Abbey Pachter
A Monarch in Winter:
Biography of a Butterfly
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Just in time for holiday gift-giving:
Promotion: Free e-book
Weds-Sun. Dec. 17-21
e-book: https://www.amazon.com/Monarch-Winter-Biography-Butterfly-ebook/dp/B0CM46CGYH
"Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece." - E.O. Wilson
Contact
About the Author
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During childhood, summers, I often caught and released ladybugs, fireflies, and the occasional butterfly while exploring my backyard in the northwest Indiana dunes. I learned to draw and paint from life, commuting on the South Shore train for Junior School classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and during high school at Interlochen Arts Academy.
After earning advanced degrees from the U. Michigan and U. Pennsylvania, my professional career included clinical practice in nursing and midwifery, university faculty and administrative positions, and project management in healthcare informatics.
In retirement, I became a Master Naturalist and (re)turned to writing.
My essays and book are based on personal experience. They're inspired by nature and informed by science. The Virginia Writers Club honored me with Golden Nib awards for nonfiction in 2021 (1st Prize) and 2023 (2nd Prize). Several essays are in the e-zine "Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine."
A Monarch in Winter: Biography of a Butterfly is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram Sparks, and many libraries. In this photo, I'm near Anguangueo, Mexico, where millions of eastern monarchs overwinter.
Literary memberships,
publications, & awards
I'll be a guest speaker at the VWC Symposium August 2, 2025. Topic: Creating Balance in Retirement for Writers
Golden Nib Awards 2021 & 2023. She's in the 2024 anthology and the 2025 Journal of the VWC..
Founded in 1918, "The Virginia Writers Club is a leading organization of seasoned and aspiring writers who are dedicated to fostering the art, craft, business and advocacy of the literary arts throughout the Commonwealth."
-VWC Mission Statement
Click on link above to published short stories.
"Pulse: voices from the heart of medicine" is an online journal that (to quote their tag lines) publishes personal accounts of illness and healing, fosters a humanistic approach to the practice of medicine, and encourages healthcare advocacy. In addition to having several of my own stories published there, I've read so many others of all ages--stories told by nurses, doctors, patients, and doctors and nurses when they've been patients.
It is published weekly. They accept well-written, short stories continuously. After expert editing assistance, accepted stories are often published quickly. Take a look. The link is to my stories but please look at their home page and read other's stories. Support them if you're inspired, moved, as I've been. It gives medical students a forum to hold on to their humanity in a system where it's challenging to maintain compassion.
PhD Dissertation: Pregnancy while Drug Dependent: "Not just me."
(Note: I wasn't drug dependent--I was researching women who were in recovery to better understand many of my midwifery clients.)