion to come, as I struggle through the maze.