Mary Lloyd

And now, for the NEXT chapter! I am back to writing novels. Widow Boy, a historical thriller set in Cripple Creek at the start of the gold rush, was published two days ago. It's available both in paperback and for the Kindle. I had fun writing this story. It's true to the time and place, but fast paced and a good read.

I'm not sure if there will be more books about retirement. (Two are already in draft form but just don't want to be born.) There are so many retirement resources now. Maybe it's time for me to focus totally on the fun of making things up.

But I did have to write about "how we do old." Pitching a screenplay to a young Hollywood agent who ignored me like I was plastic fruit was the catalyst. The way she reacted me made me start to see everything a whole new way: we are treating anyone who's old enough to stop working as if they don't exist any more. What a waste.

I retired at 47 to "write novels." (Don't do that. It's a flimsy plan.) I'm at the leading edge of the baby boom, so I learned early about the emptiness of all that leisure stuff you think will keep you happy and busy. The fiction writer I claimed I was going to be got lost in the travel and playtime that traditional retirement involves. It was brutally unfulfilling for me, but it took a long time for me to figure out that it was "retirement" that was screwed up, not me. I wrote Supercharged Retirement so others could avoid all the mistakes I made.

I grew up in Wisconsin but live in the Pacific Northwest now--after Idaho, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Nebraska, and Colorado. (It doesn't look like it but I really am a responsible adult.) I love to hike and garden and to spend time with my kids, grandkids, and sibs. I love to try new things, especially in unexpected ways.

Please do check out Widow Boy. It's a thriller set in the American West. I lived near Cripple Creek when the story began to form in my mind; I've walked the ground--literally. And please check back to see what I'm up to in the future. I'm terrible at doing the same thing again and again, so the next story will be different--as will the one after that. The one thing I will keep constant is my commitment to give you a good read. Thanks.