MARJORIE BARD Ph.D
- GUEST AUTHOR AND FILMMAKER -
G'day folks,
Today, I interview a very interesting guest from the U.S.A.
Welcome, Marjorie ...
1.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
I spent the 1st
10 years of my life in Brookline (Boston area), with “encouraging” parents (dad
a Harvard Med professor and Old English Lit scholar mom) who thought I should investigate
the historic city. I spent happy hours in the Public Gardens (Swan Boats!),
libraries, art galleries, and harbor restaurants. I didn’t realize I was being
primed for a long education!
After a few weeks in kindergarten,
my mother was asked to meet with my
teacher. (Paraphrased): “Why is
Marjorie writing “s” like an “f”? She ignores our books and discussions about
simple story themes. She knows how to
read and write, but she needs help with the alphabet and writing short sentences.
She rambles.” (I was born with a rare phenomenon -- a photographic memory. My
teachers had never heard of it, so my mom had to inform every new teacher I
learned to read-and-write from a Shakespeare collection and medical books – and
mixed-up what I could “see” and “rewrite” from both.) I did collect/save a few children’s
books I wanted to pass along to my children (e.g., “Make Way For Ducklings” and
“Henry and the Red Glove.”). I still have my grammar school grade reports and
while I received all A’s, the teachers’ comments were often less than flattering
(However, a photographic memory was an asset all the way through to a Ph.D.!)
We moved to Beverly
Hills, CA and I have teen memories of a neighborhood of actors on whom my
girlfriends and I could “spy” and obtain personal information. One of my dad’s
patients -- a prominent gossip columnist -- paid me in unlimited desserts (an
open tab!) at Beverly Hills’ and Hollywood’s soda shops to write about real events from the
neighborhood and people working at the nearby studios. (I didn’t receive name recognition, though –
for that would give away sources!) I joined my high school’s Drama Club just to write their plays. I don’t remember when I haven’t been writing –
schools’ news columns, articles about unusual vacations, rebuttals to city
newspaper editors’ articles, etc. As I look back, apparently I had no fear of
rejection or entering adult topics not meant to be from a teenager’s POV.
2.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU
BECOME A WRITER?
I think I covered that
in the first question! However, I did dabble in writing sitcoms for TV shows I
liked (when freelance scripts were accepted). In my 20’s, I became a published
author of a cultural mystery (under a pen name), a cookbook about desserts, and
tried my hand at screenplays for writers who didn’t like that format but wanted
to sell their scripts for movies. I’ve only had 2 of my own accepted – for very
little money. Naturally, the director altered the content and I barely
recognized my stories. They were flops at the box office, so there are no
bragging rights! (One which I really had high hopes for -- with actress Gwen
Welles – should still be registered with the WGA. Unfortunately, she died of
cancer rather suddenly, and I haven’t touched it since.)
3.
WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A
MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
I don’t follow any
rules! I may get an idea for a book and start writing notes. Sometimes it’s a
vague outline for chapters if I can foreshadow a plot to a suspected ending –
usually a mystery. It’s a bit different if fiction or non-fiction, for if
non-fiction, I can’t be creative. Just interesting! I’ve been known to sit in a
restaurant and write on paper napkins while eating – sometimes to the dismay of
a waiter wishing I would leave. I’ve pulled to the side of a major highway and
written on legal pads as huge trucks whipped-by, making my car shake. I have
even written on a white skirt when an idea hit as I met a person I wanted to
interview but had no pad with me. I tend to be spontaneous with fiction – but
very scholarly when involving important research for non-fiction.
My schooling has had an
effect on how I prepare for a particular book. If I know a long journal article
or conference paper could become a book – I make an outline and fill in content
as I find it (references and bibliography). I love the research! If fiction, it
means several note pads with pages of scribbled ideas and a lot of material
with question marks. I make notes to myself about where to find specific
content (the photographic memory!) and if anyone saw the way I “prepare,” I’m
sure I’d be called odd/scattered/making no sense! But, it works for me – in
fiction. I’m much more organized for non-fiction since I am essentially known
as an academic and I do feel the pressure of following strict procedure.
