A.J. Maguire

Tag: Thanksgiving

  • Happy Thanksgiving (2025)

    This is my favorite holiday.

    From the turkey and stuffing to the golden-brown hue outside my window, I can’t help but love this time of year. That’s why I scheduled Nora’s final book to release on the 28th.

    Well, technically it should have been released for Halloween but life had other plans.

    At any rate, the Nora Grayson Adventures have concluded, Advanced Readers have the novel, and pretty soon everyone else who wants it will be able to snag it from Amazon.

    I am deeply grateful to those Readers who have followed Nora’s journey from the beginning and whose comments and encouragements helped push me to the finish line. For the record, I know some questions have been left unanswered – not the MAJOR questions, mind you, but some of the littler things – and that is by design because I intend to return to this world.

    It just won’t be Nora Grayson leading the fray.

    I want to do a separate standalone with Derrick and Vessa that deals with Derrick’s mother and those known as the Lost.

    I also have plans for Eucilla. She’s a dracken and can outlive everyone else, so I imagine that novel taking place a century or so later.

    Also (mild spoiler alert), the romantic in me can’t help wondering what the Atlas Court will be like for Nora when she finally steps into that role, but insofar as the storyline of Nora’s family is concerned, we have an ending.

    For now, I have several novels that have been sitting on the back burner while I finished up Nora’s books, and it’s time I gave them the attention they deserve. (More on that in a later post.)

    So what am I thankful for this year?

    I have a home. Food in my pantry. Pets who adore me. My book is complete and I have a group of amazing readers who are ready to get their hands on it.

    I have a son who is also a creative and I know he is working on his own writing and worlds. He’ll be 18 in January, which hurts my heart in weird ways and terrifies me at the same time because he’s about to get his license.

    I have a loving husband who believes in me and works hard so that I can continue to live my dream.

    And I have family and friends who remind me every day that I am loved and appreciated.

    Thank you. All of you. Whether you’re friend, family, or reader, I hope your day is amazing and that you are equally blessed.

  • Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

    I hope everyone is having a lovely Thanksgiving weekend here in America. The past few years have been rough. The effects of COVID are long-reaching, from losing loved ones to losing jobs, and the world is still limping along, trying to find its feet again.

    It’s better this year for many of us.

    I am grateful for that.

    I am grateful for many luxuries that some people cannot afford, from candles to warm blankets to the food in my cupboards.

    I am grateful for my husband, who makes me laugh every day. And for my son, who has grown taller than me and finds this fact quite entertaining.

    I am grateful for books and bookstores and authors who plug away at their craft every day so that I can visit new and exciting worlds.

    And I am always, always grateful for Readers. Not just the ones who pick up my work, but readers across the globe who pick up anyone’s work and explore what it means to be human through the written word. And I don’t care what genre you prefer either.

    You enjoy romance novels? Great! So do I!

    Prefer Young Adult? That’s amazing! Some of my favorite books are categorized there!

    Don’t listen to the snobs who insist that you should be focused on one type of book over another. They’re absolutely wrong and they can come fight me for it if they want. In a world that is increasingly digital, where you can flick through TikTok/Facebook/Twitter or choose a streaming service to get your stories on a screen rather than in book form, it is beyond wonderful that you choose to read a novel instead.

    Now, I enjoy movies and shows as much as the next person. So don’t get me wrong. I never would have discovered the Grishaverse were it not for Shadow and Bone on Netflix. (Which, by the way, Thank you Netflix for producing this one! My husband and I devoured several novels because of this.)

    What else am I grateful for this year?

    Honestly, the list is so long I’ve been writing it down in my journal all month. But suffice, I am counting my blessings this Thanksgiving.

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope you are equally blessed.

  • Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

    Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and, as per usual, I will be busy with family through the weekend. SO! I need to do my Thankful Post now. Normally I narrow things down to my top five, but this year I’ve decided to do things a little differently.

    In light of the recent election and the vitriol that continues to be plaguing every social media outlet I can find, it seems more important than ever to highlight the positive instead of spewing out negative.

    So I’m aiming for ten this year. I’m sure I could do more, but who honestly wants to read about all the things one other person is grateful for in their life? I’d rather just inspire you, dear reader, to start listing off your “Thankfuls” instead.

    1. Always and forever … My son. For eight years now he has taught me what it really means to be human. Fallible and fragile. Ambitious and triumphant. Adventurous and perhaps a little reckless at times.
    2. A new development this year … Brendon. Which I’m sure he will grin at when he reads this post, since he reads everything I write. For the last five months he has proven to be amazing and I have no doubts that he will continue in that vein.
    3. My family … Be they ever crazy and consistently voting opposite of me every election year, I know they have my back if life ever gets a little too crazy.
    4. My cats … Plural this year. Pest – aka the Old Grumpy kitty is still not thrilled about the new addition. Nuisance – aka the New Addition still thinks that the toilet paper roll is Cthulhu and his sworn enemy. I’ve taken to hiding the roll in the cupboard above the toilet now. It’s just the only way.
    5. My writing … Because I still find this writing thing to be satisfying and fulfilling. It forces me to learn about things that I otherwise would never have looked at before, and it takes me on adventures every single day.
    6. My car … Because it’s new and shiny and pretty. Seriously, it’s so pretty. I’ve never owned a car this nice before.
    7. My day job … Because it’s paying for the shiny and pretty car. And because it’s been a steady source of income for over ten years now.
    8. My city … It is beautiful. I enjoy the mountains close by and the parks that are within walking distance of my house. Some of the nearby college students can get a little crazy during game days, but I’ve come to view them as material for future writing endeavors.
    9. My state … It gets terribly cold in the winter and searingly hot in the summer, but for the most part people seem to treat each other decently here. There are some exceptions, of course, but on a whole we seem to lean toward the good.
    10. My country … For better or worse, I live in a country that still protects the freedoms I enjoy. Freedom of speech is one of them, which I am seeing a lot of people exercising of late. Though … I would like to remind everyone that this freedom blankets even the opinions you disagree with. And with that in mind … please be kind to one another.

