From: Lbhcove at aol.com <Lbhcove>
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 12:24:54 EDT

Re Monica's statement:
 
...how scary to worry that your later books will never measure up to those early ones that made such splashes.
  For some reason, Monica's post touched my heart.
  In l977, close to three decades ago, my first novel MAMA (Knopf, 1977), which received a bevy of wondrous reviews. BUT...in was l977!) And soon the controversy began.
  MAMA is a novel featuring a single parent mother of two young boys who steals for the family's survival. It is in most part autobiographical. The protagonist is me as a l2-year-old growing up with very little, but with lots of love from an incredible woman. MAMA quickly went into a Dell paperback. For the first time Dell had to issue a warning in their catalog that the book should be purchased under parental approval only.
  Today, 28 years later, MAMA is still in print in paperback with Boyds Mills Press.
  After MAMA, I wrote two other novels. Although well-reviewed they never had the same impact MAMA had, and continues to have on readers.
  Although my career turned a different direction, mainly due to a love of poetry and knowing the impact it has on children, I never, nor must any writer feel 'scary to worry.'
  No writer ever set out to write a bad book. Publishing just one book should
 give one the feeling of bringing something into world that hasn't appeared before.
  I look forward to reading Monica's 'birthing' even if it is her only splash.
  This is a tough business; moreso than ever. But splashes can ripple into oceans.
  LBH










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Received on Sun 16 Oct 2005 11:24:54 AM CDT