Annie Lee and The Magnificent Monarch

What’s your favorite bug?

I asked Annie Lee that question a few months back, and she promptly replied, “Monarch butterflies”.

“Why butterflies?” I responded.

“Because–”

Wait, we’ll get back to her answer. Let’s dive in to the fascinating world of butterflies first.

Monarch butterflies are also known as milkweed butterflies. That’s because “Female monarchs lay eggs singly, most often on the underside of a young leaf of a milkweed plant during the spring and summer.” (Wikipedia)

Also interesting is where their name derived from. Again from Wikipedia: “The name ‘monarch’ is believed to have been given in honor of King William III of England, as the butterfly’s main color is that of the king’s secondary title, ‘Prince of Orange’.”

How would you like to have an insect named after you?

I guess it would depend on the insect, right?  🙂

Ahem. Back to Annie’s response. And just who is Annie Lee, you might be wondering.

Annie Lee is the main character in my forthcoming novel, No Tomorrows, due to release this fall. She lives in a small town in central Washington State and attends church regularly with her husband, Roger, and their kiddos, who range in age from fifteen down to three.

Ho-hum, you might think. No action here. No tension to keep me awake at night, unable to put it down.

And you would be so . . . wrong.

Annie Lee is a woman whose frightening past now invades her present. Be prepared, once you sit down with her in the roller coaster of her story, to strap in and ride until the end.

And why does she love butterflies, particularly the monarch variety?

Check this out.

I asked her why she would only want to live five or six weeks. Here’s what she said:

“Have you ever noticed how happy butterflies always look–fluttering about without a care in the world? It’s because they’re not like us. Because humans must live, unless life is shortened for some reason, for eight or nine decades clobbered by sadness and pain and hopelessness, sometimes every day. Best to get it over with.”

After that short conversation, I had to know more about Annie Lee.

Why? Because . . . she might just sound a lot like me.

Maybe you?

Deb