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Mac Has Hit A Bottom
MacGregor’s Final Battle follows a man who forgoes cancer treatment and sets out on a cross-country trip where he meets a nurse and inspires her to restart her life. What motivated you to write a biographical fiction novel about Mac?
A couple of things came together. I was challenged to write a novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMO) in 2020. I had a chapter written in response to a question about my autobiography (not written and never will be). So, initially it was a spur of the moment adventure while I was recovering from writing and publishing Demented. But it led to some serious research about some serious issues. I wanted to write a romance – hence Mac and Kate – but I couldn’t pass on an opportunity to talk about family.
What were some obstacles that you felt were important in defining your characters in the story?
Mac has hit a bottom. He’s old. His wife of 40 years has recently died. He is dying of brain cancer. His family has abandoned him. But he has to do something. He has to make readers fall in love and root for him while accepting that he is going to die. He has to be tough as nails but vulnerable. In Chapter 2, he takes on armed robbers and misguided cops. In Chapter 4, Kate exposes his vulnerability. The great obstacle for the characters in this story is the age and social gap between Mac and Kate. They have to learn to get along together.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share with readers in this book?
Ageing and dying are foremost. What do we do with people who are falling apart before our eyes – perhaps suffering from an incurable disease or a disabling handicap or injury?
How we relate to others both as individuals and as a society: Tim’s race; Eddie and wound vet with hispanic heritage; our native American neighbors Our wars – Vietnam is especially difficult for Mac and me but it’s a repeating pattern that affects (perhaps defines) Eddie’s life.
Where do you see Kate Graham a couple of years after the story ends?
For the moment, Kate will continue as Eddy’s wife and partner. Their family will grow. She will rise to Nurse Practitioner.
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MacGregor’s Final Battle
MacGregor’s Final Battle is a novel following the last journey of the protagonist Mac MacGregor as he undertakes a cross-country trip to visit his cousin in Alaska after his wife Anne of forty years dies, and he learns he has stage four brain cancer. He chooses to forgo cancer treatment and make the most of his last months alive. On his journey, he follows the Lewis and Clark trail National Historical Trail in his RV, which traces the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803 to 1806, taking him from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to the Pacific Ocean.
The book is based loosely on the author’s own life. Elements of the recorded history of America and the Lewis and Clark trail are peppered throughout the story. I enjoyed the character development throughout the book. Mac starts off as a depressed, lonely man; he is grieving and intends to shut out the world around him and his own family. Through the first half of the novel, his grief is palpable. He is portrayed as a stubborn, straight-talking character who comes to terms with his own mortality and failing health. He meets Kate, a Nursing Assistant, at a dinner in Saint Louis, where she is working part-time, and she persuades him due to his ill health, he should not be undertaking the journey on his own. Instead, she offers to accompany him as his caretaker. With some reluctance, he agrees, and they continue his trip together.
The novel frequently examines the theme of colonialism in America and the destruction of natural habitats in the name of progress. There is a motif throughout the story of the loss of a simpler life in the face of modernity. Mac is a military veteran of the Vietnam war, and he meets other Veterans on his travels. The ongoing effects of military service are discussed through Kate and Mac’s dialogue throughout the novel. I found the novel to be a slow burner as it takes a little while to get going. Some of the plot is somewhat repetitive as the characters undertake many similar activities as they move along the trail. Hence, the action builds up slowly rather than the tension and interest for the reader increasing as they move along their journey.
However, as the book progresses, you become more invested in the characters. Finally, in the last half of the novel, the story starts to pick up its pace. The relationship between Kate and Mac develops, and Mac’s tough exterior softens. The story ends as a sweet love story between the two.
Pages: 286 | ASIN: B0BQKNG2YN
LITERARY TITAN 