My first non-fiction book
(1990) about the lifestyles of stable undetectable homeless women I have
interviewed and filmed was noticed by a Los Angeles TIMES staff writer. Her
articles paved the way to TV shows (“60 Minutes” the most prominent) and being
swamped by directors and actresses who wanted to buy the film rights. I wrote a 2nd book in 1994 about
how organizations and communities respond to DV and homelessness…of more
interest to professionals than the public and has mainly become a textbook and
library edition. (There are others which are out of print now and 3 being
updated for publication.)
Based on my personal
experiences with DV and homelessness in the ‘70s, I became an ethnographer, infiltrating/mingling
with these self-sufficient women as they masquerade in public as being a normal
mall wanderer, grocery store shopper, large library/luxury hotel lobby reader.
I found some women at racetracks near the stables, chatting with the pros -- so I bought the racing forms and walked
around with them – getting to be pals and finally sharing coffee and stories on
being homeless. Another “full day” for the undetectable homeless woman is court
watching – and discussing cases in the hall with others who find this an exciting
event. That’s usually how I meet undetectable homeless men.
Bad weather is a
homeless person’s worst enemy, and I fear the end of large climate-controlled
malls with upscale dept. stores. They are lifelines to every need a woman has –
from free make-up, fully-equipped bathrooms (some with lounges, sofas for
napping, and a TV) -- to comfortable benches on differing levels for “people
watching.” Endless walking keeps one’s circulation moving, so it’s healthy as
well. The best malls have small gourmet food shops which provide ample samples
– enough to make meals for a day. Rarely does an undetectable woman spend her
days in her car. I’ve found them wandering or sitting in treed cemeteries,
outlet-stores towns, beach communities, and 24-hour casinos – and any hotel
which is associated with a casino. Their strategies for survival depend on
their ability to appear as a homeowner “out for the day” or on vacation.
I only had to stop
traveling and masquerading when in my late 70s. For years, I left my cards on
every state’s “Welcome To:” Rest Area bulletin boards -- and from those and
word of mouth, I have a hotline for emergency needs (e.g.: trapped in a bad
weather situation, broken van, taken to jail and needing bail, boondocking
places, etc.) I miss the traveling and am working on another book based on my
e-doc (on Google Search titled The Undetectable Homeless) of excerpts from reams
of filmed interviews from cross-country and extensive East Coast trips.
4.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
I enjoy using my
imagination when writing fiction – for that seems to be endless. I think or hear of a topic and if it
resonates with some plot and/or characters I have in mind, I make mental notes
until I get to a pad and pen. Non-fiction interest is probably due to my high
school classes when something in history or a culture hit me as needing exploration.
I was fascinated with cultures which were dying-out – traditions and even
languages lost as elders passed away and young people were prone to moving to
big cities and obtaining good jobs which led them away from the stories “the
old folk” told.
Basically, I’m a born
storyteller of what interests me! I have never written for money or “fame.”
It’s only a fluke my first book about undetectable homeless women (and some
men) became a revelation to the public.
In 1991, I founded a non-profit org which gave me access to grants and a
Board of several previously homeless people who became successful. Some wrote
or told of their experiences – promoting the art of storytelling as helping
others to “do something” about our still growing stable and hidden homeless
population who need affordable housing, appropriate jobs, and social service
assistance.
5.WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Having only 24 hours in
a day to do so much I have planned! At 83, my life has been “broken” by an
accident of fate: a vicious stalker of now 6 years who has been threatening
lives since he was 18 – and is worse at 42. Social media CEOs and moderators
have allowed this criminal (court records in most fields of illegal activity)
to take over decent people’s lives, ruin careers, separate families, and become
a dangerous threat as he states (quote:) “I am a prime candidate for becoming a
mass gun shooter.” If I had not been a noted author and filmmaker with a Ph.D. when
he wandered into my LinkedIn “Homelessness and Housing Professionals” group,
his obscene emails and blogs would probably have been limited to a short time.
