Changing perceptions in people can be a tricky endeavor.
For a pair of Las Vegas-based writers, that challenge is woven throughout their work.
Megan Edwards wants people to see beyond the glitz and glamour of Sin City to discover the unique people, places and spirit that make it such an incredible place. Oksana Marafioti hopes that by shedding light on her life as a Roma, she can help people better understand what it was like growing up as a Gypsy.
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Both authors will be sharing their perspective and signing copies of their books during a special appearance from 5 to 6:30 p.m. today at Barnes & Noble in Greenwood. Though their subject matters and styles are different — suspenseful fiction for Edwards, laugh-out-loud memoir for Marafioti — both hope that their writing leads to a different way of thinking for their audiences.
“When you take a closer look at things, they aren’t necessarily what you think they are, especially a place like Las Vegas which has so many stereotypes that everyone knows the world over,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ novels “Full Service Blond” and “Getting Off On Frank Sinatra,” center around Copper Black, an investigative journalist. But while both books are centered around murder investigations, it is the history, charisma and dark corners of Las Vegas that truly drives the plots.
A Vegas transplant similar to Copper Black, Edwards never intended to move to the city. She and her husband were forced out of their California home in 1993 when it was completely burned in a wildfire.
“In the wake of it, standing the piles of ash, we decided, since we had nothing to put in storage, to hit the road for a little while,” she said. “A little while turned out to be six years.”
Edwards’ adventures criss-crossing the country in a recreational vehicle are captured in her debut book, “Roads from the Ashes.” Once it was released, Edwards decided to keep writing, only this time trying her hand at fiction. She had an idea for a novel that required that the main character be from Las Vegas, so she and her husband traveled to the city so she could do a little research.
“I thought I’d learn what I needed to know in about six weeks, at the most. We’re still here, and it’s been almost 19 years,” she said.
For Edwards, the appeal of her adopted home city is the layers and complexity underneath the casinos and all-you-can-eat buffets. Las Vegas has a burgeoning cultural scene, with symphonies and opera. Lakes, mountains, deserts and other natural wonders surround the city, which rarely get attention with all the neon lights.
She used to buy bus passes and just ride for hours, observing people and places to see what was out there.
“One of the most delightful things is talking to readers who enjoyed my books and maybe learned something about Las Vegas that they didn’t know,” she said.
Marafioti also came to Las Vegas after a lifetime of journeying. Her family is Gypsy, or Roma, and toured as a family band throughout the Siberian tundra and Mongolian deserts performing for a living.
Roma people faced severe racism and discrimination in the Soviet Union at that time. In addition, Marafioti’s parents were progressive musician, interested in rock ‘n’ roll and jazz, which caused tensions with more traditional family members as well as Soviet government.
“My parents were getting in a lot of trouble for speaking out against the government at the time,” she said. “Artists at that time were not considered full-fledged citizens of Soviet society. Only a handful of artists were praised as the Communist ideal of what a patriot should be doing. My parents were far from that.”
Finally, her family sought protection as political refugees, and was allowed to emigrate to the U.S. Settling in Hollywood, Marafioti found her high school to be a welcome refuge after a lifetime of being different.
“Being Roma here did not really play much of a role. It didn’t seem like there was that stigma here,” she said. “I went to Hollywood High School, which had a very diverse group of kids from all over the place. I felt relieved to be in a place where it seemed everyone was accepted. Your background was something you could be proud of.”
Marafioti captures her struggles and joys growing up, as well as the cultural touchstones that make the Roma so unique, in her memoir, “American Gypsy.”
“I wanted to explore my family history, and to have an opportunity to show people about the Roma culture,” she said. “I found in my research that there was very little written about it by Roma writers, especially female writers. I thought this was a great opportunity to reach out to the general population that might know very little or know where to look.”
Though the book centers on the Roma and experience she encountered growing up, Marafioti envisioned her story as one anyone could relate to.
Since it came out in 2012, she has received emails and letters from readers saying that they felt a connection Marafioti’s life, even though they’re not Gypsy.
“I wanted to bring out a human experience,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking of it as a Roma experience or the experience of someone who lived in Russia. I focused very particularly on having a human experience.”
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Megan Edwards and Oksana Marafioti
What: An author chat and book signing with the two Las Vegas-based writers.
When: 5 to 6:30 p.m. today
Where: Barnes & Noble, 1251 U.S. 31 N., Greenwood
Cost: Free and open to the public
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