12/16/24 It's an Author's Life

It has been a week of an unexpected blessing and a profound sadness.

My sister-in-law, Sandy, received good news on Wednesday after her PET scan came back showing she is currently cancer-free. A few months ago, she was diagnosed with both stage 4 liver and lung cancer. Through prayers and rounds of chemo, which will continue until scheduled rounds are completed, my family is celebrating.

I received a call Friday morning from the daughter of a good friend, a sister really, telling me her mother had passed the day before. Carla was more than a friend; she was a confidant, sister, muse, critique partner—she was many things to many people. Carla and I had been through many ups and downs together throughout our lives since the mid-1980s, our kids are the same age, and we shared our heartaches and our triumphs. In a dream on Saturday morning between 7 and 9 (I have a morning routine so I know the timeframe), I tore down a huge wasp nest on the inside of a door causing honey to stream down the walls and drip from the ceiling on me. Dreaming about honey represents many things, in this case, I believe it was Carla letting me know she is with her mom, whose nickname was Honey. To say I miss my friend tremendously is an understatement. 

Please keep both families in your thoughts and prayers as they venture on their healing journeys.

My message this week is to keep your family close. Push those bad feelings aside. Love one another. Cherish every moment with loved ones, because we never know when God will call them home.

I can never thank you enough for continuing to read these snippets into my life as an author. I hope I haven’t bored you too much with them. 😊 After all, other’s lives are never as glamorous as we may think they are.

Maxine 

Carla in Nashville, TN (circa 1990s)

(July 15,1952 - December 12, 2024)

12/9/24 It's An Author's Life

Overall things were fairly quiet this past week.

Since we are now in Advent, I attended church Wednesday night. It is an early service, with a potluck supper beforehand; it’s nice to get together with members of the congregation and share a meal. We do this all through Advent.

Saturday night our local Christmas parade took place, and it was over 40 minutes long. As a Chickasha Area Arts Council member, I helped at our hot dog and hot chocolate table, which parade goers loved. The CAAC does this every year because believe it or not, it does get “cold” in Oklahoma. This was my first official event with the CAAC since rejoining and I must say that it feels good to be surrounded by creative types again.

I attended the 2^nd Advent Sunday service and the continued Bible study on Exodus. It is always interesting how one question can lead Pastor in a different direction, which can happen often. I like that he feels he needs to address that question right then and there. While Pastor was teaching Bible study in the Fellowship Hall, the children of our little congregation were in the sanctuary practicing their Christmas Eve service program.

Writing-wise, I revamped the first couple of chapters of my WIP, yet again. I’m really trying to make this story work and I’m getting to the point where I may have to let it sit for a while and move on to another story. But I’m not ready to table it just yet.

Stay safe and warm as you venture out to your local Christmas parades and celebrations.

I can never thank you enough for continuing to read these snippets into my life as an author. I hope I haven’t bored you too much with them. 😊 After all, other’s lives are never as glamorous as we may think they are.

Maxine

Photos found on Chickasha Chamber of Commerce FB Page *Here*

Photo credit: Cassie Poole

12/2/24 It's An Author's Life

It was a busy week with getting ready for Thanksgiving, and like many of you, it took up most of my time. My son came over and not only cooked but also cleaned up the kitchen. Then he and my youngest granddaughter put the decorations up on the tree and it looks so pretty.

I’ve thought about a new series called Letters to Santa. I can envision this series being multi-genre, and if all goes well, I hope to have the first book ready for Christmas 2025. I’ve spent most of my creative time since Thanksgiving designing book mockup cover options for the series. I know I should be writing, but this is at the forefront of my creativity.

I did put my ebook The Gingerbread Inn on sale for 99¢ the entire month of December. Watch for Nikki and Seth’s story to be available at more online retail outlets this spring.

I didn’t finish reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King, I do recommend it if you like historical time travel with an alternative ending to history.

And finally, I saw Wicked with my friends Carlotta and Amy on Saturday at our local theater in 3D. We all loved it and have agreed we are all Team Elphaba! If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you do. I didn’t see the stage production so I have nothing to compare it to other than the book Wicked which I read over 20 years ago.

That’s it for this week. If you were out shopping for those bargains, I hope you found everything you were looking for. If not, I know you’ll find what you need to put under your tree.

Stay safe and warm as you venture out.

Thank you for continuing to read these snippets into my life as an author. I hope I haven’t bored you too much with them. 😊 After all, other’s lives are never as glamorous as I may think it is.

Maxine

It's An Author's Life

What a way to start last week! It’s mid-November and Mother Nature was waking Oklahoma up Monday morning to storms and/or tornadoes. Schools were either on a delayed start, virtual learning or closed completely. So, Miss Makenna was dropped off by her dad (my son) at 7:30 so I could take her to school at 8:30. Evidently there were at least 6 tornadoes in the state, making the total 22 for the month of November. Hopefully, the second tornado season is over now.