However, he was and is obsessed with the success I’ve had – while he has had
none with 3 attempted “careers” which he brags has made him famous and
respected. (He is hated.) He admits he
went from a drug-addicted homeless drifter/grifter just leaving a jail sentence
to meeting a millionaire who took him in and has gifted him with houses,
expensive cars, etc. so he is now also (supposedly) a millionaire – and more dangerous than ever.
He destroyed my non-profit org in 2 days by blogging I stole the EIN# from
someone else and daily writes filthy libelous content about me. His “life-funder”
has mentored him in all forms of hacking and destruction of his victims’ computers.
The mentor has ties to Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, so almost all of my
saved docs with the name of the stalker have been removed with a message box left
by MS stating “the content has been deleted due to being invalid.” Those saved
docs included his Gallery of Mass Shooters – whom he lionized with blogs about
the similarities he shared with them. Fortunately, I had many docs in hard copy
and now save everything he blogs that way. One file cabinet has enough material
for a 350 page book.
The worst part of being
a writer for me is feeling forced to write a book about this abusive criminal
whose only aim in life is to ruin reputations/frighten people so badly they
leave the web altogether. His obscene language and libel are allowed by social
media CEOs and even the FBI (a longtime file on him). My mission is to stop him
by putting his words into a book so someone associated with the Cyberstalking
Bill will actually enforce what they enacted. Not all states have stalking
laws, so I continue to fight for legislation. It isn’t a choice anymore. It’s
necessary – and someone has to do it!
6.WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
I was already a writer, but I began a career at 20 with an
M.A. in Education, teaching in what used to be called a “pre-reform (grammar) school.”
Ethnicities were mixed and almost all only knew their mothers – but were
latch-key kids who had no actual family to care for them. It was a rewarding
choice since I found they liked to hear stories and make craft projects instead
of reading and learning math and science. I found ways the principal did not
approve of to interest the kids in learning “their way.” Of course, that led to
the kids needing to measure and invent things -- and writing about their
projects. Finally, the principal asked me to follow the 4th graders
to the 5th – unheard of in her career. (But she was miffed at my success
as the older male teachers had many students held back.)
I have been a longtime journalist (Los Angeles Press Club
member), magazine editor, dissertation proofreader, and a 2-year law student
while creating a DV Victim Advocate position at a City Attorney’s Office. I’ve
written for small town newspapers about their particular problems, mainly
whistleblowing about poisonous ground water, illegal deforestations, and
nuclear plant leaks.
7.WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
I suppose I should be referring
to being swamped by directors and actors who wanted the movie rights to my
first book about the undetectable homeless. But I don’t feel that way about
what I’ve written. I’m ultra-proud of the children’s book series I wrote during
my days of living a new self-sufficiency lifestyle on a deserted island during
the mid-‘70s. I had been sleeping in my car and staring out to sea during the
day, picking wild blueberries and bartering with lobstermen, knitting bait bags
and fixing wooden lobster traps for a daily lobster. I began to write about my ordeal – and couldn’t.
My mind wandered and I thought about how tiny pets would survive if their cage opened
and they had to learn how to grapple with life on a deserted island. So, Geraldine and Jeremy Gerbil became my
protagonists in adventures in self sufficiency – solving mysteries which humans
couldn’t. Those animal detectives described the almost unknown island’s habitat
and ended-up in a nature magazine.
I made enough money to
buy necessities and build a solar oven in the sand of my hidden cove so I could bake blueberry cakes and
breads to sell to a restaurant in the nearest tourist town. When I left to take
advantage of a fellowship offered by UCLA for another M.A. and Ph.D., I felt
better about myself than I had when living a “privileged” life.
