After my post yesterday I received an email from Kevin Purcell in Seattle pointing me to some related clues online. Turns out the letter I received from Marie Martinez was just the tip of the iceberg. This "young girl" has been sending out similar letters for years under various pseudonyms.
The letter below, for example, is almost identical to mine in handwriting, layout, and phrasing. But it's from 2010, by "Suzanne Lopez" at the same address in Paris.
Sincerely, Suzanne? WTF?
But it goes back even further. Kevin sent a reference to similar letters being sent in 2008 from the same address, this time to a musician. Turns out all sorts of creative types have received them from various authors in recent years.
OK. My bubble is thoroughly pricked. I knew I wasn't special before, but now I realize I'm especially unspecial receiving this letter. But the question remains, why? I'm beginning to think the signature/jpg theory is unlikely. It seems too crazy. Plus, how does a musician sign a jpg? But what is it then? Is it a devoted autograph hound? Or someone with a mental pathology like a pen-pal stalker? And what's up with the 16-year old schoolgirl routine?
Kevin suggested I GSV the address, which I'd already done. It's a residential location on the outskirts of Paris. The red dot.
Here's how it looks at street level.
Tough to tell what's going on in there. Just a plain building. Is the building a girl?
Oh well. I should probably just let this go but I can't. I'm too curious. Has anyone out there received a similar letter? Any idea what's going on? Are there any readers in Paris (Kramer? Patrick?) who'd be willing to drop in on 75020 Boulevard Davot to do some sleuthing, then report back?
If you can dig up some info and send it to me in a nice handwritten letter from France, I'll send an autographed print. Thanks in advance.
The letter below, for example, is almost identical to mine in handwriting, layout, and phrasing. But it's from 2010, by "Suzanne Lopez" at the same address in Paris.
Sincerely, Suzanne? WTF?
But it goes back even further. Kevin sent a reference to similar letters being sent in 2008 from the same address, this time to a musician. Turns out all sorts of creative types have received them from various authors in recent years.
OK. My bubble is thoroughly pricked. I knew I wasn't special before, but now I realize I'm especially unspecial receiving this letter. But the question remains, why? I'm beginning to think the signature/jpg theory is unlikely. It seems too crazy. Plus, how does a musician sign a jpg? But what is it then? Is it a devoted autograph hound? Or someone with a mental pathology like a pen-pal stalker? And what's up with the 16-year old schoolgirl routine?
Kevin suggested I GSV the address, which I'd already done. It's a residential location on the outskirts of Paris. The red dot.
Here's how it looks at street level.
Tough to tell what's going on in there. Just a plain building. Is the building a girl?
Oh well. I should probably just let this go but I can't. I'm too curious. Has anyone out there received a similar letter? Any idea what's going on? Are there any readers in Paris (Kramer? Patrick?) who'd be willing to drop in on 75020 Boulevard Davot to do some sleuthing, then report back?
If you can dig up some info and send it to me in a nice handwritten letter from France, I'll send an autographed print. Thanks in advance.
Hey, I fell for the ol' wallet on a string routine by a bunch of bored firemen, about a month after thoroughly ridiculing my roomie for falling for the oldest trick in the book... the ol' wallet on a string trick.
ReplyDeleteThis mystery is building up nicely!
ReplyDeleteIt's starting to be enough interesting material for a movie script...