Local Writer Publishes Saucy Debut Novel About the Horsey Set

Katonah resident Eve Marx has always been a people watcher. From her childhood days in Atlantic City, observing the well-dressed Miss America contestants as they were being chauffeured along the boardwalk or listening to conversations between her father, an attorney and record company executive, and his business associates, Marx was fascinated by other people’s lives.

It’s no surprise that Marx set out about five years ago to write “Beddington Place: Watch Your Back, Cover Your Tracks.”

The 303-page novel is a black comedy that takes place in the equestrian-oriented, celebrity-driven town of Beddington, not unlike some northern Westchester communities that have become a magnet for the rich and famous.

“I wrote the book to amuse myself,” said Marx.

A first draft turned into a second, then a third, until Marx realized she had the makings of a great story, something she believes could be turned into an onscreen drama.

The story revolves around the humorously named Paige Turner, a reporter for Hello! magazine, whom Marx describes as “an outsider with ambivalent feelings, but who cherishes her reporter/outsider status and is drawn to all of the glitz, glamour and decadence.”

Turner accompanies the rising pop star Princess TaTas and her real estate agent, Tamsin Delacore, on a house-hunting tour of the town. TaTas is interested in finding a home that would complement her newfound interest in show jumping.

Befriended by a set of girlfriends who are interested in launching a new reality show, “The Horsewives of Westchester County,” Turner finds herself privy to the glamorous world of the rich and famous, but also embroiled in the mysterious death of a horse.

The basis for the novel came not only from Marx’s own experiences but from her observations locally.

“It was like a patchwork quilt, pulling it all together,” said Marx, referring to the snippets of information she would jot down in her notebook and then transcribe for the emerging novel.

It’s not surprising that Marx’s debut novel would revolve around the horsey set. Marx’s interest in horses developed when she was 12 years old. Her mother moved from Atlantic City to Philadelphia, leaving Marx behind with her wealthy stepfather. Marx spent time with her stepfather at the local racetrack. He eventually encouraged her to take English riding lessons.

“He would take me to the track and then turn me loose,” recalled Marx.

She recalled the times she snuck past security to pet the horses being trained to perform in a dangerous horse diving act in Atlantic City.

Marx has been an avid horse rider and is the owner of Buttons, a leopard-colored appaloosa pony. She describes Buttons as her “perfect equine companion.”

“We have paced; we have won many ribbons. On the trails, we are a great team,” Marx said.

A lot of the rides described in the book are based on trail adventures that Marx has experienced firsthand, which she skillfully works into several portions of the book.

What she also brings to the forefront is the mistreatment of horses, an occurrence in the world of show jumping and also at dressage competitions, where riders have been known to use their spurs to make a horse move more quickly, causing bleeding and bruising.

But perhaps it’s the sneak peek into the world of privilege that Marx, a former writer and editor for men’s magazines Swank, High Society and Penthouse, believes is the most tantalizing aspect of her novel.

“I suppose in many ways it’s a bit of a social study,” added Marx, a noted “sexpert” who has written several nonfiction books on the topic, including “101 Things You Didn’t Know About Sex,” “Flirtspeak” and “View From the Porch: Tales from the Anti-Hamptons.”

In writing the novel, Marx said she drew from other books she’d read as a young woman, especially those books she would steal off her late mother’s bedside table.

“They were big, juicy novels with lots of characters, action and snappy dialogue,” she recalled.

Despite a couple of negative reviews she received early on from some literary agents, Marx was encouraged by several top-drawer agents to press on. Some enjoyed the book and advised her to publish it on her own.

As for the book’s relevance, Marx said it is appropriate for today’s audiences.

“We live in a society now that is obsessed by celebrity culture, in no small part because we all yearn (at least a little) to be like celebrities,” said Marx, the wife of R.J. Marx, editor of the Record-Review in Bedford.

“In our area, where so many bold-faced names live, we feel they are our neighbors, and it’s possible they could become our friends,” she said. “Beddington Place, which is filled with make-believe celebrities who rub elbows with the local gentry, is exactly about this kind of familiarity and the aspirations that it breeds.”

The book is available on Amazon in a Kindle version. In a few weeks, the print edition will also be available. Marx will be participating in readings and book signings in the next few weeks. Locally, this Thursday, Nov. 8, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., she will be at Ebba, located at 107 Katonah Ave. in Katonah, and then at Via Vanti!, at 2 Kirby Place in Mount Kisco, from 3 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 9.

For more information on Marx, visit her website at www.evemarx.com.