The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 9/1

Ellen Wittlinger, 75, has had at least 15 novels published, mostly in the teens category. I just finished her third, Hard Love, which was issued way back in 1999 and is still selling modestly at Amazon. It is a first person account of an isolated male, a high school junior, still deeply affected by his parents' divorce six years later. He discovers an outlet for his emotions -- zines, homemade publications distributed for free. He creates his own, which leads to a connection with a lesbian, a senior at another school, with whom he falls in love, leading to more angst. I have a soft spot for such zines, having had several stories published in them, the small triumphs keeping me on the writer's path at a time it seemed I'd never get anywhere. I immediately connected with the characters. In a charming aspect, the first paragraph of each chapter is askew, as is often the case in such publications. The depiction of teens is realistic, the language authentic. This is a novel about teenagers but appealing to adults. In fact, I wonder if it is even appropriate for those younger than 17, although I realize kids, exposed to fringe behavior 24/7, are way more sophisticated these days. It's not sexual content -- there is none. It's the downbeat tone. Fortunately, it doesn't go into the worst possible scenario -- suicide. The protagonist, like most humans, learns to live with psychological pain. The book won two awards, one in the teen category, the other in LGBT. 102 users at Amazon have rated it, forging to a consensus of 4.5 of five. I say 3.75. It's very good. The title is taken from a song by Bob Franke, which has received more than 6000 hits at youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5HhEMhcq1o I'd never heard of him. I just listened to the track, which is done in folk style and rings with sincerity. It runs less than five minutes. The two main characters also attend an Ani DeFranco concert during the narrative. PBS has run at least one concert by her. I couldn't get into it. The artists are the type -- obscure, on the fringe, such kids would like.

I googled "Pareidolia," which is defined as "a psychological phenomena involving a stimulus, image or sound, wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern where none actually exists." Monsey, a sweet middle age woman, has purchased books from me and donated many. When she noticed the three on UFOs I had on display she asked if she'd ever shown me "the photograph." Months ago she'd been feeling blue and took a long walk to the Verrazano Bridge, where she sat on a bench at the foot of the bay. She gazed at the sky, saw bright colors, took a picture with a cheap camera, and emailed it to her granddaughter, who forgot about it. During a family gathering weeks later, Monsey asked about it. The girl, 18, blew it up, and they were astonished at what appeared to be images of people. The girl framed it. When Monsey went to hang it in her apartment she turned it upside down to see if it would look better that way. She saw an image that looks like a brother who passed away when he was ten. She has since been researching the phenomenon, which she dubs "unexplained."

My thanks to the kind folks who bought and donated books today. Maybe people were overjoyed that the heat wasn't as brutal as forecast. Then again, it helps to have Russian books on display. Eight of them sold. Spasibo.

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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

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/