How I Became a Famous Author

 

This is my first author photo--taken in 1977 when I was just twenty-three years old. At that point, I had not published a book. I hadn’t published a short story. I hadn’t won any literary awards. I may have published a poem or two, but really, who did I think I was--getting an author photo?

My first husband, then boyfriend--was an actor. I took a scene study class with him at H.B. Studios. And since actors get head shots, we got head shots.

But really, I wasn’t interested in becoming an actor. I was interested in becoming an author. And so, I wanted the classic author photo—like the ones I saw on the back cover of books when I was in high school. The books written by the lions of literature--mostly men—the likes of Hemingway, Faulkner, Norman Mailer, Leon Uris, James Jones. Those guys cut their teeth on stories of boxing and big game hunting expeditions. They got into bar room brawls. They had ill-advised love affairs. They went off to battle the Fascists in Spain. And they wrote big books.

As a girl, standing there in the book section at Read’s Department Store, I deconstructed the photographs, looking for the signifiers of success. First, I noticed that they often smoked pipes. They wore black turtleneck sweaters. Sometimes they wore jackets made of corduroy with leather patches on their elbows. They had ink-stained fingers. By the 1970’s, you could find their ilk, growing old on college campuses where they asked you to come into their office to discuss your poetry and then they ended up telling you that you might as well accept your future as a secretary to a great writer. And by the way, you could type my manuscript?

No matter. I didn’t pay attention to such talk. I wanted to be an author and in my Wizard of Oz kind of logic, I thought--all I need is a black turtleneck, a pipe and a whole lot of attitude.

And eventually—it worked out for me.

Creative Friends--whatever it is you want to create for yourself, find the outfit that fits the fullness of your dream. You don’t need The Wizard of Oz to hand you a heart and a certificate. All you need to do, is stick to your dreams and not give up.

Love,

Jamie