About
I’m a Manx West Virginian* insomniac. My short stories have been published in ezines, anthologies, and fantasy magazines. I helped create the “Toxic Avenger” and wrote parts II and & III. For the sake of my sanity (such that it is), I study Tai Chi Ch’uan, Qi Gong, and yoga. When I was young, I assisted my dad in his magic act. As an adult, I’ve been a waitress, factory worker, and welfare worker in northern Appalachia; I catalogued tribal arts for Sotheby’s and worked in Margaret Mead’s office before she died. I have two grown children, two granddaughters and three grandsons. I’ve lived in NYC for more than half my life: Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Brooklyn and now Harlem. For the last ten years, my husband and I have been watched over by the ghost of a loyal Australian Shepherd (the dog version). At heart I’m pretty much a slacker who enjoys teaching my grandkids “weird stuff.”
* OK, though I spent some time in West Virginia, I didn’t actually grow up there. I grew up across the border in Western Pennsylvania, but it’s all northern Appalachia anyway.
Dear Ms. Gay Terry,
I know you from your book “Meeting the Dog Girls” and from my beloved departed sister, Maria Tammik. I have Maria’s copy of your book and I believe she told you that I thought it nicely strange.
Your writing group was very important to her but I have had great trepidation contacting you for fear of intruding in some way. If you have memories or thoughts of Maria that you would not mind sharing, it would be wonderful hearing from you.
I thank you for taking the time to read my message and I trust your own writing is moving along well.
With sincere best regards, Victoria
Thank you for contacting me. We all miss Maria very much. There are 5 of us who still meet (on Zoom) and we talk about her often. She was a big part of the group. We’ve saved some of her poems. She was such a wonderful writer and a gentle soul. I will ask the others what they remember.