FIRST COMES LOVE A Memoir

Marion Winik met Tony Heubach in New Orleans during the debauched celebrations of Mardi Gras 1982. She was a self-described "crazy romantic poetess" and he a "gay ice-skater," but their chemistry was instantaneous and explosive, if complicated. In 1986, they were married--despite the skepticism of friends and family--and made a home in Austin, Texas, raising two sons. By 1994, Tony was dead of AIDS, a heartbreaking ordeal that closes this memoir, originally published in 1996. For the book's 30th anniversary, the author has recorded its first audiobook edition. Winik (THE BIG BOOK OF THE DEAD) brings immediacy to the tale, modulating her voice as she moves from antic descriptions of the couple's drug-fueled escapades to the lyricism of a hushed, candlelit deathbed scene. A unique love story, brought to life in an animated retelling. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2026]