The Marilyn Lives Society update

Hi Everyone

It is with great sadness that I must announce my decision to stop publishing the offline Marilyn Lives Society newsletter, as from now.

This decision has not come easily and I have thought long and hard about it for many months. But I think the time has come for me to move on and let other clubs take over where MLS left off. We have two new Marilyn clubs springing up soon – one by Emma Downing and one by Andrea Pryke – both MLS members. I would like to encourage all members to join these clubs, to keep in touch and keep up-to-date with all the Marilyn-related news. I will certainly be joining the clubs, and will look forward to taking a back seat to enjoy the newsletters!

It has been increasingly hard for me to keep up with the Marilyn Lives Society newsletters, but I would still like to stay in touch with Marilyn's fans and MLS members. Although I won’t be publishing the newsletters anymore, this does not mean the end of MLS as a whole. I have my blog at which has a special MLS section, for all up-to-date news. This will be up-dated far more often than the newsletter and will help keep all members abreast of the latest developments in the Marilyn world. I am also hoping at some point to have a meeting, and will of course keep all members' addresses so that I can keep in touch. Of course the MLS discussion list will continue.

There is also the possibility of doing an internet-based newsletter, which will arrive in your mailbox as an attachment. This will be FREE to receive, and if you are interested in this possibility, please send me your email address so that I can add you as a subscriber. It would certainly be a lot less work for me than an offline mag – so it is a definite possibility.

I am so sorry to be saying goodbye to the offline MLS newsletter, but with two fan clubs on the way, it does seem an ideal time for me to step down and let someone else breathe some fresh air into Marilyn’s fan club world.

Thank you for all your support, help and understanding over the years.

Love

Michelle.

Daisy's birthday

My daughter is now four years old, and we celebrated with a party at the local play centre, and a family tea-party at home. I even managed to bake her a cake, covered in sweets!

Brand New Fan Club

I am thrilled to announce that my friend - and fellow MLS member - has created her own UK Marilyn Club. It is called Mad About Marilyn and will cost 20 pounds (for UK members), and publish 6 issues a year.

If you would like more information, please email Emma at emmadowning@blueyonder.co.uk or visit her website at www.myspace.com/madaboutmarilynuk

I would like to wish Emma all the very best with her club and look forward to becoming a member myself!

The Mmm Girl by Tara Hanks

I have just started reading 'The Mmm Girl' by Tara Hanks, and it is wonderful. The book is a fictionalised account of Marilyn's life - i.e. it is a biography but written in Marilyn's words, complete with conversations, memories etc - as if it is written by Marilyn herself. I have not finished it yet, but from what I've read, I can highly recommend it.

If you would like to find out more, please visit Tara's website at:

www.tarahanks.org

The MLS Blog

The Marilyn Lives Society now has its own blog, located at http://marilynlivessociety.blogspot.com/

There you will be able to read Marilyn news, MLS news and more.

2008 is here!

2007 was a terrific year for me: I moved into my dream house (which we actually discovered a year ago this very day!); I saw my book published to terrific reviews; my daughter settled into pre-school very successfully; I became a columnist and I spent a lot of time on the radio!


Now 2008 is upon us and I continue to be busy. I am writing a new biography, this time about Carole Lombard, the wonderful actress who tragically died in a plane crash when she was very young. It's very different to researching the Marilyn book, because I didn't know much about her when I started research, but it is a hugely interesting project none-the-less.Along with that, I am working on various other projects and continuing to enjoy being a wife and mother. My daughter is growing bigger every day, and is taking a huge interest in clothes and make-up already. I guess my husband is thanking his lucky stars that we have three bathrooms in our new home!

Talking of my husband, I'd publically like to thank him for everything he does for me. Without his support my writing career would not be as successful as it is now, and I am very grateful for his help and the way he continues to look after both myself and our dear daughter.

Please check this blog often, as I will let you know about my latest projects, and keep you up-to-date on my progress. Incidentally, the latest news from here is that 'Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed' is to be given some press in Australia - so if you are based there, let me know if you see it!