the platypus party

novel ideas
Written By michael marotta

My maiden voyage to write a novel. I self-published in 2014 after much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth. As I mention in the preface, I didn’t write it to publish or sell. I wrote it to fulfill a promise. But I have persuasive friends who convinced me to share it. So, as they sing in the opening credits to The Brady Bunch, “Here’s the story…”

Retired minor league hockey player Michael Verita was content. He was back in the small Wisconsin town where he grew up getting paid to write about the sport he loved. Days were spent on the lake and nights in the rink surrounded by loyal friends. Life was comfortable until a letter from his late beloved grandmother changed everything. A shocking inheritance and a special woman’s wish thurst Michael into a presidential campaign where his honesty, pragmatism, intelligence and irreverence capture the attention of the nation’s voters. Now a common man with uncommon sense is challenging the political establishment. As the sitting president and his top contender scramble to discredit their new rival, the American people will decide if Michael Verita is a one-hit wonder or the leader our country truly needs.

michael marotta

Michael Marotta started making up stories before he started school, imagining himself into his grandmother’s memories of growing up during The Great Depression and World War II. Fascinated by the people in those tales, he began to make up his own characters (and no small number of imaginary friends). He honed his craft in high school, often swapping wild stories for the answers he didn’t know to cover up the fact that he hadn’t studied.

Today, Michael’s the guy making up histories for people he sees at the airport, in restaurants or simply hanging around in his hometown of Nolensville, Tennessee. His kids are grown and most of the imaginary friends have moved on, but their spirits live in the characters and stories he creates—pieces of real people marbled with fabricated or exaggerated traits and a generous helping of Eighties pop culture.

Michael’s characters appeal to many people because they are the people we all know. They are our friends, our families and people we encounter every day. He writes for the love of writing and for the crazy old lady who raised him.

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