8.WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE
MOMENT?
I’m writing/editing 3 books at once. One of the books is my
last cultural mystery, for after 3 generations of a niche publishing house, the
youngest has decided to close the business and move to Italy to open a
restaurant.
9.WHAT INSPIRES
YOU?
A hidden ocean cove surrounded on 2 sides by pink granite
ledges and forest has always inspired me. However, that’s not an option
anymore, so I depend on my rural life with roaming critters and harbor and
river views. There is no noise other than animals’ and I’ve rarely seen my 2 neighbors
on a private dead-end lane to the harbor. I suspect I have a gene which insists
I write about anything which intrigues me!
10.WHAT GENRE DO
YOU WRITE?
I’ve written in almost all genres, including children’s
books, YA, horror, crime, sitcoms, some haiku, and non-fiction. I have never
had the desire to write a “Star Wars” or zombies type of story. I do have a romance novel to write, but I have
put it off for decades. I begin and realize I’m re-living my own experience
which I have kept a secret. It happened when I was homeless and masquerading as
a tourist/adventurer. I find I’m blocked from writing about a very personal
relationship which meant choosing to start life anew with a scientific
researcher from another country who was working in a lab near my area or
returning to CA and grad school. I still am not positive I made the right
decision. (I could have re-married and written as well, but I decided to make
sure I’d always have the degrees to get a well-paid job! I had learned to
respect earning and keeping my own money.)
11.DO YOU HAVE ANY
TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
I think the most important tip is to write about what
interests you and know about. However, imagination unveils fantasy, so that
also creates fiction and is not to be ruled out! It is unfortunate many writers
believe they have the next Best Seller. They undoubtedly do not. Plus, I’ve
seen so many instances of self-published books with terrible grammar, I wonder
if our schools still teach proper English. Necessary: obtain a professional
editor – despite my own choice!
12.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM
WRITER’S BLOCK?
Not really. I’m lazy and if I’m not inspired, I don’t try
to force myself. I get stumped sometimes when searching for red herrings or
clues in a mystery, but I can’t think of a time when it bothered me. I just
wait for something to come to mind. Non-fiction is research, and I don’t seem
to be blocked from the desire to “know more.” Plus, there is always an art
project to work on or a gourmet recipe to test!
13.
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
I don’t believe – for myself – in forcing a time to write. I
never schedule! I have to wait for an inspiration and return to writing when
I’m hit with something to add, fix, or delete. A place, an aroma, something I
hear or see or remember will come to mind and I’m ready to continue. I would make a terrible office worker –
watching a clock and knowing I had to complete something “by 5 pm.” How can a
schedule produce creativity? And why would I want to commit to a schedule when
my best writing is spontaneous or research-inspired?
14.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
Yes, but I can’t get there anymore! It’s any private ocean
cove with no one else around. Or, any restaurant when I suddenly find I have an
idea which needs to be fleshed-out right away. Food seems to be “inspiring.”
But over the years, I’ve written anywhere when I get that urge….
15.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
JOY IN WRITING?
It’s just within me. I feel wonderful/excited/transformed
to another place when writing. I’m not consumed with the desire “to be read.” I
have boxes of hard-copy novels which I will never try to publish. I think they
are good reading material, but only submit mss which I feel are absolutely worthy
of sharing.
16.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE
AUTHOR AND WHY?
I love the Dorothy Sayers books about Lord Peter Wimsey – especially
the trilogy with Lord Peter and Harriet Vane. I like Sayer’s writing style and
the occasional Latin phrases Lord Peter throws in. I also love to read Tony
Hillerman’s Native American novels. When traveling, I take Thoreau’s Walden and an Edgar Alan Poe book. My creative mood
changes with intolerable weather!
17.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
Several women have written and called who have experienced
being a stable undetectable homeless woman and praise the way I have documented
their life stories. Those are serious compliments.