Watched a couple of AutoCrit videos on YouTube this morning. The first one was good, the second was all over the place and I couldn’t follow it. Maybe I need more coffee when I watch a certain presenter. This is a service for authors/writers that has a free option with limited abilities. The other two tiers have all the bells and whistles. I’m thinking that I just might subscribe to one of the paid tiers and see just how much I actually use all the features.

Miss Makenna decided on Tuesday that it was time to put up the Christmas tree after school, but not to decorate it yet. Let’s see if I can get her to start on it by the end of the week. LOL

On #BookQuoteWednesday (#BookQW) I posted the word of the week on my social media places: Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads, and TikTok. I still have my X/Twitter account but am not using it now.

It was in the high 30s this morning! Not sure I’m ready for cold weather yet. This former #Wisconsin girl has truly become an #Okie at least where the weather is concerned. Cold in the morning, warmer in the afternoon—typical Oklahoma fall weather.

Miss Makenna and I ended up going over to T-Mobile on Thursday to see why her hotspot wasn’t working. Come to find out, between her and her dad they used up their 4G allotment; he slips down to 4G while she slips down to 3G, and nothing was working for her. So, I ended up going to their Go5G plan, which was only $6 more a month and the hotspots go up to 5G then fall to 4G as they use it up. Now that her hotspot is upgraded, she’ll be happy to stay home next week as school is closed for Thanksgiving.

My 90-year-old mother called in the morning to say that there was a “blizzard” outside her window. She’s in assisted living, has a big picture window in her living quarters, and was watching the first Wisconsin snow of the season fall.

Started checking up on my favorite Bald Eagle pair *live* on YouTube. Shadow and Jackie are getting ready for another egg-laying season by bringing sticks and fluff to the nest. As mating and laying season heats up, there will be more nest activity to watch. They live in Big Bear Valley in California and are an interesting pair full of personality. There are two cameras set up for the nest and their roosting trees. This is a great tool for the kiddos once Jackie gets ready to lay her first egg. Follow Jackie and Shadow here: FOBBV CAM - YouTube

Guess who used up all her allotted space on her hotspot? Yep, had to explain to her that she can’t use it like the internet. Consequently, she’s opted to have her dad drop her off in the mornings this week for Thanksgiving break.

Football Saturday was yet another disappointing game as my son and I watched the Badgers lose to Nebraska.

Helped with Christmas decorating church after service followed by a lunch in the fellowship hall. It was a glorious Sunday with temps in the high 70s; summer’s latest attempt to hang out before true fall weather settles in this week.

One more day left until I have to finish reading 11/22/63. I’m looking forward to hearing what the other members of Chapter Chat have to say about this Stephen King book. I don’t think I’m going to finish it. However, I am halfway through it.

Turkey went into the refrigerator after church giving it about 4 days to be ready. Hoping it is thawed out by Thursday morning to be popped into the roaster.

Thank you for continuing to read these snippets into life as an author. I hope I haven’t bored you too much. 😊

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels from my family to yours!

Maxine

It’s An Author’s Life

I hope you’ve had a great week, I know it’s been a busy one for me. As the Christmas romcoms start broadcasting, I always remember that even though a big piece of my heart will always belong to my late husband, sometimes it would be nice to have a gentleman in my life after all this time. Maybe this year Santa has one on his list for me that fits all my criteria. That being said, are you ready to dive into my author life that is far from resembling a Hallmark movie? 

Back-to-back meetings on Tuesday night. The first one was with the Chickasha Friends of the Library where I was asked to give my input on the recent local author event. The event, while small as there really is only room for about 16 authors, was a success and the authors who attended, including myself, had good results. A few were first timers and the feedback from them was good. We discussed marketing earlier for Fall of 2025, which we all agreed was a good time of year. Meeting number two was with the Chickasha Area Arts Council, which I am once again a member of, to discuss a couple of upcoming major events next month. CAAC was one of my artistic tribes a few years ago and I’m glad to be back among them.

I got out early in the morning on Wednesday and did my Thanksgiving dinner shopping. Went to three stores before I got a reasonably priced turkey. Started off at Walmart where I got several everyday items (water/vitamins) and checked the price of ham and turkey. Then I went to Homeland because they are having a “but a ham get a free turkey” promotion. Well, paying between $30 and $40 for a whole ham is not in my budget, even if a free turkey comes with it. My last stop was Aldi and BINGO! I got a 12# turkey (Honeysuckle) for under $10; also got several other items needed for Thanksgiving Day dinner. I’d forgotten that I can get more bang for my buck at Aldi and may have to rethink my shopping routine. How’s your shopping going?

