Simone de Muñoz starts her days waking up her two boys and getting them ready for school before heading off to her job as a data analyst. At night, she writes and works on promoting her new novel Manflu, which was recently published in March 2021.
Manflu focuses on life ten years after a global pandemic where most men have died from falling ill and women are left to run society. The main character Dr. Morgan Digby is a scientist working tirelessly on a vaccine, encountering different obstacles while finding love along the way.
Simone graduated from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley in 2006 with a Master’s degree in Public Policy and currently works as a data analyst at a community service agency in Mountain View and Los Altos. She started writing Manflu as a way to escape and express the frustrations she felt during the #MeToo movement. For Simone, marketing and writing a novel set during the aftermath of a pandemic while personally experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging, but seeing the impact her writing had on readers was one of the best parts of her experience. I had the opportunity to speak with her about her work and personal experiences.
Can you tell me a little bit about your time at UC Berkeley in graduate school?
I started in 2004 at the Golden School of Public Policy to get a Master’s in Public Policy and I finished in 2006. I enjoyed the people I met and the best part was that the program had people from different career fields and in different stages of their careers. I had been working in policy research before I started Berkeley so it was relevant to my interests and I wanted more tools to go further in my career. After finishing the Public Policy program, you can take your degree into the many different fields that value that background.
What were some of your inspirations for your novel?
The origin of Manflu came out of the #MeToo movement because there were a lot of men in power getting in trouble and I was upset. I thought, “Why not give women a chance?” I’m sure we could do a better job. That was the origin of my novel—it wasn’t actually inspired by the pandemic but the #MeToo movement.
What was the process of writing a novel set after a pandemic while experiencing a literal pandemic?
I had multiple conflicting emotions about it. For me, writing is my escape and I enjoy it because it is fun, but when the pandemic started happening it became a little bit overwhelming since it was like non-stop pandemic talk. I was researching for my novel to make sure it was accurate and watching documentaries on pandemics, so it was a lot sometimes. I did have to be aware of things, though, so my book would feel accurate and change some details in my novel so it was more realistic.
What was it like publishing your novel set in the aftermath of a pandemic considering the present-day state of COVID-19?
People who read my novel realize that it’s focused mostly on the lingering effects of the pandemic and not the disaster of a pandemic as we are experiencing now. My novel focuses on what the women in charge do in this world, which is more utopian in that regard. Marketing has been difficult during the pandemic though, since we can’t do in-person events.
What other authors/novels inspired the feminist ideas prevalent in Manflu?
I was really inspired by Margret Atwood and The Handmaid’s Tale but for me, Manflu is like the counterpoint to it. The Handmaid’s Tale focuses on the men in charge and how life is terrible for women but I wanted to think about a different world where women were in power, becoming more collaborative and working together.
What was your favorite part about writing and publishing a novel?
I loved having people connect with my work. Recently, a book club read my book and invited me to join the discussion, and one person in the club connected with what I wrote which was one of the best feelings. Someone actually read my words and it spoke to them. It can’t get any better than that. Even if it’s just one person connecting with my work, that’s way better than selling a ton of copies.
What are your next steps? Do you plan on writing another novel in the future?
I have a short story coming out on November 30 called “The First Time in Forever” which is actually about two of the characters in Manflu and how they got together. I am thinking about writing more short stories in the future and eventually writing another novel.
Simone de Muñoz’s novel Manflu can be purchased at most major book retailers.