I had gone through intensive treatment for an aggressive bout of breast cancer in 2008. The experience gave me insight into how people respond to cancer, and how it feels on the other end.

Ann Bancroft – 28 May 2024

The Back Flap

Liz Millanova has stage four cancer, a grown daughter who doesn’t speak to her, and obsessive memories of a relationship that tore apart her marriage. She thinks of herself as someone who’d rather die than sit through a support group, but now that she actually is going to die, she figures she might as well give it a go.

Mercy’s Thriving Survivors is a hospital-sponsored group held in a presumably less depressing location: a Nordstrom’s employee training lounge. There, Liz hits it off with two other patients, and the three unlikely friends decide to ditch the group and meet on their own. They call themselves the Oakland Mets, and their goal is to enjoy life while they can. Together, Dave, a gay Vietnam vet, Rhonda, a devout, nice woman who’s hiding a family secret and finds peace in a gospel choir, and snarky Liz plan outings to hear jazz, enjoy nature, and tour Alcatraz. In the odd intimacy they form, Liz learns to open up and get close, acknowledge and let go of the dysfunction in her marriage, and repair her relationship with her daughter. They joined forces to have a good time—but what they wind up doing is helping one another come to grips with terminal cancer and resolve the unfinished business in their lives.

About the book

What is the book about?

Almost Family is a darkly funny and poignant story about opening up to love and forming close friendships near the end of life. Liz Millanova, a hard-charging, tightly wrapped PR executive, is at rock bottom in her life when she forces herself to attend a support group for Stage Four cancer patients. The meeting is held in a Nordstrom employee training room, and is so comically awful Liz wants to flee, but for being drawn to Dave, a gay former Marine and Rhonda, a sweet woman who sings in a gospel choir. The three of them ditch the dismal group and form their own, calling themselves The Oakland Mets (for “metastases”). Their goal is to enjoy life toward its end, taking excursions rather than talking about cancer all the time. In the process, they help one another accept their fates and resolve family issues, finding love and peace at the end of their lives.

When did you start writing the book?

The earliest draft was begun nearly thirteen years ago.

How long did it take you to write it?

I worked on it off and on for more than a decade. I’d finished (or so I thought), got a great NY agent, but foolishly did not have an editor or beta readers to help me get it in perfect, publication-ready shape before it was sent out to publishers. I received very nice rejections! They were complimentary enough about the writing and story idea to keep me from feeling too badly.  I shelved the novel for nearly four years, worked on a second one, but then pulled this off the shelf in order to submit it for the San Diego Book Awards in 2018. It won Best Unpublished Novel, and that gave me impetus to submit to another agent. She was interested until learning the earlier draft had been rejected — by the same people she would have approached.  Back on the shelf it went.  But during the pandemic I worked with an editor to tighten the plot and strengthen a key relationship in the story, Meanwhile, I had a cancer recurrence and spent most of 2021 in treatment, with three major surgeries and a second series of chemo treatments.  Late the following year, I submitted the novel and was accepted by She Writes Press, a hybrid publisher.

Where did you get the idea from?

I had gone through intensive treatment for an aggressive bout of breast cancer in 2008. The experience gave me insight into how people respond to cancer, and how it feels on the other end. I had great support from family, friends, and my work colleagues, but thought, “what if?”  What if I hadn’t, what if the cancer were Stage Four, what if it occurred at the same time as a terrible breakup, and what if my family relationships had been fractured at the same time? I imagined a woman under those circumstances reluctantly attending a support group, and what she might find there.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Well, sure. Middles of stories are always hard, and I had to cut, rewrite, and tighten. I got so close to my characters I actually cried at the sad parts, but chuckled more often.

What came easily?

Dialog between the characters, and description of places. Empathy for my characters.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

They are entirely fictitious. Of course every experience I’ve had and person I’ve met becomes a part of me, and so they are in the mix when I create. But there is no character who is “in real life, so-and-so.”

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Anne Lamott for her humor and honesty. Barbara Kingsolver for her astonishing ability to create characters with distinct voices.

Do you have a target reader?

Broadly speaking, anyone who has been affected by cancer or addiction, or is curious about those subjects and about how people can grow even at the end of life.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

When I was writing this book, I’d shut the door to my office or bedroom for the entire morning and write. Times when it was most difficult because of pressing family or work issues, I’d bargain with myself — at least write 750 words every day. That isn’t a lot, so once I got into the flow I usually exceeded that word count, often by a lot. But at least I’d get those 750 words down, even if they weren’t great.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I’m not a great outliner but I do loosely outline. Often then I will write and the writing goes in a different direction so I wind up fitting the outline to the writing, rather than the other way around.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I do a bit of both. Because I was a journalist for so many years, I can’t keep myself from editing as I go along, But everything needs editing a few times. Writing a novel taught me how much revision is a part of the writing process.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I did hire a developmental editor to help me with final revisions and tightening the plot. I highly recommend doing this. She didn’t tell me what to write, but commented on areas that could be stronger, tighter, or have more tension.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I don’t, usually, but on the rare occasions when I do, it’s classical music, acoustic guitar, anything that is not too distracting. Definitely no lyrics.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I did (see above). An early draft was accepted by a great agent, but because I naively hadn’t worked with either beta readers or an editor, it did not sell. A few years later I did revisions and submitted to a second agent who was interested, but said she could not sell it to publishing houses who’d seen it earlier, despite the passage of years and multiple revisions.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I believed my book was worthy of publishing and that a hybrid, She Writes, would be the perfect next step for me.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

She Writes Press designs covers and does a great job.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I do have a marketing plan and am working with a publicity company, Books Forward.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Definitely, have a developmental editor look at your work and offer feedback. Get a trusted few readers to give honest feedback as well.  Don’t submit until you’re certain the book is as good as it can be. Be prepared to make many revisions and develop a thick skin about cutting precious paragraphs.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I was an Army brat, born in Germany and grew up in many places — Northern California, Colorado Springs, Hawaii, Texas, and back to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Where do you live now?

I split my time between Sacramento and Coronado, California.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I am a two-time cancer survivor and have mentored dozens of cancer patients, experiences which informed my work on this novel. I had a career as a journalist before turning to fiction, and my debut novel is being published when I am 71.

What are you working on now?

A novel about two Army brats who meet and fall in love in Berkeley, CA in 1975, the day Saigon falls. They  have a star-crossed, off-and-on relationship over decades, beginning with the Vietnam War and going through 9/11, as he enlists and rises through the ranks in the Army, mostly in the South, and she becomes a single mom working in liberal California politics.

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of Almost Family from Amazon US or Amazon UK.