WPLN News Archive; Jeanne Ray Romeo and Julie (Rebecca) 6 16 00; News Archive 5/23/00-7/3/00

for most of her life and jean ray has thought of herself as a closet writer her output has been prolific but she has never shown her poems and short stories to anyone outside of the family or professional life was that of registered nurse not published author but when she turns sixty something and jean grey snapped by began seeing magazine covers it's a beauty of thirty forty and fifty or sex at twenty thirty and forty because i had just had my sixtieth birthday and thinking what is it where i live and all this i have lots of funny friends sexual friends energetic friends you know if you have your health and you have your mind hey there's no difference and being sixty really than being forty about that time her husband rented the video of romeo and juliet for the couple to watch and jean ray had a revelation as i watched that movie i thought what might've happened if to its mother and roomy as father had fallen off what were the circumstances in the

end what with their problems have been kind of came together for me that i could use that as a plot line so she began work on julian romeo it's the story of julie rose madden and romeo kutcher money rival for us in a boston suburb who have enjoyed hating each other for years however julie's divorce and the death of romeo's wife have left both of them lonely and a very conscious of the unexpected twists of fate when the team needed a small business conference they realize their feud has been pointless and that they are decidedly attracted to each other but when they're grown children find out that the two are sparking all hell breaks loose and the rose memes and the catcher money's go to war the resulting conflict is both heartbreaking and absolutely hilarious do you raise a daughter is the acclaimed novelist ann patchett so naturally that's eugene turned to for advice on her book i had about a hundred and fifty pages and i finally got up the courage to ask

am to read it and i really thought that anne would kiss me on the cheek and say oh mom it's so sweet that you're trying to us and kind of blow me off instead an became my personal trainer my personal writing a trader she taught me all thought about writing and in that book i doubt it would have been published if it hadn't been for ham ann patchett also was relieved to discover her mother's book was good if i was going to say hey give up don't finish it but there's a big difference between saying i think you're really on plum bank and frank g i think it's a great pitcher trying i was glad and relieved that i was able to be a performer and i felt like she was really on that when she completed her manuscript and sent it to our own agent for consideration gene will never forget the agents phone call back she said change i think your book is

delicious oh what a delicious world to hear and what makes the book so delicious jean's daughter ann patchett says it works on several levels it's very funny it's a book that believe in law and believe in the possibility of change and the story of the book of cloned very much long story reaches look at your ticket and then you think your life is going to go in this one for interaction so then you believe in something and you work or something and everything changes and in fact it's a lot better and that's a terrific method that need to be out there julian romeo hit bookstores two weeks ago with a great deal of advanced buzz barbra streisand as artie option the book for a possible movie and critics and readers alike are reveling in the sixty year old protagonists that's exactly what jeane wray hoped would happen i think a lot of younger folks think sixty are also just dried apple beans and they can't

imagine that they would want to laugh and roll around in bed together and hold one another and but there's a mess street to that that sixty year olds know the answer to and younger people kind of don't even want to know the answer but they will because they're all going to get the care with good health nashville eugene wray author of the new novel julie and romeo our entire conversation can be heard this weekend on the fine print for national public radio i'm rebecca bain there is tale is it