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Friday, July 18, 2014

Maggie Jaimeson: What Shall I Be When I Grow Up?

Today is my 60th birthday. Yes, I have actually been on this earth that long, though I think in my mind I’m still about 28. My body begs disagree, but it is my mind that counts.  When I look back on my life I have been pretty blessed. I’ve enjoyed at least three careers—computer programming and IT management, teacher and academic executive, and now full time author. I love learning and I’ve done it through education and travel and lots and lots of reading—both fiction and non-fiction.

One of the great benefits of being an author is that I am always learning—learning about my characters, learning about the craft of writing, and learning about the people and places and cultures and decisions that impact my characters and their stories. I get to vicariously live many lives through my characters, and most important I get to control the final outcome to be what I want it to be. I get to create a happily ever after no matter what tortuous journey my characters have undertaken.


All of my stories are some reflection of me. I can’t help but do that. It doesn’t mean I’ve personally lived those lives, but I believe our human experiences of grief and joy and discernment are universal no matter the country, the culture, or even a different world than earth. Often the lives of my characters are ones that I dreamed I could have for myself, but never had the guts or the time or funds to pursue them. For example, in my Sweetwater Canyon series I follow five women in an Americana band. I played piano and violin as a child and into high school and college. I had dreams of being in a band, but I never pursued it as a career. I couldn’t imagine supporting myself as a musician even though I often dreamed of it.


In my Forest People fantasy series, my young adult heroine not only has to figure out who she is and what her gifts are, but she has to save not one world but two. And she is only sixteen! I can remember being a teenager and feeling like the world was on my shoulders. I was bound and determine to make a difference and to do the right thing. Figuring out how to do that is really the journey of moving from young adult to adulthood.  I’ve learned that most of us re-evaluate that journey at every decade in our life. My path at 25 was not the same as my path at 40, and now at 60 there is even more that I want to accomplish in my life.

In my new romantic suspense Shadow Finders series, my Marine Corps buddies are backed up by the women who love them. They take on truly evil people, corporations, or governments to save those who are forgotten or lost. Though I grew up at a time when women in combat or as police officers or other typical male roles was not at all common, I still fantasized about being a big hero—whether that was as an EMT or a mercenary or my version of superman as a woman. Yes women can kick butt too, but I would do it with less violence and more thoughtful and permanent changes. Shadow Finders allows me to explore the tension between violence and peace and change while still believing that love conquers all.


What were your dreams for your future? Do you still have some of those dreams? Have your dreams changed over the years? If so, in what way?

Because this is an important birthday for me, I’m giving away a free fiction ebook of your choice. Anyone who answers my question about your dreams for your future can choose any ONE of my currently available fiction titles in the ebook format you desire.

Go to http://maggielynch.com to read more about each of my books. Choose one that appeals to you. Complete this form and I’ll send you the book of your choice.

Happy Reading!

After more than 30 years in careers including software development and training, distance learning, and executive leadership in academic computing, Maggie decided to follow her first love and pursue writing full time. She writes adult fiction in romance and SF under the name Maggie Jaimeson, young adult fiction under the name Maggie Faire, and non-fiction under the name Maggie Lynch. You can find all of her books at http://maggielynch.com 

8 comments:

Sue Peace said...

Happy Birthday to you, Maggie!! Ever since I was young I had my head in a book or a pencil in my hand and dreamed of becoming an author/writer. That is still just a dream, lol, but lots of times I am living the dream...happy, good career, married with kids, living where we do... My dreams for the future change as I change...now I just dream of a good future for my 13 year old autistic daughter where she will be happy, well adjusted, independent, and successful in whatever she chooses to be, and we are working hard to make sure that dream becomes a reality. :) Sue

erin said...

Happy Birthday!!! LOL... my dreams from when I was a girl are completely different from real life now that I'm an adult. But it's all for the good and I'm hoping that there's still time to achieve some new dreams :) Have a great weekend!

Liz Flaherty said...

Happy birthday! When I was a teenager, I dreamed of being a full time writer. Then I spent 40-some years doing other things and having a great life. Now I am that full time writer, and the dream is all the sweeter because of the different ones (also sweet) that took up the middle years.

Barbara E. said...

Happy Birthday Maggie! I've passed you up, so I know how it feels to hit that birthday, but it's better than the alternative! I'm so grateful I've reached 62, that I can't complain about it. My dreams have always been fairly simple, be able to earn a living, have a home, see my friends and family, travel, and read lots of books. I've reached some of my dreams and am still working on others, especially the travel part. Now that I'm older, my dreams are now geared towards being able to live comfortably after I retire, and stay healthy enough to enjoy that retirement when it gets here. :D

Maggie Lynch said...

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I like your dream for the future.

Autism is a hard road, but it can also be a rewarding one as parents are challenged to see the world from a different perspective. That different perspective will help you to assist your daughter.

One of my early careers (late 1970's) was working with families with autistic children. The thing I remember the most was that love and behavioral consistency made strides beyond any predictions of success. It sounds like you are on the right track. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts.

Maggie Lynch said...

As long as you are alive there is always time to achieve new dreams. I have a friend who is in her early 70's. This year she finally published the first three books in a seven book paranormal romance series. Those books have been in her head for 15 years, but she is now able to share them with the world. So, keep dreaming and keep going after them.

Maggie Lynch said...

Liz, congratulations on making your full-time writer dream come to fruition.

You make a great point about the past as well. Though I sometimes look back and say "If only I had started in my 20's I would have so many more books out now" or "I would be so much more popular." I then stop myself and list all the things that I would not have experienced if I'd done only that. The list is so long that I would not be who I am today, nor I would have the breadth of experience to delve for my writing.

A big part of happiness for me is living in the moments that life provides and seeing where it takes you. It sounds like you have done that in spades.

I truly believe that a big part of being happy is accepting serendipity and living in those moments to see where they can take you.

Maggie Lynch said...

Barbara, you make a good point about being "grateful I've reached 62." It's a good reminder that just being alive is a dream come true. Though you categorize your dreams as "simple," I think for many people those dreams seem unachievable. So, congrats for reaching some of them.

One of the things I've learned about retirement is that, unless you have lots of money saved, you need to adjust your dreams to the reality of income. But that's not all bad. My husband and I have found that visiting a local park, or attending a free music concert, or celebrating a community event can bring lots of fun into our life and provide new experiences to warm us. I think books can do that too. I love going into a new world with characters who have problems to solve and the fortitude to solve them. It is vicarious experience, but it is still amazing experience.

Hang in there, Barbara. I hope your travel dreams come true.