A New Year Celebration with Maggie

​Happy New Year! I hope you all had a good celebration and are burdened with more fond memories of good times with family and friends than a headache from over-indulging.
 
I am happy to see 2018 go for many reasons, most of which I won’t list here. But I really could have done without my dog Tippy being diagnosed cancer in her left hind knee. That led to an amputation of the entire leg and is being followed by six sessions of chemotherapy (all of which consist of an injection). The chemo should extend her life – I hope – to a normal span of about 14 years. That remains to be seen. However, I do hope 2019 will offer better times.
 
That said, I am thankful for the friends and family of all kinds who brightened 2018 and with whom I have been able to spend time, laugh, talk, play, and dream. Thank you and bless you!
 
In my novel Seeing the Elephant, my character Maggie has similar feelings about 1863, although for completely different reasons, which she lists in her journal. Like me, she is thankful for friends and family.
 
I thought I’d put up that particular journal entry so both Maggie and I can celebrate the new year online with you. While you’re reading, again look for what resembles 21st century New Year’s celebrations and things that are different.
 
If you like what you see, you might look into purchasing a copy of any of my books. You don’t have to read the series in sequence, as I always try to give readers some background into the characters and their situation at the start of each novel. I think you’ll enjoy Maggie, and her quirky family and friends. You also might enjoy an immersion into 1860s America. Things were not all that different from the way they are today. Of course, the question is: is that a good thing or a bad thing? You’ll have to make that call for yourself.
 
Please enjoy the excerpt – and once again, Happy New Year!