By Hollie Harris
Far away in Scotland the lure of an advertisement to ‘Come and Teach in the Sun’ showing a man in budgie smugglers, a gown and mortarboard caught the eye of a young primary school teacher.
Maggie Christensen took up that invitation and set off to Australia to escape the cold, damp climate she grew up in and began teaching in the Western Suburbs of Sydney.
In the years to come, Maggie would complete several degrees in Education, move on to teach in tertiary education, meet the love of her life and eventually become a manager for a Learning and Development unit in a Health Service, where she also managed a state-wide Registered Training Organisation. It was around this time, that Maggie began to write her first novel.
“I wrote The Sand Dollar over a number of years,” Maggie said.
“It was something I’d always wanted to do, but never made time for. I ran an education department in health, like Jenny (in The Sand Dollar.) I faced a redundancy, and like Jenny I spent time in US while negotiating the redundancy,” she said.
She went on to publish Band of Gold, a story about a middle-aged English teacher living in Sydney and hasn’t stopped writing since.
“I love to create characters who my readers can relate to, who appear in future books like old friends,” she said.
With an ever-growing base of loyal fans that enjoy reading about mature women living fulfilled lives, Maggie now lives here in Noosa with her husband Jim, who is also an author. She has just published her seventh novel.
Maggie says that Australian publishing houses are rarely interested in books about older protagonists, considering them too difficult to market.
“Many readers are over 50. This was the generation that spawned Young Adult literature and are now baby boomers. A reviewer said (about my books) that it is refreshing to read about women who aren’t twenty-somethings and wanting to have babies,” she said.
Her novels portray mature women in life-changing situations. They are heart-warming stories of second chances about women in their forties, fifties and sixties.
“I believe that older women and the events which impact on their lives are often ignored in literature. Life for older women presents similar and different challenges to their younger counterparts,” she said.
Rather than conform to publishing trends, Maggie stayed true to her genre known as mature women’s fiction, boomer lit, seasoned romance or life lit.
Inspired by authors Lis Byrski and Hilary Boyd who also write about older women, Maggie explores issues which only emerge over time, such as ageing and death of parents, retrenchment, retirement, downsizing, grown children, grandchildren, widowhood and the empty nest syndrome.
“More and more social media groups seem to be setting up to feed this genre which is mostly peopled by indie authors.
“I’ve chosen to be an indie author (self-publish) because I’m a bit of a control freak. I don’t want to have to change my story or the title and I want to choose my own cover – one which suits the story and with an image that looks like the character in the book. I want to set my own deadlines. I think I may be too old to work to someone else’s deadlines,” Maggie said.
Maggie’s love for books began as a young girl in Scotland. Growing up in a house full of adults, she became an avid reader.
“I loved to lose myself in a book. I remember long warm summers when the daylight seemed to last forever, and icy cold winters with snow and frost,” she said.
“I always wanted to write, to see my books in bookshops and to have a book launch. My first book launch at Annie’s Books on Peregian was a dream come true.”
Like a young Maggie, many people tend to imagine the life of a writer to be romantic and glamourous, but there is an intense process behind a finished novel and a great deal of dedication.
“It takes around six months for the first draft. Then there is a lot of re-writing and editing before it goes to my critique partner, then my beta readers, then my editor.
“I have a goal to write at least 1000 words before I go out to meet friends for coffee, do my volunteer work with Friends of Noosaville Library. I select and deliver books to a woman who is housebound or catch up with any other chores. I can then go back to my writing later in the day.”
“It is hard work, and I’m very good at procrastinating. But it’s a wonderful feeling when the words start to flow and the characters take over the story. I do confess to hating the marketing that must be done when I’d rather be writing.
“I love becoming lost in another world with the characters I create, and I feel a thrill when readers tell me they love my writing.”
“It’s worth it all to see your words in print and to find people who love what you write,” Maggie said.
Maggie looks for inspiration everywhere. She has written books set in Scotland, America and even right here in Noosa.
“My husband and I were walking along the Noosa River one Sunday morning when we saw a woman sitting there with an empty bottle of wine. I knew there had to be a story in it, so I began to write Rosa’s story,” Maggie said.
And Champagne For Breakfast came to life telling the story of Rosa Taylor celebrating her 50th birthday with champagne by the river on her own. After finishing a six-year long affair with her boss, Rosa is desperate to avoid him in the workplace and determined to forge a new life for herself.
“My latest book is set in Scotland. I’m often asked why I haven’t set a book in Scotland so, when writing Broken Threads, I gave one of the minor characters, Bel, an ageing aunt in Scotland. I had an aunt who loved to tell me stories of her own ill-fated romance when I was a child and teenager and had always planned to write her story, but wasn’t sure how. This is it.”
Maggie’s advice to a budding writer? “Keep writing, keep reading and never give up.”
Meet Maggie Christensen and grab a copy of her latest novel The Good Sister at River Read this Friday 1 December 10am-noon, and at Annie’s Books on Peregian on Saturday 9 December 10am-noon.
