My pen-name is Morgan Malone. A twist on the old “What is my
stripper name? A combination of the name of your first pet and the street you
grew up on: Dino Homestead. I opted instead for the name of my first cat and my
hometown to create Morgan Malone, an erudite yet brazen hussy, who decided,
after 15 years of widowhood, to see if there were any men in America (and parts
of Canada) who wanted to have sex with a 50 year-old woman. At least that is
what I told myself I was doing. Along my almost ten-year journey through the
online dating sites, I discovered men who were just as unsure of their
intentions as I was. As I flirted with them, met them and even slept with quite
a few, I began peeling off the layers of my emotional armor with less
reluctance than I was peeling off my carefully coordinated lingerie. I found
some really nice men, some very sexy men, some real dogs and a handful of
genuine human beings who became friends as well as lovers. And I started to
find myself: not just a mom, a lawyer, a wife and a widow but a woman I did not
recognize. Yet there she was: a woman I did not like at times, a woman I
thought no man would ever love, a woman who spent the first part of her life
being the woman she thought she must be, a woman who was facing the last third
of her life, finally, with anticipation.
My adventures and misadventures were met with disbelief by
my friends who were convinced, almost to a woman, that the only men interested
in a woman of our years was nigh on to 80 and in need of “a nurse and a purse.”
So Cocktales has become not only a
chronicle of my personal journey from widow to woman, from alone to
independent, from needy to satisfied, but an instruction manual for the
thousands of women facing the last half of their lives lonely and lacking
confidence.
I am a published author of Katarina: Out of Control, an erotic romance with shades of “grey.”
In September, my country singer-feisty reporter erotic romance, Unanswered Prayers, will be released by
Turquoise Morning Press. I belong to several romance writers groups, with an
online membership of several hundred voracious readers, authors, reviewers and
bloggers, many of whom encouraged me to write. My blog is read regularly by
many of these readers and also the growing audience of listeners who have heard
me read my mainstream essays on NPR’s “51%”, a nationally broadcast show
directed at women, and also on “Roundtable”, a popular program heard on WAMC,
Northeast Public Radio.
I have just turned 62. I live near Saratoga
Springs, NY with my chocolate
Labrador Retriever. We enjoy occasional visits from my daughter who is a
clinical psychologist and my son who is works in internet college sports
reporting in Seattle. I paint
watercolors, swim as often as I can and still practice law in between writing
romance and memoir.
Her
latest book is Cocktales:
An After-50 Dating Memoir.
Can you tell us what your book, Cocktales: An After-50 Memoir is about?
Cocktales: An After 50 Dating Memoir is the true story of my online dating
adventures, during the decade of my 50’s. You will meet Ten Inch Tim, The Wine
Critic, Dirty Ears, Cage Guy, Bob, Jamie and Tom, and a dozen other men. I
dated some, rejected others and even fell in love. I’ve told their stories and
mine, how I changed from an uncertain woman to a woman who knew what she wanted
Why did you write your book?
I wrote Cocktales
for other women like me. At 49 and a widow for almost 15 years, I thought no
man would be interested in me. I was overweight, scarred, with not a few gray
hairs. But I wanted to feel something again, even one more time. I went looking
for lust and I found it, but I also found friendship, adventure, and love. We
all have a second chance at love, if we are willing to take the leap.
What kind of message is your book trying to tell your
readers?
My message is simple: follow your dream. Don’t allow
society, family, friends to tell you who you are and what you can do. You can
do anything. You can reinvent yourself, leave past mistakes behind you and move
forward. You can find love, lust, companionship at 50, 60 or beyond. You can
make your dream come true even if it has been deferred for decades. I was a
lawyer for 30 years. I retired at 55 to follow my dream of writing. If I can
change my life, anyone can.
Who influenced you to write your book?
The teacher of the memoir writing class I signed up for
right after I retired. She is one of the best teachers I ever had, a talented
writer in her own right and an unselfish mentor. She told me I could do it. And
I finally believed her.
Is it hard to publish a nonfiction book?
My first experience with pitching a book was with a romance
novel. Not many romance publishers are publishing nonfiction. It took some
research to find a publisher who published both. Turquoise Morning Press was
the perfect fit because they fell in love with Cocktales and then they wanted to see the romance novel I had
written.
Which author(s) do you admire?
I admire all the mid-level authors who write beautifully
crafted romance novels while still working a day job and who are still willing
to mentor new authors. I admire Jane Juska who wrote a book years ago, Memoirs of a Round-Heeled Woman, which
inspired me to try to find love online. I also admire Anne Lamott, Joyce
Maynard and Cheryl Strayed for writing such powerful words.
Which holiday is
your favorite and why?
Thanksgiving is my
favorite holiday. I have a place in Lake Placid
where the family gathers every year. It has a huge open downstairs so even when
I am preparing Thanksgiving dinner, I can be a part of all the activities. And
there is room for three generations of family and adopted family, because if
you join us for Thanksgiving, you are family. The views of the Adirondack Mountains are breath-taking and the shops are very
cool for Black Friday shopping.
If we were to meet
for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
We’d go to
Northshire Books in Saratoga Springs, NY. There is a great bakery attached to the
store where we would drink pots of tea and eat quiche and the best cupcakes,
while surrounded by books.
Can you tell us
about your family?
I have two children.
My daughter is a Clinical Psychologist who recently moved back to the area for
a new position. My son is recently married and lives in Seattle, where he works for a start-up online
college sports website. My daughter-in-law is finishing the clinical work for
her nursing degree. And the current love of my life is a ten-year old chocolate
lab named Marley.
What do you like the
most about being an author?
I love being able to
write and not to have to make excuses for the time I spend doing it. I love
seeing the first copy of my newest book and holding it in my hands. But, most
of all, I love talking to readers about my books, listening to their likes and
dislikes and sharing stories.
What kind of advice
would you give other non-fiction authors?
Study memoir writing. Read other memoirs. Then write your story,
your way. Don’t worry about who will publish it or who will read it. When your
book is finished, find the best editor you can and do 98% of what she or he
tells you to do to make your book better. Attend writing conferences where you
can meet agents and editors and pitch your book. Don’t give up. And keep
writing.