As the Pacific waves pound relentlessly against the Mendocino
bluffs, widower William Butler has been considering his final journey. He has
built his dory and, accompanied by his ghostly wife Ellie, must decide whether to
embark into the oblivion beneath the Pacific Ocean or face the pain of living.
However, as William faces the possibility of his tragic ending, three women enter his life bringing friendship, love, and the need for protection. All must face critical decisions in a
tale of family drama.
bluffs, widower William Butler has been considering his final journey. He has
built his dory and, accompanied by his ghostly wife Ellie, must decide whether to
embark into the oblivion beneath the Pacific Ocean or face the pain of living.
However, as William faces the possibility of his tragic ending, three women enter his life bringing friendship, love, and the need for protection. All must face critical decisions in a
tale of family drama.
Mendocino- - a novel and screenplay
The saying goes: “Behind every great man stands a noble woman.” William Butler is hardly great, actually, quite flawed. But fortunately he is backed by resolute, empowered women who staunchly support and defend family and friends. Although Butler appears as the main protagonist in this family drama touched with the paranormal, the real backbone of the tale revolves through Madeleine "Maddy" Carter and Catherine Henley. This tale cover their journey from the 1960’s until the present.
Perched on the edge of life, the Butler compound overlooks the Pacific Ocean and draws in three women to William Butler's world: Catherine Henley flees the past and her own ghosts daring to hope for love; Madeleine Carter seeks to relocate with her endurance racing horses and settle near her lifetime best friend; and Amilee Garcia-Scalli flees her abusive husband to seek refuge within the Butler compound. Three women confuse William's simple life, each facing fates intertwined with William's own destiny.
Choosing between, love, friendship, protection and family, the characters living in the tiny coastal town of Mendocino must navigate their way through the turbulence of rough seas. The tale pits female against male, a dramatic division of extremes, with each caught between three worlds: a man’s, a woman’s and their own internal struggles.
This novel and screenplay blend real world tragedy and the complexities surrounding life's decisions while touched by the paranormal. At times light and humorous, there are dark underpinnings as occur in true life. Issues of alienation, quality of life, women's empowerment, and older age are juxtaposed to those of love, support and friendship.