M.A. Harper

Selected Works

Fiction
"A brilliant juxtaposition of two worlds…Provocative, endearing, and often funny."
St. Louis Dispatch
A comic, timely novel about Alzheimer's and one woman's struggle to discover herself.
"Stylishly written... A whopper of a ghost story... savvy and chilling."
Booklist

Quick Links

ONE HAND CLAPPING

Al and The Truth

February 12, 2012

Tags: immigration, Poland, Wisconsin, atheist, science, intellect, Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke, afterlife, evolution, Really Big Surprise, heaven

He was either 93 or 94--I've lost track--and for decades celebrated the wrong birth date, probably a result of his parents' immigration experience. They arrived from Poland a long time ago, we know that much, to settle in Wisconsin. One early love of his there was the Roman Catholic (more…)

Bad Cats and Jewelry

January 31, 2012

Tags: Camilla, Mississippi, BFF, Tulane, cats, carpets, jewelry, artist, Stephanie, dogs, crate, cage

I had the chance to reconnect this past weekend in Mississippi with one of my oldest and dearest friends, and took it.

Camilla was my BFF for more years than seems possible and we had the sorts of adventures young women had during the brief Age of Aquarius--boyfriends turning out to be (more…)

Hands That Are Not Mine

January 15, 2012

Tags: Palmistry, Carol, Dee, money, payment, deaths, psychic, random, meaning, loss, women, Twilight Zone

The late Hunter S. Thompson once said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Well, I guess he knew what he was talking about because that's what I've gone and done.

I've accepted money for reading palms. Four palms, as a matter of fact--two people, both hands. Friends of mine, yes, (more…)

Music in The Parking Lot

January 8, 2012

Tags: playoff game, Lone Trumpeter, church parking lot, musicians, Obvious Tuba-ist, Visible Trombonist, Mahalia Jackson, jazz guitarist, vocalist, car dealer, Shanghai, gypsy/klezmer, Saints, piano

It's a balmy Sunday, I'm out in my back yard, the Saints won their playoff game last night vs. the Detroit Lions, cat Maggie is stalking (but not catching, thank God) a squirrel, and the Lone Trumpeter is loudly going at it somewhere behind the church.

I just love the (more…)

It's 2012. Eat Dessert First.

January 1, 2012

Tags: Mayan Calendar, New Orleanian, Sugar Bowl, Mardi Gras, Jazzfest, End of the world

Okay, is there anyone out there who hasn't heard about the Mayan Calendar prediction?

Didn't think so.

But I recently read that an actual date is mentioned for the end of the world--December 21, 2012--so maybe that gives us a little more time than I once thought. Almost a year. Mexico, home of the Mayans, has plans to lure vacationers and celebrants for a year-long party, never mind all the drug murders that are plaguing the place. Because it's the End of The Fucking World, get a little perspective on it, okay?

Well, I won't be able to visit Mexico but figure I can enjoy (more…)

Christmas Hiatus

December 20, 2011

I work in a gift store and it's the holiday season (use your imagination), so am temporarily out of both the time and wits it takes to write this blog. But I'll be back at it as early in 2012 as possible. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and New Year's wishes to all.

The Men I Loved

December 6, 2011

Tags: Day off, rain, Luther "Bud" Whaney, men I loved, Middle-Eastern food, Pritikin, bad timing, father, N.A.S.H., arthritis, elbow

My morning started at 7:00, with a cold drizzle on the roof and a simultaneous realization that this was a day off. I won't be getting many more from now through Christmas--we're a gift store, duh--so this one was all the sweeter. I rolled over.

My delight only grew (more…)

What I Won't Miss, and What I Will

November 13, 2011

Tags: Nora Ephron, I REMEMBER NOTHING, death, lists, cliched, New York City, existentialism

I just read Nora Ephron's I REMEMBER NOTHING, the latest collection of her wry musings, and laughed in many places but grew envious in others. I wish I had her gift for getting right to the heart of the matter. She zeroes in and lands her verbal jetliner while I'm still circling (more…)

Fallow, Falling, Fall

October 28, 2011

Tags: retinas, vision, autumn, clarity, skydiving, fallow, sugar cane fields, October, Samhain, BIG SPARKLING TRUTH, sunglasses, memory, cow landing

I had an eye exam a few days ago and literally stumbled home with dilated pupils behind inadequate sunglasses in a blinding solar storm, unable to see worth spit to do anything afterward for hours except sit outside in deep shade without guilt. And now that my new contact (more…)

Fascine: The Story I Didn't Write

October 8, 2011

Tags: bestseller, idea, profits, serious fiction, Steve Jobs, idea person, J. K. Rowling, plot, Fascine, Yat, peasant, momma

Individuals I barely know approach me all the time with "a surefire concept for a bestseller(!)", then just stand there expectantly as if I'm supposed to burst into happy tears, hug them and yell "Oh, thank God!" The thing is, they have no intention of writing a book themselves--too much work, are you kiddin'?--so they want ME to write it and (more…)