Linda “L.C.” Maxie released her debut fiction novel, “The Robin’s Nest,” last summer. The book, which she plans to turn into at least a trilogy, belongs to the paranormal women’s fiction genre.
Maxie got the idea for the book after learning about the cozy fantasy genre. “I was a traditional librarian and always knew about the big genres like fantasy, sci-fi, realistic fiction, but I had never heard of these tiny subgenres. When I heard about cozy fantasy, I thought, ‘that sounds really cool,’” she said.
The idea for the book came to Maxie almost fully formed. “I had to tweak a few things, but after talking to some book coaches, they told me, ‘oh no, your book is not cozy fantasy, this is paranormal women’s fiction.’ When I looked into it, I realized they were right. I followed the genre conventions pretty closely,” she said.
In paranormal women’s fiction, the main character is typically a woman over 40 who is either divorced or suddenly widowed and doesn’t know what to do with herself. Maxie’s book follows this trope.
“The character often moves to a new place and discovers it’s inhabited by paranormal creatures. These books are often dark and snarky, featuring vampires, werewolves, and the like, and the main character discovers she has magical abilities herself,” she explained.
In “The Robin’s Nest,” Harper Wood, a 57-year-old widow, is the main character. “Harper always felt like an appendage to her wealthy husband and didn’t know what to do with herself after his death. She goes on vacation to a mythical town I created called Whippoorwill Gap in the North Carolina mountains. She hated living in Raleigh,” Maxie said.
While in Whippoorwill Gap, Harper falls in love with the town and a forlorn used bookshop that had been closed for over a year. “It’s for sale, and she feels compelled to buy it. She moves to the town and discovers the bookshop is inhabited by fairies. That’s the basic story, but there’s much more to it after she finds the fairies,” Maxie said.
Although “The Robin’s Nest” is the first in a series, its ending can stand alone or lead to a sequel. “This is my first novel, and I’m learning to write as I go. The series is called the Whippoorwill Gap Paranormal Women’s Fiction series,” she said.
Every book will be based in Whippoorwill Gap and feature the same trope of fairies. Harper will appear in every book, either as the main character or a side character. Maxie also wrote a short story about how the fairies came to be in the bookstore, which is available for free on her website, lcmaxie.com.
Maxie said writing the book was the most fun she has ever had. “I absolutely love it. I’ve written the second one now and am revising it. I keep reading books on how to improve my craft, and I find it fascinating and fun,” she said.
Her second book, “Lady Slippers,” is set to be released in March 2025. The book will follow Harper’s 28-year-old daughter, and the title comes from the wildflower lady slipper.
Maxie’s book was also featured in Not Your Mother’s Book Club at the Patrick County Library earlier this month, where she discussed her book with attendees.
“The Robin’s Nest” is available as a print book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and her website, lcmaxie.com. The eBook version is currently available only on Amazon.
