Between 1996 and 2010, I establis
hed myself as a professional, Northeastern Ontario poet. One milestone was the publication of my solo book Remembering Medusa Remembering in 2007. Another was having two of my favourite poems appear in Pith & Wry: Canadian Poetry, an anthology that featured Margaret Atwood and Lorna Crozier. A through line in my poetry was the reimagining of female archetypes.
In 2009, I began writing short stories and eventually penned the first draft of a novel called Lockdown, somewhat akin to Stephen King’s Carrie. In my novel, the main character’s telekinetic powers are unleashed when her friends are killed during a school shooting. As with my poetry, at the centre of this writing was a strong, female protagonist.
I must say that by 2010, I felt like I was coming into my own as a writer. I had received small grants to revise Lockdown as well as create new poetry. And, although I completed the work for both projects, it was also around this time that circumstances in my personal life changed.
That year, my mother began showing signs of dementia. In 2012, she suffered a stroke, and my father was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. I stepped into the role of caregiver until their deaths in 2022. Although I continued to journal and write fiction throughout that period, my efforts were sporadic. Bringing works to completion and seeking publication became an impossible feat. I did begin drafting a second novel, however. This one was about a new adult, space assassin who returns to Earth to become the eco-heroine she is destined to be.
Since the passing of my parents, I’ve slowly turned my attention back to writing. In the summer of 2023, I took Tales From the Dark Side, a creative writing class through the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. This course inspired a new novel about 22-year-old Zarah who’s grown up during a zombie apocalypse. She dreams of reforesting the world despite suffering from a severe case of tonic immobility that keeps her from venturing outside her closed community. Her story is my main focus at the moment, as I am still deeply involved in its revision process.
After many starts and stops over the years, I look forward to getting a novel completed. As well, I’m loving writing short pieces and sharing them here on my website.
Thank you for reading. ❤️
M
December 24, 2024
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Monique Chénier - Author in Evolution 