Time to Choose

Time to Choose is a novel set in Minnesota where, despite a strong liberal tradition in both major political parties, the state became polarized in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. By the late 1980's, the abortion issue was the most important blood test for political candidates seeking ndorsement from the major parties. Candidates who did not follow the party line on the issue of a woman's right to choose had little or no chance of endorsement. Those seeking middle ground were inevitably caught in the crossfire. This is the story of two people who stepped into the political arena. A dramatic story of changing roles of men and women in the increasingly acrimonious world of politics, Time to Choose is also a love story. It is about the choices that all of us face in our private and professional lives.

John Watson Milton was born in St. Paul. He graduated from Princeton University and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; he also studied at the Harvard School of Business. He was elected to the Ramsey County Board and the Minnesota Senate, where he became a recognized leader in health care policy. This led to service on several boards of state and national health and medical organizations. From 1970 to 1992, he worked on political campaigns at the national, state, and local level. Milton has written commentary and editorials for daily and weekly papers, feature articles and investigative reports for magazines, speeches for political campaigns, short stories, poetry, and recipes for several cookbooks. He's a contributing writer for the bilingual weekly La Prensa de Minnesota. His novel, The Fallen Nightingale, won two national awards for historical fiction, and has been re-published in Spanish and Catalan translations. The author lives with his wife, Maureen Angélica Acosta, on a small farm in Afton, Minnesota, where he writes and grows wine grapes.