Two weeks ago, I was invited to speak at a Writers’ Circle in New York City.  Nine budding and established authors were in attendance.

As each person introduced himself/herself, I was awed by their writing topics. Even more interesting were the genres they chose. In several instances, they were unrelated to their professions.

One of these individuals was Anne-Marie Sapse. Although she followed her passion by becoming a chemist, writing was in her blood. Her grandfather was a writer and she followed his footsteps by writing poems at the age of seven. Two of the seven books that this prolific writer has authored are  Lithium Chemistry  and  Molecular Orbital Calculations for Biological Systems. As though that were not enough of an accomplishment, Anne-Marie Sapse also chose to become a playwright. In fact, her third play,  Cassandra Through the Ages  will make its off-Broadway debut at The Gene Frankel Theatre beginning December 5. Order your tickets today by CLICKING HERE .

At this point, I hope that your interest is piqued as much as mine was. I wanted to get into the mind of this individual by asking her the following questions:

Question: I’ve heard that math is a form of music. Since you are a chemist by profession, I would like to know if you see a relation between chemistry and writing?

Anne-Marie Sapse:   For me, math and chemistry are forms of poetry. However, being a chemist and a writer are two completely different parts of my life.

Question: What was the impetus for you to becoming a playwright?

Anne-Marie Sapse:  I wrote my first two plays when I was quite young. The subjects of the two plays I wrote, which were produced in New York, were about topics which fascinated me. One of them was a modernization of a legend from the Finnish mythology, Kalevala. I was inspired by Sibelius’ symphonic poem “ The Swan of Tuonela .” The second play was about the story of Tristan and Isolde as seen through the eyes of Tristan’s wife, called Isolde of White Hands . My current play is about another character who interested me greatly, Cassandra of Troy.

Question: I understand that the first two acts o f Cassandra Through the Ages include mythological creatures. Are you a student of mythology?

Anne-Marie Sapse:  Yes, I am very interested in mythology. I wrote a book in French published in Paris about the mother goddess in different cultures called “ Our Mother who is in Heaven .”

Question: What do you hope your audience will take from your play?

Anne-Marie Sapse:   Besides its entertainment value, the play will alert the audience to certain dangers in our days.

Question: Did I hear that  Cassandra Though the Ages  will also make its debut in Paris on January 22?

Anne-Marie Sapse :  Yes, it will be performed at Theatre de L’Archipel in Paris at that time.

Hope this week’s blog has given you food for thought about the book or play inside of you!