An award-winning Maine author told a Southport Memorial Library audience June 21 how challenging it was getting a publisher to buy two of her manuscripts. Monica Wood, author of “When We Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, Maine” recounted how the May Sarton Memoir Award-winning book and her current novel, “One in a Million Boy,” were originally rejected by two major publishing firms. Wood, who grew up in Mexico, Maine, and now lives in Portland, wrote her current novel in 2008.

Her earlier publisher had stopped publishing novels in 2008. So she offered “One in a Million Boy” to the publishing house which distributed her paperback work. But the publisher rejected publishing the new fiction novel as a hardback.

In 2010, she began writing “When We Were the Kennedys.” She received the May Sarton Memoir Award for the novel in 2012, but it, too, was originally rejected by publishers. After the second rejection, Wood’s husband urged her to re-write “One in a Million Boy.”

The fictional story is about the intertwined relationships among an 11-year-old Boy Scout, a 104-year-old Lithuanian immigrant woman Una Vitkus, and the boy’s 42-year-old absentee father Quinn Porter. The boy has died and is only mentioned in the story’s flashbacks and reminiscences. The boy met Vitkus as part of his efforts in earning a community service badge. The boy also has a passion for “The Guinness Book of World Records” and tries to convince Vitkus she could become the world’s oldest living person.

Quinn Porter, a working musician since age 17, twice married the boy’s mother and is still in love with her. His son died suddenly, due to a rare heart affliction. Porter’s ex-wife convinces the father to complete their son’s obligation to Vitkus which includes emptying her trash and filling her outdoor bird cages.

Wood described the book as a “mid-life coming of age” story as the father’s character transforms throughout the story.

“Una’s (character) also has a major transformation, too,” she said.

The reworked version made Quinn Porter a slightly more successful musician than he originally had been, according to Wood.

“I looked at his dialogue and tweaked it a bit. This opened more possibilities for his character too grow,” she said.

Wood shared two scenes with the library audience. The first was the initial meeting between Vitkus and Porter. Vitkus believed the boy was still alive and the father appeared because the son failed to honor his obligation as several previous scouts had. The second is when she confronts the father with the knowledge about the young boy’s death.

Wood described the relationship between Vitkus and the boy as “a true and rich relationship with Una telling him things she never would tell another soul.”

Cape Newagen summer resident Anne Cyr bought a copy of the book after hearing Wood would appear at the library. Cyr has read all but 20 pages and described the novel as “wonderful.”

“I came here on my birthday,” said Cyr. “I loved her previous books so I picked this one up. It has a lot of local flavor and it’s a sweet, sweet book.”

Wood’s other novels include “Any Bitter Thing,” “Ernie’s Ark” and “My Only Story.”