SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

Personal:

Growing up, there were all kinds of songs, nursery rhymes, and movies with characters named Mary. None of them about me, of course, but people would still sing them or quote lines out loud when I would pass by. I guess there’s something about being named Mary. Like those quirky movies or odd-ball songs, I grew up in an eccentric household in Vienna, VA (just outside of Washington, DC), where everyone in my family was quite different. Dad, the realist, could tell the best “real” stories about growing up on the farm. Mom, a former college librarian, was always creating art. I remember Mom and the Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild transforming our home for holiday shoppers. Ahh…the smell of homemade vegetable soup, Russian tea, and desserts as patrons browsed for the perfect gift. And my older brother–who has never met a stranger–often had a slew of friends coming and going. Then there were the various people who lived with us throughout the years (I think we counted 12 or more). Those passing through due to a change in opportunity or troubled times, some friends, some acquaintances, others extended family. All with unique stories of their own. It wasn’t boring growing up on “G” Street. You never knew who would stop by and stay for a while.

Of course, I grew up thinking I would become a rock star, but I was destined to tell stories instead. From my stage performance as Charlie Brown’s love interest, to a nun in The Sound of Music, or Aunt March in Little Women, along with my impromptu puppet shows, storyboarding with bright markers on my whiteboard, and orchestrating a world of make believe, I never tired of storytelling. I also took up piano lessons and started composing music of my own, performing in church, at parties, and in a restaurant overlooking Washington, D.C. during homecoming.

In college, I received a scholarship for music composition, but soon jumped ship. I had trouble reading music and learning music theory. I also started to develop stage fright while playing in front of hundreds at school. Besides, the stories in my head were much more interesting than the story of me struggling as a musician. So I ultimately became an English Writing major at George Mason University, where I studied under such luminaries as novelists Marita Golden and Alan Cheuse, poet Carolyn Forché, and playwright Heather MacDonald. I had finally found my passion.

The story could go on, as all our stories could. To keep it on the long side of short, I met my husband, Garrett, playing make-believe my last semester in college. I was Stella and he was Stanley in A Street Car Named Desire, secretly practicing scenes for our own play called Life. It wasn’t long before he decided to drop by “G” Street to pick me up for our first date. We drove the short way to the Kennedy Center to see Shear Madness, and drove the long way home. We’ve hardly spent a day apart since (he even proposed to me on the River Terrace at the Kennedy Center). He has supported me through my various jobs and positions as receptionist, freelance journalist, writer of worldwide threat and travel advisories, case manager (for a company that specialized in crisis response, hostage negotiations and intelligence analysis–that’s another story), financial analyst, teacher, Stephen Minister, artist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and author–all while accepting my incessant need to compose music and create stories. He and my sons have been incredibly supportive all these years. Their belief in me has taken me many places, even back “home” to the Kennedy Center, where my first musical (with Randy Preston and Kwame Alexander) opened in 2021, and later went on national tour in the spring of 2023. To say dreams do come true, is the wildest truth there is!

I live in California with my husband, Garrett; our wonderfully talented artist sons, Trenton and Roman; and our quirky dog Benny, who sings like an undiscovered opera star while I play the piano. When I’m not watching for whales, dolphins, and sunsets over the pacific, I’m usually at home with my family. Home is like the ultimate lab; it’s where we all create, make a mess, and hang out together. No matter what’s going in the world…family, love, words, art, and music are my therapy. Okay, and homemade desserts, too!

For those of you who are interested in writing as a career, it’s a long, but wonder-filled journey. The key to success is enjoying and honing your craft, believing in yourself and your gifts even through the hard rejections, and having patience on this long road called perseverance. Your stories deserve an audience. Don’t give up. Write up!

For fun, you might want to check out my very first published picture book (digitally animated and narrated) from way back when. It’s titled Cyrus Becomes A Clown, and though it was not a bestseller and is little known in the world of children’s books, it has since been used in research to help children with traumatic brain injuries in the UK. We never know how our stories might help or inspire others. Sometimes a story’s purpose is even greater than you imagine it to be.

What’s your story? I hope you’ll write it soon and share it with the world!