Hey all-- got news yesterday that just devastated me personally, since the individual is a friend of mine-- was in fact, standing there with me when I got the call in Reno and is just a genuinely nice, sweet person, author Marianne Mancusi. Anyhow, Marianne returned home late Sunday from Reno only to find that her home had been struck by lightning while she was out of town and burned to the ground. Luckily, her dog was with her mother, so there is that silver lining, but otherwise, Marianne pretty much lost everything, including all her books, a loss made all the more difficult because she didn't have renter's insurance.

UPDATE
Marianne sent us some pictures and it's just... well, she's holding up WAY better than I would.


Pictures are worth more than a thousand words

As fellow authors, we know how important a writer's library is, so the Literary Chicks have begun a book drive for Marianne, as well as posted an address to which to send the books and any gift certificates people might feel compelled to give.

Repeating the address here:

Marianne Mancusi
PO BOX 8003
Boston, MASS 02114

They're also organizing an ebay auction, so if you have critique services that you'd be willing to donate, please contact Lani Diane Rich at lani@literarychicks.com.

What I'm asking everyone to do, is if you're sending Marianne books, could you PLEASE list what books you're sending in MY comments section for this entry so we can try to avoid duplicates as much as possible. I'll even start. :-)

Please, anyone who can help, time, books, gift cert., it would be much appreciated. Marianne is truly one of the good guys.

Barb

ANOTHER UPDATE- 08/04/05

From Marianne, herself including a possible book list.

I'm hanging in. It's all like some bad nightmare. But I'm just telling myself it's just stuff. You know? It can be replaced. Molly's okay and I'm okay and that's all that matters. Still, it's very surreal to know that I could have (should have even!) died this week.

Anyway - Alesia said I was supposed to send you book info. It's funny cause a friend of mine had recently made me make up a top 20 book list (non romance) and so I'm just sending you that! I also of course like chick lit and romance - especially paranormal, futuristic, vampire, etc. Christine Feehan, Katie MacAlister, Susan Grant, Jennifer Cruisie, Kim Harrison, Lyndsay Sands, Laurell K. Hamilton, Diana Gabaldon, etc. etc.

ANY Arthurian Legend related books.

I also lost all my research books of the 1920s which I was using for writing my 20s time travel. And my entire (extensive (cry!)) DVD collection so I wouldn't turn down movies. :)

Anyway - here's my non-romance top 20 list. :) I'd pretty much take any book by any of these authors. :)

Thanks sooo much for organizing this!
MAr

1) Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley - Fantasy (or ANY MZB books)
2) A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess - futuristic
3) The Sun Also Rises - Earnest Hemmingway - classic
4) 1984 - George Orwell - literary
5) The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand - literary
6) Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood - futuristic
7) Lolita - Nabokov - classic
8) The Stand - Stephen King - sci fi
9) Neuromancer - William Gibson - sci fi
10) Model Behavior - Jay McInerney - urban
11) Glamorama - Bret Easton Ellis - urban
12) Narnia Series - CS Lewis - Fantasy
13) Chronicles of Prydain - Lloyd Alexander - Fantasy
14) The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan - Fantasy
15) Guenevere Trilogy - Rosalind Miles - fantasy
16) Queen of Camelot - Nancy McKenzie - fantasy
17) Dark Tower Series (7 book series) - Stephen King - sci fi/fantasy
18) The Shining - Stephen King - horror
19) Undead and Unwed - MaryJanice Davidson - comedy romance
20) Outlander - Diana Gabaldon - time travel scottish romance
21) The Fall of Atlantis - Marion Zimmer Bradley - fantasy
22) Requiem for a Dream - Herbert Selby - urban
23) Hamlet - Shakespeare - classic
24) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
25) Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell - historical