Eastern Michigan University alum Dave Marz has published a debut novel, “Life is Your Masterpiece."
The book centers around Lucca Martilla, a Mexican-American painter from rural Michigan. Lucca falls in love with the girl who lives on the farm he paints, but her parents’ racist ideologies force them apart. The story follows Lucca as he goes to art school and learns how to open up as a person and be confident in himself. Ultimately, Marz said the book is a love story and a coming-of-age story.
The novel weaves Marz’s own life experiences with a crafted narrative, centering issues like racism, gender identity and sexuality. Originally, the book started as an autobiography focused on his career in academia, Marz said. After facing pushback from publishers, Marz switched it to be a contemporary novel instead.
“That gave me some more freedom to write about certain things, themes and so on, that didn’t have to be so much about me,” Marz said.
Marz estimates the book is about 90% true. From the feelings about being a military kid to being in the art scene in Chicago, most of it goes back to Marz’s own life experiences, some of which happened at EMU.
Marz completed his undergraduate studies at Washtenaw Community College and EMU and said the transition between the two colleges was very jarring. The college experience was new to Marz; suddenly, he was immersed in a diverse and outgoing environment. It’s important to be around people from other places and be exposed to new perspectives, Marz said.
It wasn’t just the culture that was a shocking adjustment; it was the academics as well. WCC is about getting students into the workforce. At EMU, it’s more artistic and expressive, Marz said.
“It was more conceptual; I thought that was really cool," Marz said about EMU. "That’s what I wanted to bring to my classes when I was teaching.”
When Marz came to Eastern in the 90s, there weren’t many Mexican professors, which sparked the idea in him to be a teacher. From there, Marz started plotting out courses and imagining how to be a good professor. After teaching for 20 years at universities across the country, Marz retired to focus on writing and being an artist.
Marz’s background as a graphic designer shines through the book, partly in the main character, who is an artist, and partly in the making of the book. The cover art is a mixed media watercolor photograph made by Marz. The pink on the front and blue on the back reflect the duality within the novel, Marz said.
“Life is Your Masterpiece” took 10 years to write and publish. It morphed into four different books and evolved over time as it passed through editors, Marz said. Although Marz may not be a seasoned writer, he’s open to learning and growing.
“You become a life-long learner, and when you do that, you enrich yourself,” Marz said
Come summer, Marz will work to promote the book by speaking on podcasts and hosting book signings. The audience for the novel tends to be younger people, Marz said, which was his intention.
“It tends to be people who are young and full of idealism,” Marz said about the audience of his book.
Initially, Marz was concerned about publishing the novel in the current political climate, citing polarization in the country and themes featured in the book. At first, he wondered if the book should be delayed. But in the end, Marz decided this was the perfect time to release the novel.
“I’ve got to speak up now; I’ve got to do it now,” Marz said.
The book’s ending isn’t necessarily a happy one. While editors said that love stories must have good endings, Marz pushed back, saying many romances, including some of the most famous ones, don’t end well. The resolution of the story is the important part to come away with, Marz said. There are ups and downs in life; the important thing is to be resilient and forge a path.
“I wish it was a happy, happy ending," Marz said. "But at the same time, if it’s going to be more truthful and honest, I decided I was going to let it be that.”
"Life is Your Masterpiece" can be purchased at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon or Marz’s website.
Marz has many ideas for his next novel, although he said he hopes it won’t take 10 years this time.
