Last year this time I was in Gisbsons, British Columbia, with musician-composer Micheal Friedman (Random Acts of Tuning) and his wife Marilynne. They are my sister and brother from another mother and father. I inaugurated their Bed and Breakfast suite. I spent my days walking along the beautiful shore, having great meals, good coffee and long talks---between working on a draft of Chasing Mercury. Micheal was headed to Germany on tour the next week so had to stop and pick up the CD's for his new album Random Acts of Tuning. I got to share 2 inaugural events with them.
Chasing Mercury Beta Reader reader #1, Abigail, said she wanted to know more about the inspiration for various things in the book. This is for you Abby:
Micheal Friedman was tied to the novel Chasing Mercury in even more ways than giving me a beautiful haven to write last year. The first 1/4 of Chasing Mercury happens in Berlin, 1973. I was in Berlin that year and Micheal was too. He accompanied me on the guitar while I read poetry--but he was making music everywhere for days. We lost touch. Nearly 35 years later while he was touring in Germany for the first time since '73, a man met him backstage during on a break between sets. He shows him a photo of -- you guessed it Mike and me in Berlin 1973! He wanted to know where that poet with Mike was-- I was the poet. Mike decided to find me -- and started on facebook. The idea that there was a man in Germany who thought of me as a poet, not a doctor, not a filmmaker but a poet--a writer-35 years later did my heart well. I decided to write again. Milk and my reunion and his music were part of why I chose to set the characters in Chasing Mercury, Sicily and Forest, meeting on their way to Berlin. A little homage to my musician brother and a friendship that lasted 35 years without communication and picked up where we left off... and then there was his having the good sense to have Marilynn
Everyone should hear Micheal Friedman's new album Random Acts of Tuning