Monuments: A Ten-Minute Play

By Millicent Eidson

In the COVID age of historical and cultural re-assessments under the threat of climate change, this fictional ten-minute play imagines a possible connection at the Santa Fe Plaza Civil-War era monument. "Monuments" was awarded best short play by Synchroniciti in 2021.

 

Interview with the Author

Q: How does "Monuments" tie into the MayaVerse microbial mystery novels?
A: The alphabetical novels are medical thrillers with zoonotic disease organisms from animals as the invisible criminals. All the stories include larger themes related to human health and happiness. Like the MayaVerse short stories and novels, the "Monuments" characters struggle for growth in a vivid environment impacted by disease threats.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: A career in public health can include scientific writing and communication. But even before my training as a veterinarian, I wrote a satirical newspaper and a romance novel. In recent years, I've focused on creative writing as a way to entertain, educate, and enlighten.

Q: Why do you write your MayaVerse series of microbial mysteries?
A: Disease from animals—zoonoses—make up most emerging disease threats. As we've experienced in recent years, there's been one scary disease after another. Bird flu, Ebola, Zika, SARS, COVID, and monkeypox. By focusing on a young veterinary epidemiologist named Maya Maguire, readers can enjoy her worldwide travels, scientific discoveries, and relationships as she matures over several decades of her lifetime. Each new disease is a puzzle to solve caused by a microscopic criminal.

Q: What is One Health?
A: One Health is an important MayaVerse theme. The concept integrates the health of people, other life forms, and the environment, to maximize the benefit for all.

Q: What genre of books do you enjoy?
A: I'm particularly drawn to upmarket stories with complex themes and happy for now (HFN) endings. I want passionate, engaging characters dealing with difficult life issues. Some of the MayaVerse mysteries are thrillers and many are romantic suspense. With a female medical detective, all are women's fiction.

Q: What authors do you read or admire?
A: Having grown up in the Southwest, I worship Tony Hillerman and his daughter Anne Hillerman who's carrying on his legacy. For medical thrillers, Tess Gerritsen is my goddess, although Robin Cook and Michael Crichton have great stories with more of a sci/fi leaning than the MayaVerse, which is strongly anchored in reality. I love the romantic suspense of Nora Roberts and the intense relationships of Nicholas Sparks. In the MayaVerse, setting is a strong character, and I'm inspired by the themes and writing of Edward Abbey and John Graves.

Q: What are your favorite stories?
A: The first book I devoured as a child was a volume of Shakespeare's plays. I'm also a major fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda for "Hamilton" and "In the Heights." Maya Maguire is addicted to storytelling through Broadway musicals, like me.

Q: Which of your interests make an appearance in your books?
A: Travel throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Animals of all kinds, including pets like cats and dogs, livestock like horses and cattle, and wildlife. Music, museums, art. Family and friendships. Hiking and old movies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Millicent Eidson
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781955481045

Millicent Eidson

MILLICENT EIDSON is the author of the alphabetical Maya Maguire microbial mystery series. The MayaVerse at https://drmayamaguire.com includes prequels, “El Chinche” in Danse Macabre and “What’s Within” in Fiction on the Web, and a side story, “Pérdida” in El Portal Literary Journal. Author awards include Best Play in Synkroniciti and Honorable Mention from the Arizona Mystery Writers. Dr. Eidson’s work as a public health veterinarian and epidemiologist began with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and continued at the New Mexico and New York state health departments. She is a public health faculty member at the University at Albany and the University of Vermont. An author of over a hundred scientific papers, articles, and book chapters, she discusses public health communication through creative writing on the podcast: https://www.drchhuntley.com/post/episode-194. With formative years in the Southwest, Millie enjoys family trips to Arizona and worldwide, but has settled in Vermont with her husband Tom Henderson and daughter Lian Henderson, adopted from China and inspiration for Maya Maguire. Millie’s creative writing is supported by the Burlington Writers Workshop (BWW), the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Authors Guild, Sisters in Crime, and Green Mountain Writers. She can be found on Twitter, @EidsonMillicent, and Instagram, @drmayamaguire.

Book preview

Millicent Eidson

MONUMENTS: A TEN-MINUTE PLAY. Copyright © 2021 by Millicent Eidson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Published in North America by Maya Maguire Media. PO Box 1214, Burlington, Vermont 05402; [e-mail]. Discover other publications at https://drmayamaguire.com

FIRST EDITION  ISBN: 978-1955481-04-5  EBOOK

Monuments was initially published by