It was the mid-1980s when my mother introduced me to the mansions of The Gilded Age. It was also my first visit to Newport, Rhode Island. The first mansion we visited was Rosecliff. I remember being struck by the grandness and sheer opulence of this historic estate. Of the many things I took away from the experience was my own personal determination to build and create something of personal significance. Years later when I was publishing International Figure Skating magazine, I commissioned a photo shoot of Nancy Kerrigan at Rosecliff.

I learned early on, and perhaps in part from the Rosecliff experience, that there is nothing wrong with being ambitious and making every effort to achieve those ambitions. From founding and operating a publishing company to television to the production of feature films, none of this was given to me. It was the sheer force of will to make the aforementioned happen. Too often I hear people say the words and phrases “someday” “maybe” “if only someone gave me a chance” “must be nice” etc. What many don’t understand, or refuse to understand, is that those who have accomplished have sacrificed greatly along the way.  To build something you must give up something, it really is as simple as that. 

On Sunday, I toured Rosecliff with a friend of mine who had never seen the mansion. Shortly after he was talking in the same ambitious tones as I did all those years ago. The “summer cottage” of Theresa Oelrichs could not have looked better. After going through a $7+ million-dollar renovation, the home looks new. Although The Gilded Age is long past, Rosecliff is still a working estate that hosts numerous weddings, events, and tours. For more information about Rosecliff and other mansions of The Gilded Age, please visit this link.

Regarding projects, I’ve started to reread SOS United States. As some agents wish to see a complete manuscript on submission, I thought it best to take another look after it “sat” for several weeks. It’s always amazing to me, that despite several spelling and grammar checks, one can still find something that needs to be adjusted or corrected. Well, that is part of the process–edit, edit, edit! 

Speaking of editing and the like, I have come across a variety of publishers that are using Generative AI (artificial intelligence) on manuscripts and other aspects of the process. While we know this technology is here to stay, I firmly believe, as a writer, that this technology should not replace humans in the creation of original works. I do believe, however, that AI is good for editing. Several weeks ago, I needed to condense my bio down to 500 characters. While I could have eventually accomplished it on my own, I was impressed with the dispassionate results and speed of ChatGPT.

Next tour.