The “good friend” I referred to in my last blog died tragically in September of 2004. It was a strange twist that added more poignancy to the novel which I had started thinking about in 2002.
The novel still involved the relationship between a couple in their early sixties but I changed the title to The Monarchs since the two make pilgrimages to Mexico, resembling the migration of Monarch butterflies. The novel flows between the couple’s dreary existence in Canada and their more adventurous lifestyle in Mexico. Regardless of their escape to the Mexican landscape and culture, they cannot deny that Robert, the husband, is dealing with cancer.
My pursuit of information concerning cancer became intense and I decided to make Robert so depressed from the affliction that he contemplates assisted death. I sent a letter to the Hemlock Society which eventually had its name changed to End-of-Life Choices, asking if I could engage someone in conversation about the topic. I never received anything back. Even though I had cited the purpose of my novel, people in the organization might have suspected I was the one considering suicide.
Eventually, by March 27, 2005, I had completed the first draft of TM. In April, I began to send out queries to publishing companies to see if they were interested in publishing it. I approached about six companies, all of which turned down the prospect, and ran out of patience. I put the book aside and focused on other projects.
In July 2012, my failure at getting my work published caused me to consider self-publishing TM since I had done so with MPTR (see past blogs). I wished to use iUniverse again (see blog from Sept. 7, 2025). Also, I had an idea for what I wanted the front cover to look like and approached my niece about designing it.
Writing a novel takes time. Writing one over a long period poses its challenges. From the moment there was a germ of an idea in 2002 until 2012 when I sought iUniverse’s services, a lot had changed in the world. When I began writing TM, George W. Bush was the American president. There was a section in my book in which Robert and his wife, Sharon, discuss the U.S. presidency with some Republicans. By 2012, the president was Barack Obama. I revised this section. This is what occurs often when writing a novel. Political leaders change. Technology changes. World conflicts change. And, of course, sometimes they don’t.
Below is the cover that my niece created.
