Make Sure Your Final Years Are What You Want
A Lie Called the Present follows a woman suffering with Dementia who tries to keep her family together despite their efforts to the contrary. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The story of A Lie Called the Present transpired in much the same setting and with a similar plot line to what occurred in my family. My mother was removed from our family home of 47 years because of her oncoming dementia and family politics. My father conspired with others in the family in what was a progression of very difficult decisions that taught me many lessons about life and informed my writing.
What was your inspiration for the characters and their relationship?
The inspiration for the characters in the play comes from family members and friends who live under the pall of pain, illness, and distress that aging brings, often with little hope of improvement or recovery. The emotional toll that these people bear helped me appreciate the courage and drama that they use to fight off their physical and mental demons. Dealing with my aging parents brought a whole new dynamic to sibling interaction, often reverting to old childhood power struggles and hurts that were acted out but in a more adult way. I didn’t model the sibling relationships just on my own family but also on what I have witnessed among my friends and their siblings as well.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The family is a powerful institution that you dismiss at your own peril. The story drives home the importance of long-range planning in making life decisions to make sure your final years are what you want, and not what your children think they should be. Shakespearean verse and speeches add dramatically to the depth of a literary work.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have a collection of sonnets in the works. It will be quite a while before they are ready.
Author Links: Amazon
The mother clings to her home, staving off dementia. Her children desperately hide their pasts and deny their futures.
In A Lie Called the Present, betrayal lurks in the depths of the family.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/05/01/make-sure-your-final-years-are-what-you-want/
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