The Writer's Life 2/17 - Potpourri

RIP Lesley Gore, 68, a non-smoker who succumbed to lung cancer. She burst on the scene in the early ‘60’s with her powerful vocals. Her first four singles reached the top five: It’s My Party #1, It’s Judy’s Turn to Cry #5, She’s a Fool #5, and You Don’t Own Me #2. In 1980 she received an Oscar nomination for Out Here on My Own, from the movie Fame. She co-wrote the song with her brother Michael, who won for the title track of that popular flick. Her only acting was in two episodes of Batman, in which she appeared as Pussycat, one of Cat Woman’s minions. Her work has stood the test of time. Well done, madam. (Facts culled from Wiki)

A couple of weeks ago I viewed Ragnarok (2014), a Norwegian monster flick. I then picked up a novel, Safe from the Sea by Peter Geye, which is the story of the effect the sinking of a merchant ship of the same name in Lake Superior has on an American family of Norwegian descent. It is an impressive first novel, set largely in a home sans modern conveniences in a remote area outside Duluth, Minnesota. A son who hasn’t seen his father in five years, since his wedding, is called home by the man, who is dying of cancer. Olaf is one of three survivors of the wreck, and survivor’s guilt haunts and taints the rest of his life, alienates his family. The book’s themes are reconciliation and forgiveness. The characters are realistic, the actions grounded. The prose and dialogue are solid, a smooth read at 241 pages. About halfway through, I became curious as to whether the Rag’ had actually existed. I was unable to find any info on it. The account is so authentic I wondered if it were gleaned from the details of an actual disaster suffered by another vessel. Whatever -- if the tale is purely fictional, more power to Geye, who was born in Minnesota. I was happily surprised to learn he earned his PhD in Literature from my alma mater, Western Michigan U.. He was editor of its literary publication, The Third Coast. I may have submitted a short story to it about 20 years ago. I don’t recall if I received a response. Anyway, on a scale of five, I rate Safe from the Sea 3.5.

There were a couple of eye-opening stats in today’s NY Post: one, 58% of cigarettes are brought into NY from low tax states. This is surprising only to liberal politicians thirsty for public funds. Many hardcore smokers are not quitting. They’ve adapted, fighting the injustice of the exorbitant sales tax on tobacco products -- and more power to them. Two: the TV usage of the cherished 18-34-year-old demographic fell at the rate of 4% in each of 2012 & 2013. From last September to January 2015 it fell 10.6%. Advertisers are adapting to the switch by consumers to alternative entertainment delivery methods.    

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/rP7o9

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/