Jacks

"You've had a long and varied career, but you don't paint anymore," the journalist observed (and Marie nodded). "Why did you decide to concentrate only on writing?" "I didn't," Marie answered truthfully, "but ... it's necessary. The master can have their singular contribution carved in stone, true to their lineage, vocation, passion, or goal. But ... sadly, wonderfully ... the jack of all trades (master of none) has to capture the tale in bits and bites, because that life happened all over the place. I write now because I am old and my access to words will eventually end. All of it is an homage to other jacks, who live in a non-linear, Chutes and Ladders way as I have done." "Your fiction is a love letter to your tribe?" the journalist asked (and she smiled). "Yes and no. I've always created detailed fictional worlds inside of my head, because this one was never enough for me," Marie replied softly. "If they recognize themselves in it, the world will be less lonely and I will have been a good (if distant) friend."