Sex, serial murder, betrayal topics at Mt. Airy venue

Posted 7/18/18

Philly author Frances Metzman, who will be at Big Blue Marble Bookstore in West Mt. Airy, on Thursday, July 19, 7 p.m., is 80 years old, but she insists she is still “strutting my stuff — …

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Sex, serial murder, betrayal topics at Mt. Airy venue

Posted

Philly author Frances Metzman, who will be at Big Blue Marble Bookstore in West Mt. Airy, on Thursday, July 19, 7 p.m., is 80 years old, but she insists she is still “strutting my stuff — writing, tennis, dancing, walking and cooking.”[/caption]

by Len Lear

Prolific Center City writer Frances Metzman will read from and sign copies of her latest book, “The Cha Cha Babes of Pelican Way,” at Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane in West Mt. Airy, on Thursday, July 19, 7 p.m. The novel deals with sex, serial murder, embezzlement, betrayal, etc. We interviewed Metzman last week:

•How old are you?

“I have hit the big 80, and I’m kicking and strutting my stuff — writing, tennis, dancing, walking and cooking. I won’t tell any more personal details, thank you. I strive to remind baby boomers that our needs, wants, dreams and desires are hardly different from millennials. We can't be afraid of change. Each new passage of time is exciting and fun. It always brings a fresh new perspective. That is one of the several themes in ‘The Cha Cha Babes of Pelican Way.’”

•Where did you grow up?

“I grew up in South Philadelphia and went to South Philadelphia High School.”

•What was your major at the U of P?

“At the University of Pennsylvania I majored in Social Gerontology for my Master’s Degree. Now I apply those theories to myself. I graduated in 1984.”

•Did you always plan on being a writer?

“I always wanted to be a writer but got waylaid by being a sculptor until starting to write 30 years ago. I graduated from Moore College of Art and spent some years creating art, in some ways not unlike creating images with words.”

•Was anyone else in your family — a parent or sibling — a writer?

“No writers in my family but my mother was quite creative with her knitting, sewing and crocheting. There is certainly an art connection.”

•What kind of work were you able to get after graduating from Penn?

“When I graduated the U of P, I worked in research and development that came from a grant; Robert Wood Johnson and was under the umbrella of Temple University. Then I worked at hands-on social work with the elderly out of Drenk Institute in Mt. Holly, NJ.”

•How do you feel “Ugly Cookies,” a previous book of yours, did?

“‘Ugly Cookies’ did well but maybe in this age could have done better. It was the bare beginnings of social media, and few knew where it was going. It was well before social media became popular with writers. I traveled a great deal with my co-author doing readings.”

•Why did you write about people in crisis?

“I write about people in crisis because the reality is we all have them. No one goes through life without conflict. It’s how we handle those situations and come to rise above them that intrigues me. I marvel at how people survive with dignity after suffering the worst traumas. We must try to land on our feet, or we can’t get on with life. Sometimes I feel that writing helps me set the world – at least my world – right.”

•How difficult is it to make a living as an author?

“It is very difficult to make a living as an author. The author is usually at the bottom of the feeding frenzy. Sometimes we are so glad to have some recognition that we don’t negotiate properly or at all. There are big bites from a writer’s income along the way to publishing. Writing has to be a labor of love.”

•How did the idea for “Cha Cha Babes” come to you?

“The idea of ‘The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way’ came with my social work instinct in wanting to know why people behave as they do. I do come from an era that was somewhat repressive for women. If you wanted marriage, you had to behave in a certain way. With time I realized I couldn’t care less about reputation or how people viewed me … The mystery aspect had to do with my fascination with white-collar crime. I am shocked when people who could earn a fine living resort to fraud and hurt a lot of people. I don't believe there are victimless crimes. I used that obsession as a vehicle for my protagonist to realize she could meet this kind of thing head on and had much more going for her than she ever dreamed. It gave her a sense of self-worth she hadn’t had before.”

•Where do you live now?

“I’ve lived in Center City for 10 years and love it. The idea of walking everywhere and not driving is terrific. There are loads of places to shop; I have access to theaters and events.”

•At what schools have you taught writing?

“I taught graduate students at Rosemont College, did many workshops at various colleges and universities such as Temple, Penn State, Bryn Mawr, Marymount, Widener, U of P and many others. I presently teach creative writing and memoir at Temple University (OLLI program for adults) and have done that for the last 10 years.”

•How have students changed, if at all, since you began teaching?

“I think students are more alert to social situations based on a lecture I gave to high schoolers recently. I talked about gerontology, and then they began asking questions for their age group. ‘What if your parent doesn’t like who you date.’ They were hungry for advice, listened and were respectful.”

•Who are your own favorite authors?

“I like Ian McEwan, Alice Munro, Doris Lessing, Margaret Atwood, Lorrie Moore, Philip Roth and for entertainment, Carl Hiassen.”

•What is the best advice you ever received? And if you could meet and spend time with any individuals on earth, past or present, who would they be and why?

“The best advice I received is: ‘You must do the things you think you cannot do,’ by Eleanor Roosevelt. Which brings me to the person I’d like to spend time with, past or present. Eleanor Roosevelt was amazing and brilliant in a time when women were expected to be polite and take a back seat to the man in their lives. She spoke out but I suspect not quite as much as she might have wanted to. That’s the part I’d want to address with her. She pretty much defied expectations and is an inspiration for me.”

•What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

“The hardest thing I’ve done in my life is to raise two children who turned out to be special people. They are wonderful caring, successful adults, and I have two grandkids who are loving and protective of me.”

More details about Metzman’s appearance at Big Blue Marble can be found at 215-844-1870.

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