In 2002 after my retirement from FDA, I drafted a semi-autobiographical novel. I have the summary/outline and chapters all drafted, but today it is still an outline draft and I have no energy or inspiration to finish it. Currently, all my writing energies are concentrated in my blogs.
After
Dodie's ( my oldest son) novel, The Cloyne Court was published, I felt
no desire in finishing this novel. The unexpected thing was that the
hero of Dodie's novel was Derek, also the name of the main
character in my draft. Dodie does not know of my draft story. A very
unexpected coincidence, I may say.
The other main character in
my draft was named Martina. Martina and Derek were married for over 62
years and have 2 adults children - Donato and Daniela. There is a 3rd
major character in my novel, the villain named Dante. Several minor characters are in my draft named Isabel,
Manuel, Austin, Rowena, Renato and Martha ( all semi-fictional). The
names are some of Derek and Martina's friends during their over 62 years
of married life and residence in Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City,
Missouri, Silver Spring, MD, Modesto and Pinole, CA.
The first scene in the novel was on the Airplane, on United Airlines from the US to Stockholm, Sweden. Derek was on his way to receive his Nobel Prize Award. Derek is the first Filipino-American to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr. Derek research on the botanical extracts from a rare plant in the Philippines that lead to the development of a pill that retards the aging process was the main reason he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. During his flight flash backs and reveries of his life from childhood in the Philippines until his retirement in the US dominated his memory. This is the main theme of the novel.
The draft of my novel has plenty of scenes of sexual nature- hetero, homo and bisexuality as well as group sex. All these scenes are fictional indeed, but in my mind if I want this novel to be a best seller it has to have plenty of sex of all kinds.
The novel also discuss Filipino culture and traditions and the adjustment of Filipino immigrants to life in the US. It describes the life of Derek as a Graduate Student in US, his marriage and courtship of Martina and finally Derek and Martina involvement with the Filipino-American Communities in the Tristate Area of MD_VA -DC, California, Missouri and in the Philippines.
The last two chapters outline the life of Derek and Martina's two adult and accomplished children,-Donato and Daniela . Donato became a lawyer specializing in cyber crime and a published writer; Daniela became a famous painter and later became the first Filipino-American to be a Presidential Appointee.
The location of the novel are in the Philippines, Illinois, California, Missouri, Washington DC and Maryland. Other locations are in Southern Spain, London, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Cancun, London and Rome.
There is a chapter on Chateau Du Mer in
Boac, Marinduque, Philippines. I was hoping I could write a novel that
is not only that entertaining but also educational. I was also planning
the novel to be a little bit trashy and incorporate the 7 common sexual fantasies, so it will sell and perhaps become a popular novel.
The
Novel ends when Derek woke up from his reveries when the plane landed
in Sweden. Derek could hear the audience thunderous applause as he
receives his Award as he walks out of the airplane.
The draft
of this novel had been in my possession for two decades. Again, I do
not have the energy, inspiration and determination to finish it. So like Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, The Intellectual Migrants will be my Unfinished Story.
Meanwhile
enjoy these two photos the artistic creation of Mariano(Anoy) Catague
in the Philippines- A Painter and Sculpture. Anoy is a distant relative
whose ancestry originated from Antique Province, Philippines. Anoy is
now a resident of Davao City.
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