A ROMANCE IN ROME...

Blues for the Muse, a comedy-adventure set in modern-day Rome, is an unpredictable blend of film-noir danger, roller-coaster romance, and sweet depths of feeling, with an aging, risk-taking hero who should know better and a fetching Italian siren who definitely does. The story touches chords of love and crime and the redemptive power of art, all done in sonnets that are a breeze to read and chocked with pleasures.

"With the grace of Keats-whose poetic presence gives this volume its lively force-Altman whips lusty and literate sonnets into a sweeping, scary, and sensational masterpiece!"

- William Lanouette, author of The Triumph of the Amateurs and Genius in the Shadows.

The story opens and closes in the Roman cemetery where John Keats is buried. In between, it features Italian mobsters and American conmen, Hollywood moviemaking, an unforgettable femme fatale, a high-stakes love affair, concealed identities and unanticipated revelations, the eternal glories of Rome and-almost magically-the presiding spirit of the young English poet who wrote "Bright Star."

Blues for the Muse is a hilarious meditation on life, love, and movie magic, told in whip-smart rhymes that will make you smile with surprise and delight.