She entered my life in 2015. Giselle, a Cuban-born immigrant, lived in Naples, Florida. Coincidently, I had just started writing the storyline of the planned TV series “Asherah: A Love Odyssey.” I began to share with her the character and the overall arc of the story. She had an immediate interest, and we would debate critical aspects of character development weekly.
Asherah is a Hero’s story of the feminine divine from ages 12 to 28. At 28, she will realize her destiny and offer humans a path forward. Thus, my tagline: “When Times Are the Darkest, a Hero is Born.”
I originally had Asherah as a Femme Fatale. Please note Giselle posing with the gun. Chapter One had her as an accomplice to a robbery with her brother. A chapter that involves her brother killing the pool service man.
Giselle challenged me to write better stories and not rely on worn-out tropes. To change the form a bit. To experiment. To write from a perspective of love and not hate. Ergo, Asherah was born.
We spoke of her playing the Asherah character, shooting a chapter from the storyline, hence the reason for the photo shoots and movie poster, but life had other plans. Giselle moved first to Charlotte and then to Seattle. And we lost the opportunity.
Last October, her husband Manny, my wife Marge and I shared with simple delight a weekly retreat 8,000 feet high in the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico. We enjoyed each other’s company and shared stories.
So, although Giselle now lives over 3,000 miles away, each time I review or write more on the Asherah character, Giselle never moved away. She never left my life. She still by my side. She lives on. The stories continue.
Thank you, Giselle.
– Gary Mazeffa, Filmmaker-Writer/Producer