18.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A READER?
A few men have
insisted these women don’t exist or just like to dress up and play games to
fill an imaginary lifestyle. They deny “60 Minutes” and my books as fiction.
But they admit they know someone who has lost everything and is doing much the
same things as “my women” do. My stalker goes to every online book seller and
reviews my books this way: “She’s a psycho liar and 100% insane. And she’s
really X (a successful filmmaker he hates.) Don’t buy her books.” However, I
doubt he has ever read anything I’ve written. He is a textbook case of a petty,
jealous narcissist who constantly takes Selfies trying to look like a movie
star: shades, leather clothing, expensive jewelry, and a cigarette dangling
from his lip. If he can include a stack of $100 bills and his BMW in a shot, he
will. Considering he is a textbook case of a potential killer, I try to ignore
his presence in my life – but he is that shadow of evil which I’ve never
encountered before. It can be disconcerting – and everyone who has encountered
his wrath has reason to believe he will “snap.”
19.WRITERS ARE
SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
I think I’ve made that very plain! If it hadn’t happened to
me, I wouldn’t have written books about becoming independent/self-sufficient when
used to a “normal” life. I know my topics because I’ve lived them. When I write
fiction, though, I don’t think my storylines reflect anything about/in my own
life.
20. OTHER THAN
WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
Art projects -- e.g., many large welded copper/brass/steel flowers-and-leaves
as waterfalls and creating gourmet meals. When able, traveling to see how
people live and work in places I would never consider as my own home or town.
I’m drawn to oceans and lobstering communities. I had planned to “retire” to
coastal Maine, but the winters have become too much for me to handle.
21. DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE
PUBLICATION?
I have always edited my own books and no publisher/editor
has ever suggested any changes. I suspect I can thank my mother for providing a
very early education in proper grammar, etc.
22. DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.
I would wake up staring
out to sea, gulls swooping to fish for their breakfast. I would have
blueberries to make bread and fresh coffee to take to the beach. No one else
would be around to distract me and I would either have a book to read or be in
the process of writing one. I’d walk the beach, looking for sea glass and
unusual driftwood, dragging my “finds” back to my house and sort it all while
listening to classical music. I’d probably go to the nearest lobster pound and
buy a huge-clawed 2-pounder for lobster rolls, chowders, and lobster mac ‘n
cheese casseroles. In the evening, I’d
listen to world news and be happy I’m in the U.S.A.! I’d probably fall asleep watching one of my
favorite old movies on VHS tapes or DVDs…in front of a fireplace.
OR, I’d like to spend
almost every day at Los Angeles’ huge Farmer’s Market on 3rd and
Fairfax – sampling everything while I write and listening to the CBS writers
who used to meet and snack there during breaks. It has undoubtedly changed
since I last was there, but it’s how I remember it in the ‘90s, The atmosphere
was an incentive to write about anything interesting. International tourists
would flock there on Hollywood bus tours and the differences in responses/attitudes
were either humorous or unusually annoying!
23.IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO
WOULD IT BE? WHY?
Hmmm. If I were much younger – as a teen or in my very
early 20s – my choice would be different. But now I’m a realist. I’d want a
specialist in survival strategies – a man who can climb trees for fruit, start
a fire with two sticks, build a shelter and then a boat to get us safely back
home. If I had to name a person, it would NOT be another writer to chat with! It
might be Mel Brooks or someone with a wonderful sense of humor to keep us
laughing. It wouldn’t hurt if he was an amiable gourmet cook. (I did say “he,”
didn’t I? I guess I still like male
company! However, I do have many female friends.)
24.WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD
LEADERS?
“Wise up. If you all don’t work together right now, this
planet will soon be dead. You will suffer as much as anyone else left alive.”
25.WHAT ARE YOUR
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
Stay healthy and able
to write as long as possible! (Remember, I’m 83!)
26.WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY SELL BOOKS?
