"The Sonnet Lover"

When Robin Weiss falls to his death in NYC, one is led to believe that it was suicide, but then suspicion falls on Orlando. The story continues at a villa outside Florence where Rose Asher has been persuaded to spend the summer searching for some sonnets that Robin had supposedly found and that he believed to have been written by Shakespeare's Dark Lady. Things are complicated by Rose's current lover who is the president of the college where she teaches, and her lover from 20 years ago who also happens to be Orlando's father. I'd give this book a grade of B-minus. Not a bad summer read, but not one I found particularly engaging.

For this illustration, I used a paper napkin. Directions for doing this can be seen in the August 2005 archives "Consider the Lilies."

I got a bit too heavy-handed and tore it, but it really doesn't matter. That's one of the blessings that I've received from working in these composition journals. All my life I've been both blessed and cursed with perfectionism. It made me a hard worker and a valued employee, but it often stymied my creative efforts. In the last few years, I've learned to loosen up a bit and just embrace whatever happens. Life is messy and it's okay.