Solitude and Splendor: Living in the Schoolhouse, Memoir, 140 pages, 14 photos, Publish America, 2007. I followed my dream of living alone in the forest. As I lived simply and close to trees, snow, bugs, and mountains, I thrived in my handyperson’s special of an old, one-room schoolhouse in the rugged wilderness of western Maine. Without electricity, a phone, or running water, I was able to travel back in time away from the chaotic modern world. I was spellbound by the forest, which revealed itself to me in joy and wonder through the ever-changing drama of the seasons. I faced many challenges as I sought an antidote to the 24/7 speeded up world of today. I survived the cold and a chimney fire, bonded with bats and mice, and followed my artistic inspiration during this transformative adventure in my forest home. Solitude and Splendor celebrates the richness and beauty of nature as I was privileged to savor it. Paperback $20 – purchase from the author. 

The Artist and the Spy, Memoir, 280 pages, Winter Garden, 2010. Passion, fear, the joy of creating art, lost hopes and new life intertwine in an unsettling six-year long relationship with a mysterious military officer. I am irresistibly attracted to Lt. Col. Matthew Cordes’ life of adventure and danger, which leads me to a point of no escape. My story takes place in Washington DC, New York City and Boston during the Vietnam War and sheds light on Matt’s betrayal by his own government and the deadly reality of intelligence leaks. I alone witnessed how Matt tried to leave the world of combat and spying and how he was pressured by the CIA and FBI to return to covert operations. I was an art student in graduate school, in love with Matt, as he became trapped in a bureaucratic limbo, suffered from PTSD, and fell into an ever-increasing spiral of depression, paranoia, and poverty. I struggled to survive with our twins in an atmosphere of growing danger and to become free to be an artist, clinging to hope for a better future. Paperback $20 – purchase from the author. Also available as KINDLE e book)

Driving Curiosity: On the Road in Central America, Memoir, 293 pages, 73 black and white photos, Winter Garden, 2012. In 1986, I left Boston and traveled slowly through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. I saw all that I could, talking, listening, and living mainly in my green, white, and rusty VW bus. My rambling journey led me to an adventure deep into the unknown, a revelation of amazing natural beauty, an appreciation of the richness of indigenous cultures, and the unforgettable reality of extreme poverty. My trip included a long stay in Nicaragua at the height of the war between the Sandinistas and the contras. I parked my bus in a peaceful pasture near the Honduran border and lived with poor families for five months. On this Habitat project, I used my carpentry skills to build houses and witnessed close-up the profound courage and gracious kindness of people who survived in very dire circumstances. I wrote this journal alone in my bus by moonlight or candlelight, to capture all the details of my new existence as well as relieve my loneliness with words to someday share with others who are also curious. Paperback $20 – purchase from the author. Also available as KINDLE e book.

Leafdancer, CD, 17 songs, I have been singing all my life in coffeehouses, churches, subways, and other places. This CD features my own original music, Italian classical songs, folk songs in English and Spanish, and a variety of other songs as I accompany myself on keyboards and guitar. CD - $20. – purchase from Maria Termini.