Writers are almost universally superstitious in one way or the other, we are always looking for muses and inspiration, magical talismans and tokens that will make our writing sing. I have a bunch in my office corner – the cherub, the madonna, the head from Provincetown, now the Swan from  Jack’s Outback, and an old garden flower holder. These pieces are all old, somewhat magical and inspiring to me. I don’t know why I love the Swan, it may be because it evokes a time when artists and craftsman brightened the corners of our lives and could make a living out of it.

I hope such times return. I’m grateful to Maria for getting the Swan, we reversed roles and I scolded her for spending money on an old concrete Swan. But I love it, it is speaking to me, working on my next bestseller. Quite a corner shaping up around there, she says that I am a closet Italian.