Yesterday I hit publish on a new Maggie May and Miss Fancypants story. It’s not a new mystery (although there is a bit of a mystery involved), but instead a short story about how Maggie and the crew are handling current events.
It’s called A Housebound Holiday and will be available on all major retailers in the next few days. (Print is approved and will be making its way to your favorite store soon, Apple is still not up yet. Ebook on all the other major retailers looks like it is available already.)
I mentioned when I published A Poisoned Past and Puppermints that I hadn’t decided at that point how to handle current events in Maggie’s world. I thought about ignoring them but I think they’re too much a part of our world right now and will continue to be so for at least another year. Also, Maggie being Maggie, she had thoughts and reactions to all of it that I thought were worth sharing.
So, much like the Halloween short story was my chance to get all the ooey-gooey lovey-dovey feelings about Matt out of the way before writing the next mystery, this short story is my way to get all of the oh dear, what kind of chaos is this feelings out of the way.
Here’s where the warnings come into play.
We are experiencing events that, depending on who you are and how you’ve been impacted personally, are traumatic. And serious. People have lost loved ones they didn’t expect to lose this year.
But there are aspects to what we’re experiencing that are humorous. (I can’t be the only one trying to find more room in my freezer every time I panic-buy more meat.)
I’ve included some of that in the story.
I did this because I grew up with a terminally-ill father who was in the hospital or the ER most every year at least once. And to survive that constant feeling that I might lose him, I learned to see the humor and the bright spots in the darkest moments.
Not everyone will handle dark situations the same, so this story will not be for everyone.
If you think that seeing someone joke about aspects of what we’re dealing with will cause you pain, do not read this story. I’ll include in the next novel anything you need to know.
There are also aspects to what we’re experiencing right now that are stressful and scary and some of that is also part of this story. (You know Maggie’s grandpa wasn’t going to be one to want to sit home because he’s old, right? No one dies in this story, but Maggie’s concern is real.)
Also, sadly, this whole situation has become very political. So the way Maggie and her family talk about events may be upsetting to those who don’t share those views.
Maggie, like me, thinks this is serious. She thinks this can harm the ones she loves. And she wants people to take it seriously. If you don’t share that view, maybe skip this story.
Because of what I did in this story, the next novel shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. The Baker Valley is going to be sealed off for however long this continues.
If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it. If you don’t, I completely understand.
Aleksa Baxter 