(I’ve been busy working on my second novel, The Ghost Painter, a paranormal thriller set in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The following is an excerpt in which the heroine — a New York artist — attends her first Santa Fe art opening.)
The level of chatter at the Cross of the Martyrs Gallery was rapidly rising. Too many bodies in too small a space, thought she, as she surveyed the crowded room while holding a small plastic glass in one hand and balancing some kind of tiny black-olive-cream-cheese-on-puff-pastry-thingamajig in the other. Never had she seen such a conglomeration of costume “get-ups” in one place without the occasion being Halloween. Nor had she seen so many females running the gamut of southwestern fashion choices. There was everything from Indian-style velvet broomstick skirts in rich colors of ruby-red, aqua, gold, and green, all topped off with high-necked or off-the-shoulder satin blouses, a preponderance of silver-and-turquoise jewelry, and fancy cowboy boots. Some flaunted their slim figures with sexy, skin-tight jeans, fringed sueded vests, and cowboy hats, along with the usual Indian jewelry. The men were no less flamboyant in their Western-style shirts, jeans with silver-buckled belts, high-heeled, alligator-skin boots, ostentatious hunks of turquoise-and-silver bolo ties, and the obsequiousness of the occasional Stetson. What a show, she thought. As for the main event, because of the crowd, Angelina hadn’t been able to get close enough to view the paintings hanging on the white-washed walls since she’d arrived.
High up a winding road in the hills of Hollywood on a summer day in 1956, I drove my little gray ‘49 Pontiac, trying to ignore the tannish ribbon of smog obscuring the view of the city spread out below me. Finding the address I’d been given, I parked, then mounted steep stone steps to the wood-carved front door of a white stucco, Spanish-style house. I rang the bell and was greeted by a slim, blonde man who smilingly beckoned me to follow him down a few Mexican-tiled steps into a sunken sala, heavy with oriental rugs and wrought-iron and leather furniture.
“Hi. I’m Leighton,” said the man. “Have trouble finding the place? Brando likes his privacy so the place is somewhat hidden.”
Brando!? “Oh, no. Thank you.” I stood, smiling nervously, my portfolio of music held tightly to my chest. “My agent gave me good directions.”
A video has been put up on YouTube of “Sunsets, Show Tunes and More,” an art opening of mixed media paintings by Marilu Norden at the Long Gallery of The Academy Village, Tucson, Arizona on Friday, December 5, 2008, combined with a book signing of Marilu Norden’s new novel, UNBRIDLED: A TALE OF A DIVORCE RANCH. Click on this link to view the video:
Inspiration for my newest series of water media/oil paintings on canvas springs from my love of musical theatre, a genre I was happily involved in and captivated by at a certain time in my life, and for which will forever hold a fascination for me. What fun to sing and dance across a stage to the accompaniment of a full orchestra, or similar tuneful support, acting out and being part of a plot (book) enhanced and embellished by an unforgettable (in most cases) musical score!
Ever since a certain Gladys Marie Moore swore to a judge she was seeking a divorce from her husband Owen because he was an alcoholic, a brute, and had abandoned her, she established Nevada as the place to unravel “the ties that bind”. She stayed just 16 days at the Campbell Ranch in Genoa, Nevada in February of 1920 and the judge, Frank Langen of the Douglas County District Court in nearby Minden, without knowing Mrs. Moore was really America’s Sweetheart Mary Pickford, one of the greats of the silent movie era, granted her a divorce. “Little Mary” left Reno for Oakland, California by train and one month later wed Douglas Fairbanks, another idol of the silver screen, with whom she’d been engaged in an affair for several years. So, the Campbell Ranch was really the first divorce ranch, one of a long line of dude ranches catering to the convenience and anonymity of people seeking a quicker way to end their marriages than waiting the much longer time required in most other states in the U.S.
Welcome to the blog of Marilu Norden. Marilu Norden is an accomplished actress, professional artist and author. Her first marriage resulted in a stay at a divorce ranch in Reno, Nevada during the 1950′s and is the basis for her new novel, UNBRIDLED: A TALE OF A DIVORCE RANCH.
Keep checking back as Marilu will offer insights on divorce ranches, her latest book, inspirations for her paintings and much more!
Welcome to the blog of Marilu Norden. Marilu Norden is an accomplished actress, professional artist and author. Her first marriage resulted in a stay at a divorce ranch in Reno, Nevada during the 1950′s and is the basis for her new novel, UNBRIDLED: A TALE OF A DIVORCE RANCH. 
