Dear Reader,
Just when I thought I was ready to release the text of LOVE AND THE EPIDEMIC to the printers, I heard from an old friend I had sent the manuscript to. Kathie deNobriga was a classmate at Wake Forest University, and fellow student actor. Kathie is the one who took the headline of the review in the Winston-Salem Journal of our production of Chekhov’s THREE SISTERS. “Actress is Brilliant,” crowed the reviewer, referring to Kathie’s Masha. And she was.
It’s difficult to describe what goes into a great performance, but it occurred to me recently that what Kathie brought to the role was total empathy because she was totally in-touch with her feelings. That was a gift I did not possess, and the key to why her acting was head-and-shoulders above mine. So when she questioned whether I had gone all the way with my own feelings—in the new manuscript—I took notice.
Without rewriting the book—or opening a vein—I searched the text for ways to share more deeply with readers just what’s going on in the heart. And I hope my novel is better for it. So thank you, Kathie, for all the anguish you’ve caused me! I’m grateful for it right now, and I know I’ll continue to be, always.
Bruce
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