The Open Book Series

MUZEO offers free talks by local authors, followed by discussion and book signings.

Our September series features Maralys Wills, author of “The Tail on my Mother’s Kite”

What can possibly go wrong in a household led by a mother who is educated, rich, and beautiful? As Maralys and her brother, Allan, learn, the answer is everything. Thanks to a mother who marries seven times, the children are dragged from city to city and husband to husband. Yet this memoir proves that youthful willpower can prevail over powerful adversity.

“Maralys Wills, part of an extraordinary — ordinary — family, lived a yo-yo life, growing up in fourteen different locations. She experienced wealth and deprivation, moments of warm hugs and seasons of stunning neglect. At the center of the story is her loving, impetuous, generous, selfish, oversexed, often-absent Mother, a woman lucky enough to raise — or sometimes raise — two brilliant children. Maralys is now a full-time author with a marvelous memory, a wise but childlike sense of humor, a chronic lust for adventure, and a lasting trust in the ultimate good. It’s a life lesson.” — Stephanie Edwards, Emmy-wining TV/Radio Commentator

About Maralys Wills
Maralys Wills is the mother of six children — five boys and a girl. Her husband is a lawyer. Wills studied at Stanford and UCLA, earning a B.A. and a teaching credential. She once helped her sons run a hang gliding manufacturing business, but after the family tragedies she went home to write books. Maralys Wills’ fourteen published books span several genres and publishers. For the past 27 years, Wills has taught college-level novel-writing courses, and in 2000 was voted “Teacher of the Year.” In addition to frequent speaking engagements, she has given numerous writing seminars — at UCLA, UC Riverside, UCI, Orange Coast College, Cerritos College, and at writers’ conferences across the country. She is a past president of the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America.