I have never even
thought about book trailers. I’ve never seen one or intend to use same. I know
it sounds peculiar, but I’ve never written to “sell.” If my books are good
enough, they will be found for interesting reading or used as textbooks. I like
to film – with professional videocams -- but I lack computer tech ability. For
writers who can make videos about their books, I hope they don’t depend on
trailers for significant added sales. The topics, once seen, may not create a
desire to purchase the book. If I didn’t like the trailer, I wouldn’t want to know
anything more about the book! I suppose it’s a gamble, but I’m sure trailers
will become more popular. Technology rules! Most writers seek new marketing
strategies – and that’s a good thing!
27. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
Perhaps strong women
who try to solve their own problems. My female protagonists or antagonists are
really nothing like me – in fiction. The women I meet and interview have one
thing in common with me: the desire to survive and thrive.
28.
DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
Oh, yes! More than
frustration. I see piracy accepted and contracts becoming almost worthless.
Indie books will undoubtedly become more popular as traditional houses want
blockbusters – unfortunately mainly about corruption. Agents will disappear as
there are few publishers who want unknowns and the brilliant, popular authors
will fignt for bigger advances – which may break the publishers’ banks.
29.
DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?
Quit writing? I’ll be
coming back from the dead with news about what it’s like. Long ago, I created
my own cartoon block titled “Gravely Speaking.” They have been published
occasionally in writers’ and popular magazines and I love making up the
comments by the residents of a tacky cemetery. The problem is my lack of any
real ability to draw! I may do another in the series – if I have time!
30.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
My newest cultural
mystery about a dying part of a country taken over by Russia and its traditions.
One of a few family groups migrated to the U.S. and ended up (long ago) in the
exact place I was living at the time. I couldn’t believe in the synchronicity! (Maybe
whatever is being written at the time is one’s favorite?)
31. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A
WRITER.
For myself, it isn’t
about money or fame. I think most authors believe their work is superior and
will make them a lot of money and their names will become household ones as
authors. I’m a realist. Success to me is all about making sense out of a personal
or social problem and solving it in writing. And, of course, using the whimsy I
find in almost everything!
32. WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM
YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?
For fiction – enjoyment. For non-fiction – learning
something new and interesting – or important. For all: “a rewarding
experience.”
33. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS
MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY?
I’ve been writing
screenplays off and on for years. One of
my books did become a film. It was
ruined, of course, since it was drastically altered by the director and added
screenwriters. I barely recognized it and wouldn’t suggest anyone watch it. The
rest of my mss? I would like my best “story” to be made for others to view as a
movie – if I could have creative control…which is an impossibility!
34. HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING
A BOOK COVER?
I have never had that
opportunity. My publishers use their own artists or for libray and textbooks, they
use plain covers. I have a funny story about book covers: My first publisher about
the undetectable homeless had their own artist. She apparently did not read one
word of my book and the cover is of “bag ladies”/“street people” who look a bit
insane with birds on their heads and carrying garbage bags. I was never offered
a peek of the cover, so when I saw it produced and advertised, my heart sank to
my feet. Who would buy another book about “street people”? I had taken years to
find those women who were so different – and the artist ruined my project. But
– the cover was soooo bad, it caught attention and it didn’t make any
difference in sales -- especially when explained by newspaper articles, TV
shows, and finally, “60 Minutes.” It proves covers don’t always predict sales.
35.WHAT’S YOUR
ULTIMATE DREAM?
At my age, to be
healthy and “win” enough money to return to Beverly Hills and go to the
Farmer’s Market every day to write! However, I don’t buy lottery tickets or
enter contests, so it really is a “dream.” I’d love to be the first person to
“come back” and see/write about what has happened to this fragile world which
we are slowly destroying. I’m sure it would be a very short visit….
