1/26/26 My Author Life

I don’t even know where to begin. What started off as a quiet and usual week of weather turned into a massive snowmageddon storm for most of the country. Here in Oklahoma, the snowstorms are over, but the frigid air is hanging on for a few days. We are blessed not to have had the sleet and freezing rain like so many others. Prayers going out to those who got hit with freezing rain across the southern states. 

My son, Parker, drove over yesterday and shoveled out my driveway. If he hadn’t, it would have taken me a lot longer to get it cleared. My drive is a small hill, and my footing isn’t as sure on snow as it once was. After 15 years in Oklahoma, this Wisconsin girl has lost all sense of how to deal with winter and all that it entails. My hope is to get out today at some point, just to get the TB moving if nothing else. 

School was called off today, so all the kiddos are safe at home, where I’m sure at some point a few might venture out to their backyards. As for Miss M, I know she’ll stay inside and either play games or watch movies on her phone. 

I am looking forward to the warmer temperatures that are on the way for the rest of the week, especially at night, so I can turn all the faucets off in the house. They’ve been “dripping” since late Friday afternoon to prevent the pipes from freezing. 

I think I suffered from brain freeze, not the kind you get from ice cream either, all weekend. I didn’t accomplish any writing or getting my business records in order for my tax appointment this week. However, I’m feeling a bit more with it today, so there’s still hope. 😊 

Well, my friend, it is time for me to start engaging my brain here at Quillcote and get those thinking things done. Stay safe and warm, my friend. 

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 

01/19/26 It's An Author Life

Amazing, isn’t it, how one little thing can make you forget what day it is? That’s me today. It’s MLK day, and I totally dismissed the fact that it is Monday since there is no school or mail today. So here I am, scrambling to give you a peek into what the last week has been for me. 

Not a whole lot happened this past week, but I’ll give you a quick snapshot. 

Saturday was the month CROW lunch and meeting in OKC. There were 8 of us for lunch at SanMarcos on SW 59^th St., and they were very busy. The food was great, the staff friendly, and the company at the table even better. Once we all filled our bellies, we headed down the block to the Almonte Library for our monthly meeting. Fellow CROW member, MarkJones, led a presentation on writing slow-burn tension versus sudden shocks, and how those techniques work across genres. After Mark’s program, we had our usual business meeting to discuss upcoming programs for 2026, the status of the NEST writing competition, and financials. 

Sunday was my church’s quarterly meeting and potluck. Dang! There was so much food that I never did get to sample a little of everything. I may be biased, but First Lutheran Church does have several marvelous cooks and bakers in our little family-friendly congregation, where the children are starting to outnumber the adults. After lunch, the quarterly meeting went off without a hitch, with several items on the agenda voted on and passed. 

Well, my friend, it is time for me to start making preparations in Quillcote for the arctic blast and wintry weather expected this weekend. Stay safe and warm, my friend. 

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 

01/12/26 It's An Author's Life

We are all creatures of habit, aren’t we? I know I am more so in my retirement years. I have a routine every morning that sometimes hampers me from doing anything that starts at 8am. I know weekdays are when I pick up my granddaughter from school. I set aside the evenings for working on my latest book, which I am currently so far behind on. I have time set aside for household tasks (i.e., laundry, cleaning, paying the bills). Then again, there are times when I have the urge to do something that isn’t on my schedule, and I do it…If it isn’t too early in the morning. Hahaha 

The past several weeks have been dedicated to getting things in order after the holidays. After getting the Christmas tree down, packed up, and put away, I couldn’t sleep the night of January 6 (the last day of Christmas) and kept thinking about moving furniture. So, I got up a little after midnight (which was January 7) and moved the furniture around my living room. Well, it was just putting things back to their usual places. After 45 minutes, I took two ibuprofen and slept like a rock the rest of the night. 

I am so proud of my community, which can be critical of what is happening in and around town, for coming together the past week in the search for a missing 12-year-old boy. It took a little over a week to find him, but with the help of the United Cajun Navy on the last couple of days, he was located near his home on Sunday, where he was hiding. His mother and stepfather are both in jail awaiting charges. There are so many unanswered questions, but for now, he was found safe and is currently in state custody until a suitable family can be found for him. Continuing to pray for this boy as he puts his life back together with the help and love of those around him. If you are interested in learning more, you can find the story on Facebook and any news station in the Oklahoma City area.

Even though it may get into the 60s today, it’ll still be cool enough at night to keep the heat on in Quillcote. I know you are wondering who or what Quillcote is. As 2026 began, I decided to give my home a new identity that defines the household. I did a search asking if and what people named their homes. Quillcote came up, and after following the link, I decided I would also call my home by that name. The original Quillcote was the home of author Kate Douglas Wiggin in Maine. I also found out Quillcote means “home of the pen,” so I asked ChatGPT to give me a tagline and logline based on that definition. I absolutely love what it came up with, so I made this design on BookBrush:

Well, my friend, it is time for me to open the front door and welcome the day into Quillcote.

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