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