Dear Dad,
Your eyes flashed the colors of a summer storm.
Thunder rolled along the pink of your mouth.
Your shadow filled our home whether you were with it or not.
All this hurricane in one man.
But as terrifying as the clouds of my childhood could be at times, you were the sky.
How I miss the steady blue firmament of your presence in my life.
Today, somewhere out there in the nebula, you’ve turned 92 years old.
Happy Birthday, Dad.
Love,
AnnMarie
When in New Mexico, simply aim your camera anywhere and the breathtaking sky does the rest.
My husband, son and I spent a glorious week in New Mexico. My wonderful friend, D, who lives in Santa Fe, was a marvelous cook and an amazing hostess.
We enjoyed the heated outdoor pool, went on a pilgrimage to the Aztec Ruins, visited the galleries on Canyon Road, purchased handmade items from local artists, put our feet in the pristine San Juan River…and of course, we ate too much:)
Alas, all good things must come to a landing —
If you haven’t visited New Mexico, do try and get there – it truly is the Land of Enchantment.
Thank you for stopping by,
AnnMarie:)
Dang, I miss my dad quite a lot. Can’t believe it has been six years.
For the last few months, I’ve been busily preparing for the UFOs and aliens that descend once a year upon the little hamlet of Pine Bush, New York, a town notorious for its SIGHTINGs and outer-worldliness. Pine Bush even has its own UFO and Paranormal Museum. And the annual UFO Fair draws in both the curious and the faithful by the thousands.
As a first-time vendor to this fascinating experience, I was surprised and amazed at the LOVE everywhere. Storm troopers hugged those who needed hugs. Green and purple people alike held arms. Folks, who’d traveled from near and far, visited the over-hundred plus vendors who were selling UFO tees, posters, stories, books, art, food, handmade items, gifts, jewelry, costumes, music, mementos…
I was blessed to have dear assistants willing to do the 7:30 AM setup, the 4 PM breakdown while smiling, standing, and working through it all. (Large husband and growing son in upper right photo)
My personal hope was to sell something, anything, so I wouldn’t have to walk home with my art-tail between my legs. I was pleasantly surprised. I sold art prints, my poetry book and tees too. I made a nice chunk of dollars that I’ve since deposited into my art & writing account. And now, I can use this hard-earned bounty to create more monsters and aliens! What a great day it was👽
I hope you are all well and managing life on earth. I thank you for visiting my little planet.
am❤️
about my beautiful mom who’s smiling down today and every day❤️
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all you spectacular moms🌹!
Millie shown here at 25 years of age with my sis Grace:)
Geez man, I wish I had been blessed with that gorgeous broad smile!
I self-published love of the monster in 2016, followed by the ebook version in 2017.
I’d been romancing the silly notion of selling my books at fairs with my vivacious mom who was all in. So, after the ebook arrived on Amazon, I had the physical books shipped home. (to this day, a few print books remain on Amazon through second-party sellers and – a funny story about pricing for another post another time)
But sometimes plans falter, and life lobs a hardball at your chest. Those of you who’ve been kind enough to read an occasional post of mine here – know beautiful Millie had passed away after battling the ravages of a major stroke for three years. During all that time, my books and a large portion of my heart were shoved into a closet.
Fast forward to 2023, and brighter times (life may lob the occasional hardball, but the timeouts help one’s heart to heal). A unique book-promoting site who goes by the name of Shepherd asked if I’d be interested in having love of the monster featured on a page. At first, truthfully, I had no interest. Then one morning I woke up and thought – What the hell. Maybe it’s time. What have I got to lose? Millie never quit.
I thought through the many books in my life that have influenced me. I wrote about five special books, both past and present, that I adore and how their pages help me in my creative process. This is where the Shepherd experience is different from Goodreads or seeking books out on Amazon. The Shepherd site doesn’t just list an author’s book, it lists their personal stories about other books too. Since love of the monster is an illustrated poetry collection, I wrote about books of poetry.
Author or reader, you should check out Shepherd for yourself: my book recommendations linked here.
I’m happy to say my enthusiasm for my little monster book has returned. And here I am again. Or rather, here is love of the monster again. This time around I’m only online promoting the ebook. To honor my mom, I’ll do my best to smile her smile as I attempt to peddle love of the monster books at fairs. (If you should want a print book and don’t like fairs, you can always email me, amroselli.writer@gmail.com or you can purchase a book from Amazon which could be cheaper than me shipping a book to you. I’d probably charge 5+shipping. I could write a note inside and add a fancy signature if you’d like;))
In summary:
You should absolutely check out Shepherd.com for yourself
love of the monster ebook is re-available on Amazon Kindle. (Going forward, I hope to get it uploaded to Barnes & Noble and maybe Apple Books too. Figuring out file deliveries is quite challenging)
I will be embarrassing myself in an attempt to sell love of the monster books at fairs that have hot coffee in fall and winter and iced coffee during summer and spring. I shall smile like Millie.
I miss my mom like crazy, but rather than get teary-eyed anymore, I smile in the knowledge of how blessed I’ve been to have known and loved such a spectacularly joyous person.
Thank you,
am:)
The 5 books I wrote about and shared on Shepherd: the books pictured below are fantastic! It’s wonderful to write about and to share the spectacular books out there in the world!
Cheyenne’s spectacular gift wrap featured above!
I am honored and thrilled to share my latest published essay Burying the Dead Twice. https://underthegumtree.com/
The writers, artists and photographers featured in Under the Gum Tree are exceptionally talented, and I am humbled to be featured among them. This volume is breathtaking, the layouts sublime. Order your copy today. Under the Gum Tree is worthy of coffee-table real estate:)
Those of us living on earth generously acknowledge that no good work is created in isolation. To this end, I give a shout out to my dear friend and fellow writer, Deb Levy, for her 1,000 reads and sage suggedits (as we kindly call them). I also give great thanks to Under the Gum Tree’s fabulous editor, Dorothy Rice. Dorothy’s editing vision transported this piece to a more intense and clear-storied place.
Thank you,
am:)
May this year be spent in noble pursuit of your dreams, met simply, one day at a time
am:)
photo: my beautiful daughter back before she knew anything of bucket lists or books with titles like, 100 Places to Travel Before You Die
anntogether 