I’m making progress on this month’s reading assignment for my book club, Chapter Chat, through my local library. I renewed it for the end of the month since it is such a long book. I’m invested in it and my writing has taken a backseat this month. Given that I’m on page 269 of 849, I HIGHLY recommend you read 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

I also jumped on the Bluesky bandwagon and so far, am loving it. A lot of people are jumping from X (fka Twitter) over to it. There are several authors you love there, and you can make your own Starter Packs, which I don’t fully understand yet, although it would be a great way for a reader to gather their favorite authors and offer a place for readers to come together. If you decide to create a profile, look me up here: Maxine on Bluesky

My youngest granddaughter decorated my fireplace mantel after school on Thursday. She arranged the Christmas village with 4 buildings including a church, a couple of snowmen, kids having a snowball fight, and flocked pine trees. This is the first time in 6 years since my late husband’s death that I’ve put up more than just a tree. I’ve got ideas for the tops of the windows, so it’ll be interesting to see if I get them decorated or not. All the pieces were stored among my craft items when I fell down the DT craft rabbit hole several years ago.

The weather is about to change, and boy has my knee osteoarthritis been letting me know it. I’ve had to use my cane more than usual this past week and I hate it. Been spending a bit of time on the stationary bike to work those muscles behind my knees and get them stretched out. In the process of moving things around in my office (which is where the bike is), I found my chair lumbar support which I am now using in my recliner, and I can already feel the difference walking with the way it positions my hips and back.

It’s Big 10 football Saturday in my house and it’s the day my son and I watch the Wisconsin Badgers together. Made an Aldi run this morning to grab a few things I forgot the other day and to get munchies for today and stuff to make taco casserole today. I picked up a 32 oz Stanley dup for $7.99 while I was there as well. Score!! Have you ever tried the Aldi brand Clancy’s Turkey Stuffing ruffle chips? You know what? They aren’t half bad; I’d buy them again.

But before the coin toss happened, I attended a Google Meets of CROW (Central Regional Oklahoma Writers) online meeting since I couldn’t go today. The program was entitled “Murders Follow Me Around” by Lisbeth L. McCarthy; it was an interesting topic. The CROWs are my writing tribe and friends in my life that are cherished.

A day of worship with Bible study followed by worship. Read more of 11/22/63 all last week. Also took time to watch a bit of the Packer Bears game. The weather took a turn overnight and the cold weather is about to set in. Glad I turned the heat on a few days ahead of time to help my 1950s brick Craftsman-style home stay warm.

Thank you for your continued support, you’re very much appreciated for jumping into the stories that weave their way through my mind.

Maxine

 Welcome to #MondayMusings with a review of my #authorlife this past week

Where shall I start? It has been a relatively quiet week really. The weather is still determining if it wants to still be summer or shift to fall. It is nice in the afternoons with the nights being cool enough that I have the heat on to keep the chill out of my brick home.

I belong to my local library book club, Chapter Chat, and this month everyone is reading the same book. Stephen King is not an author I’ve ever read nor had any desire to, BUT I have to say that this one is right up my alley. 11/22/63 is a time travel leading up to the assassination of JFK. It’s a very long book at 800+ pages, I’m only on page 119, and since Chapter Chat meets the last Monday of the month it may seem like I have plenty of time. However, this library loan is a library loan, which means my library borrowed it from another library so it could loan it to me. I have to have it back on the 18^th (not sure if this one can be renewed or not given it’s loaned to my library) so I’ve been spending most of what would be my writing time reading. I have found the characters engaging and I’m now invested in their journey.

Family life wise, my beautiful youngest granddaughter took a tour of the local tech school last week for Advisory class. She’s decided that she either wants to be in the hospitality field or a graphic designer/artist. I was surprised by the first one as she’s not overly outgoing or social, but the artist side of her is leaning more towards her second choice. My oldest granddaughter and her husband is expecting their second child around Easter! Finally, my great-granddaughter gets her wish for either a baby sister or brother.

On the writing side of life, I do have a good start on the next chapter of Deceitful Promises (a Gilded Age romantic mystery/suspense). I probably won’t get fully back to writing it until next month. As of last night (11/11/24) I am now on Bluesky, an alternative to X (fka Twitter). I’m still figuring out how it works but if you’re a social media person, pop on over and follow me.

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving and pray that you can spend it with the ones you love.

Love,

Maxine

Let's Catch Up!

 Hi Everyone,

Yes, it has been a long minute since I last posted here, but I have rectified that starting today!

My newsletter has been as silent as my blog, hopefully that will start to liven up as well.

In the meantime, let me give you a brief idea of what life has been like since 2022.

My DIL was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease about 6 years ago shortly after my late husband passed. Huntington's is genetic and hereditary. I had been caring for Ashley while my son was at work since May 2023. It is with deep sadness I say this: Ashley passed on July 22 at the age of 39.

The only comfort we have is knowing that she has gone home to the Lord and is without the pain this disease causes. I won't go into the specifics of its horrible symptoms and what it does to the person who has it.

Now for some good news!

During the past two years, I have been writing and publishing. Today I updated my Romance Bookshelf tab above, so you can catch up.

I have two previously published books that have been re-edited and are being published by Rowan Prose Publishing in 2025. I'm excited to have these two stories available and their stories told once again. 

I also have several stories on my to-do list and can't wait to write them for each of you.

I hope you have all been well. Thank you for your support during my absence. 

Love,

Maxine