Writerly woes!

As I may have mentioned, I'm a writer. Yes, obviously I write this blog, but there's more. I have a completed novel in the hopper, a second novel that I'm working on, as well as a number of essays and short stories. Sometimes, I even delve into poetry. But, I'm not a poet. I'm a fiction writer. What does that mean really? I just found out that even Hemingway wrote some poetry.

My novel, "Archangel", is about Juliana Petresku, an American art dealer who buys a set of Byzantine mosaics in a shady international deal and discovers that they are stolen. The story is inspired by true events and the Byzantine mosaics are based on the Panagia Kanakaria mosaics that were stolen from a church in Turkish occupied Cyprus after the Turkish invasion of 1974. Above is one of the stolen mosaics depicting the Apostle Matthew.


For five years I worked using photographs of the mosaics given to me by my good friend, Petros Petrides, the first photojournalist to photograph the mosaics after they had been recovered by the Church of Cyprus. When I finally had the opportunity to travel to Cyprus and visit the Byzantine museum where the mosaics were kept, I felt ambivalent. After conjuring the amazing icons through the photographs for so many years, I was afraid that seeing the real icons would be a let down. You know how what you see with your minds eye is always more spectacular than the real thing.



My worries turned out to be unfounded. Seeing the actual mosaics on the walls of the museum in Cyprus, the land where they originated, was elating. They were more brilliant, more vivid and alive than I had ever imagined. That was a great day for me!



I have since rewritten the mansucript, sent it to agents, other writers, friends and acquaintances looking for someone to publish it. So far, no takers, but I still believe in it! It's a good story, worth reading!

Maria

Home is where the lake is

What does a writer do when faced with a blank page? Evade, evade, evade... for the most part. Speaking of evading, on one of those occasions I fled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's always been a place of meditation and inspiration for me. Check out the African Wall art made entirely of bottle caps. Takes recycling to a whole other level!

 

 

 

This morning was wonderful at home, oatmeal and berries for breakfast. It's such a simple but delish way to start the day.

Trader Joe's Organic Whole Oats,
one part oats,
2 parts water
bring to boil in a small saucepan.
Turn down heat to gentle simmer, cover and let cook for 5-6 minutes.
Place in bowl and top with sliced banana, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries(love all those colorful berries!) and a spoonful of walnuts or whatever nuts you like.
Add milk and enjoy!

The lake, an ever changing tableau,today is hosting  migratory ducks  on their way up North(too early guys?), their white breasts contrasting with their black feather uppers and giving me a show as they bob and dunk at the lake. Before you know it they've moved along to another part of the lake.