11/24/25 It's An Author's Life

“Tradition. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!” 

Can you guess what I saw over the weekend? Our local community theater put on a production of Fiddler on the Roof, and it was fabulous! The old movie theater that houses the Chickasha Community Theater was packed from the first performance on Thursday night through the last performance Sunday afternoon. As if I couldn’t get enough of this story and music, I found and watched the 1971 film on YouTube. 

My youngest granddaughter spent last week with me. Her dad (my son) had to work second shift and didn’t want to come at midnight to pick her up, then wake her up for school in the morning. This week, she’s off for Thanksgiving and is spending a couple of days here, but going home when dad gets off. While my daily routine was adjusted for a few days, I don’t mind because one day she’ll not have as much time for us old people. LOL 

I made homemade mac and cheese last Saturday. I’m not a fan of it (grew up eating way too much of the boxed stuff), but this wasn’t too bad. It was done in time to watch the Wisconsin Badgers beat Illinois at home. It was Senior Day at Camp Randall (which was a Civil War training center), and I am happy they could end their last home game with a win. 

Speaking of traditions, do you have your tree up yet? I put mine up last week, but it isn’t decorated, and I’m fine with that this year. At night, it’s a nice soft light in the living room. What are your holiday decorating traditions? Are traditions meant to change each year, or stay absolutely the same? 

This year for Thanksgiving, we are planning on a pot roast for dinner. Traditionally, I usually have a turkey roasting all day, and the table is set, including designated places for all the sides. I don’t think I’m even setting the table this year; instead, we’ll use TV trays and sit in the living room to watch the Packers/Lions game. With only three of us around the table, I don’t see any reason to go way out for holiday dinners anymore. I know you’re thinking, “Oh, that’s so sad,” when in fact it’s practical. Ninety percent of our family is in Wisconsin, with the other 10% on the West Coast. What’s going to be on your table this Thanksgiving? 

That is about it for now. Have a wonderful week and Thanksgiving with your loved ones! 

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

May your ereader or bookshelf overflow with delightful books to read!

Maxine 

11/18/25 It's An Author's Life

Yes, I’m a bit late with this posting. I manned the Chickasha Area Arts Council art store yesterday, so I wasn’t able to get this out on time. Nevertheless, here it is. 

Today is release day for Deceitful Promises, a Letters to Santa story, available on Amazon on both KU and print. It is actually the first in a series I hope to add to each year in time for the holiday season. Here’s a sneak peek for you: 

1889 Post Land Rush 

In the untamed territory of the Unassigned Lands, where dreams clash with harsh realities, a tale of love, secrets, and unforeseen alliances unfold. And where promises are made, promises are broken. 

Secrets, misunderstandings, and unforeseen circumstances test their resolve, challenging Kit in his search for a bride, Lydia in her desire to be more than a servant, and Clara in her quest to bring a criminal to justice, face their deepest desires and find the true meaning of love amidst the festive Christmas season. 

That is about it for now. Have a wonderful week! Open those windows and let the Fall fresh air in if you can; it won’t be long before our homes are buttoned up tight to keep the cold winter wind out! 

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

May your ereader or bookshelf overflow with delightful books to read!

Maxine 

11/10/25 It's An Author's Life

What do A Christmas Story and a 50’ leg lamp have to do with a small town in Oklahoma? In the documentary Fragilé, independent film director Reagan Elkins spent 5 years of his life making this film, and I can say it is awesome after watching it with friends on Sunday afternoon! It centers on one man’s vision to revive his hometown as a thriving community just off the interstate, complete with a major tourist attraction, and the opposition he faced. I have some thoughts on the reasons for the opposition that I’ll keep to myself, but if you watch this film, I think you’ll know what I mean. Like the logline says, “how a giant leg lamp nearly tore a small town apart.” 

I got to listen to and see one of my favorite tribute bands on Friday. Journey of a Lifetime played once again at Legends Pubhouse & Venue. With two general admission tickets in our hands, my friend Carlotta and I got one of the last tables available, and we were there almost 2 hours ahead of showtime! While the table was off to the side of the stage, we had a great time. After all, we wanted to hear the music of Journey and weren’t much concerned about actually seeing the band. 

Since we were there so early, we ordered a pizza and wings, plus drinks. Not only was the pizza great, but the wings (which I’m generally not a fan of) were tasty. I saw a couple of my other friends – Anna (who gifted me the tickets) and Angie – who came over to say hello. They were lucky enough to have reserved tables. The dance floor was packed and everyone had fun. If you ever get a chance to see Journey of a Lifetime and you love the music of Journey, I highly recommend you do. 

Oklahoma weather and Mother Nature are playing around again. The heat has been on in the house over the weekend, as it was getting colder at night, and it dropped into the 20s this morning. However, in just a few days, it’ll be back in the 70s for highs and 40s/50s for lows. Thankfully, the sun shines and the sky is blue, while those of you back home in Wisconsin dealt with a bit of snow over the weekend. 

And wasn’t that Badger Football win awesome! It brought tears to my eyes watching the players stay on the field as the fans left their seats and rushed the field. The win against Washington was won with heart and grit, the boys never giving up and Coach Fickle finally seeing and feeling love from the Wisconsin fans, who can be harsh—myself included. All of this while the snow was falling in Camp Randall on the UW-Madison campus. 

That is about it for now. Have a wonderful week! Open those windows and let the fresh air in if you can; it won’t be long before our homes are buttoned up tight to keep the cold winter wind out! It's coming sooner than we think.

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

May your ereader or bookshelf overflow with delightful books to read!

Maxine 

11/3/25 It's An Author's Life

Here it is, the Monday after Halloween, and there isn’t a candy bar in my house! Yes, I’m sad. No one to blame but myself, as I didn’t even buy any, and only one knock at the door (even with my porch light off). It was a beautiful night for the trick-or-treaters, and I’m sure they all got more sugar in the buckets than their parents would want them to consume. I’m sure you remember those days when your bucket was gone through by mom to make sure there weren’t any opened packages of candy and all fruit was inspected. I hope times haven’t changed, and Mom is still checking that candy. 

Yesterday afternoon, I pushed the publish button! Deceitful Promises is officially uploaded and ready for you to start reading on November 25. It will be available on Kindle Unlimited starting then as well as in print. There are several people to thank for their assistance, expertise, and for always being there as this story was started and stopped, and changed more than once per the characters whose story they entrusted me to tell. 

I guess the holiday season is fully upon us. Hallmark and Great American Family have Christmas movies on 24/7. The stores have completed putting out their holiday displays and merchandise, tempting us to buy something new to decorate our homes with. I miss the days when we looked forward in anticipation to the day after Thanksgiving, when the toy and Christmas sections were revealed, and we got up before the crack of dawn to grab that limited quantity gift our little one wanted so badly. And when our parents, and we once we became parents, came home with the Sears Christmas Catalog and manned with a pen, went page by page through it, marking everything we wanted under the tree. We thought it was how Santa would know what we wanted in case we couldn’t get to see him at one of his store visits. Yes, gone are the days of Christmas mystic. 

That is about it for now. Have a wonderful week! Open those windows and let the air in if you can; it won’t be long before our homes are buttoned up tight to keep the cold winter wind out! 

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

May your ereader or bookshelf overflow with delightful books to read!

Maxine