36.WRITING IS ONE
THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
I know other writers do
market their books, have a “brand,” and create their own blog pages. They must
receive some publicity re sales. I don’t know why it doesn’t interest me. I
never thought of being on TV as “marketing” myself since “60 Minutes” (and a
few other TV hosts) requested an interview. (I refused other offers since the
hosts offered nothing to the women who gave up their anonymity just for the
host’s ratings.) I have a LinkedIn Profile page (when the stalker doesn’t
delete my photo and content). I have shared 2 book titles to my Facebook page
just to “have something there.” I only rarely go to FB and don’t participate
because my stalker’s boyfriend works there now and removes anything I write on my
Home Page. He used to work at Google and thus he is responsible for my usual Google
Search listings being deleted. Right now, all 30+ of my academic journal
articles are gone and have been replaced by the stalker’s filthy, libelous, frightening
blogs. No one cares – Google or the FBI (where he has a lengthy file of misdemeanors
and felonies. If the FBI is as corrupt as they seem, we can count on more
suicides and killings and no mass shooters caught before they act.) THAT would
be “my marketing plan”: to make sure the country knows who is bound to become another
mass shooter. If my book about my stalker who likes to admit his hatred for
everyone who doesn’t praise his faked “work” becomes well read, I’ll be
satisfied.
I’m not sure if an old
“60 Minutes” segment rarely seen on a YouTube is “marketing.” I didn’t upload
it, so I didn’t attempt to “market.”
37 ARE YOUR BOOKS
SELF-PUBLISHED?
No. I have had several
traditional publishing houses request my work. I don’t know anything about
self-publishing and frankly, have no interest in learning about how to do same.
My computer skills are basic Word – and
nothing else. I can’t imagine any interest in anything but seeking a
traditional publisher – and being rejected is OK if I can’t find a suitable
house. Now – that’s AGE talking! It would be different if I were, say, in my
50s. Then I might be interested in taking classes in computer usage – but I
doubt it! I’m not a tech person.
38. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
Empathetic. Creative.
“Nice.” Intelligent. Patient
39. WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
Social Media. It’s more
destructive than any mode of “socializing” and the cause of unnecessary cruelty,
depression, and suicides. I believe in face-to-face conversation or telephone
calls and emails from friends. Letters seem to have lost favor! Is it true no
one has time to write anymore? NO. People can spend all day on Facebook writing
their darkest secrets to strangers who may be in prison for felonies involving child
trafficking, drug sales, or murders. Too many social media writers have fake
names and false backgrounds. Why do CEOs of major social media sites refuse to
monitor known bully-stalkers? Traffic = money. I’m disgusted with their hunger
for more money than encouragement for humanitarian work. (I know of only 1.)
And who needs 20 billion dollars? Think of how many people could be fed all
over the world or how to house everyone properly – or provide safe water for
everyone to drink….No one should get me started on the topic of social media!
40. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK
YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
I challenged myself to
re-read Abraham Kaplan’s “The Conduct of
Inquiry.” Still terribly inconsistent, irrational in my estimation – and a
complete waste of my time! Immediately after completing that tome, I picked up
Agatha Christie’s “Evil Under the Sun” just to feel normal again.
41. WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE
YOU’D WRITE?
I’ve mainly enjoyed
“life,” but if I wasn’t enjoying it, I tried to make it better and interesting
– an adventure! (A P.S would be: Get my vicious, dangerous stalker into a
mental ward with no ability to communicate with anyone ever again!)
42. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE
TO SHARE?
At 83, obviously, I’d
like to be much younger and healthier, but that’s not one of nature’s (current)
plans for humans. I’d like to complete books I’ve been working on and have them
published. I don’t care if no one reads
them! I just want to feel I accomplished what I started with great enthusiasm.
And a pound each of marzipan and chocolate-covered halavah which wouldn’t send
me into a coma!
43. ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
A Thank You for this
opportunity to write what I feel….
Clancy's comment: Thanks, Marjorie. We hear you loud and clear. Stay positive and keep going.
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