Maine things

Maine things

Today I am writing from a corner of Mid Coast Maine that contains a lot of family history. My parents discovered this place early in their marriage and despite settling in Philadelphia, chose to return every year until their deaths. My mother and father are both buried here, meaning we spread their ashes at their specific instruction.

There is no cell service in this little corner of Maine. When we arrived a few nights ago, we also had no internet. The next day, we had an epic windstorm that knocked out power to 30,000 homes in the state. For a while we also had no running water, heat, or electricity. We were off the grid in a big way.

The windstorm came on the heels of a full moon. At high tide, the road flooded, and salt marshes turned into marine lakes. The ocean “boiled” (my Dad’s term); the surf roared. Breakers cracked over beach grass rarely touched by seawater. Waves crashed on the far side of rocks normally unruffled by wind and tide. There was white water as far as the eye could see.

Then the storm receded with the outgoing tide. Giant clouds blew away the fog and rain. The sun shone on a sea that was white with stormy churn.

Central Maine Power restored our power, and the local phone company fixed the wiring for the internet. Apparently, it had been eaten through by some misguided rodent.

If all of this is a metaphor, I leave it to you to compose. I feel lucky to be here, and also relieved to be back on the grid.

This week, Pointe Magazine published my interview with the truly gifted Toni Bentley, a former ballerina with the New York City Ballet, and an inspired writer. Since my forthcoming novel, THREE MUSES, features a ballerina protagonist, I was thrilled to meet and interview Toni Bentley. Her new book, SERENADE, is a fascinating deconstruction of one of George Balanchine’s signature ballets, replete with musical history and all kinds of wonderful arcana. Bentley narrates from her position onstage, something I have not encountered on the page and an extremely special perspective.

If you missed Melissa Chadburn talk at Politics & Prose about her sensational new novel, A TINY UPWARD SHOVE, please check out our conversation on YouTube. I loved this book so much and hope that you do too.

Whether you’re sailing through stormy seas or calm ones—or a bit of both—I wish you well.

Love, Martha