  • Thanks Giving

    I drove down to my mother’s house with all of five dollars to my name. A two hour journey turned into three as I was forced to drive 50MPH on icy roads and low visibility, but my son and I made it whole and healthy – even though the car seemed a little grouchy. It has sprung a leak somewhere and I’m not sure what it is.

    Still, it seems minor so I’m confident I’ll make it home tomorrow.

    For the last few days I’ve been surrounded by some of my favorite people and I am grateful for that. It’s why my Thanks Giving list is late this year … because I was spending time with people I enjoy.

    Still, I cannot let the month of November pass without giving my list so here it is, my Thanksgiving list of 2015::

    1. My son. He is a source of joy, conflict, stress, laughter, and enlightenment that continues to surprise me.
    2. My family. I may live two hours away from my mother but I hope to fix that soon. We’re quirky, we don’t always agree, but I know they’ve always got my back.
    3. My writing. Because I wouldn’t understand myself, my son, or my extended family without it.
    4. Hotels with indoor pools. My son has enjoyed the pool here every day since we arrived and he has been sooo happy.
    5. My cat … who is probably quite lonely right now so it’ll be nice getting home to him tomorrow.

     

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    Yes, this is a day early. No, I don’t care. I’ll be out of town for several days so this is the only chance I’ll get posting my annual “This Is What I’m Thankful For” article before the holiday is over so … you get it today.

    I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! I hope you all eat whatever your family tradition prefers you eat and that you enjoy some time off with loved ones. And I hope everyone takes a deep breath and steps back to really appreciate the things that they have, which is what I’m doing today.

    This year I am thankful for …

    1) My son.

    As always, he is the front of the list. He is funny and adventurous and full of spirit. I get to watch him create some of the most amusing stories with his Lego’s and his action figures and he reminds me every day to think outside of the box.

    2) My cat. 

    Because he’s a big orange beast who talks back to me when I’m asking questions about my work. He’s shaped a bit like a potato and has a crooked tail and sometimes jumps onto the back of my chair to attack my head if I’ve been at the computer too long.

    3) My family.

    ‘Cause they’re awesome. All of them.

    4) My hands.

    All it takes is stabbing yourself once to make you realize just how much you need all of your fingers. This year I am especially grateful that the feeling has returned to 100% of my left hand. This makes writing 110% easier to do.

    5) The Writing Community 

    I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to several writing communities in my time; Hatrack, Forward Motion, WriteOn, Author’s Den … the list goes on. But in truth, the writing community I have right now has grown on its own. I’ve found people through those sites, certainly, but not all of them have stuck.

    I’m talking to the people who have stuck — I love you all. Thank you for your support, your own creativity, and for just being you. I couldn’t do this without you.

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Be safe and have fun.

  • Thanksgiving 2013

    With any luck I’ll be out of town for Thanksgiving so I thought I’d better write this post now.

    First of all, I wish all of you a wonderful turkey — uh … I mean Thanksgiving! If you don’t like turkey on Thanksgiving then I wish you a happy “whatever-you-like-to-eat” day. I hope you all relax and enjoy family, friends and possibly shopping (if you’re one of those people who actually goes to the Black Friday things. I don’t, but whatever floats your boat, you know?)

    It is always important to count your blessings and recognize all the good things you have right in front of you. Life is too short to be caught up in all the things you don’t have, so I hope all of you are able to take a moment next week and really appreciate the people and traditions that make up who you are.

    For me, I am grateful for quite a few things but I’ll go ahead and narrow it down to six.

    #1) Always and forever, I am grateful for my son. He brings me more joy and fulfillment than anything else. I might have come reluctantly to the role of parent but now I cannot imagine my life without him.

    #2) I am grateful for my mother. I never fully understood my mother until I became a parent myself. Now that I know the worry and pain that comes with the title of “mother” I am far more appreciative of everything she sacrificed for me while I was growing up.

    #3) I am grateful for my cat. Yes, he’s obnoxious and starts meowing at me whenever I get on the phone — apparently he thinks I should be talking to him instead of whoever might be on the other line. Yes, he sometimes gets a wild hair and goes tearing through the apartment at full speed. And yes, he rage-vomits whenever I take a weekend away, but I’ve come to expect it now and am prepared whenever I come home. But the truth is, when Hazen is asleep and everything is quiet in the house, there’s nothing quite like having my cat on my lap, purring up a storm.

    #4) I am grateful for my writing friends. These include Alpha Readers, Beta Readers, Authors who I’ve had the privilege of Alpha or Beta reading for, and even those many people I follow on Google+ who make me laugh with their comments and struggles on a daily basis. As lonely a job as writing might be, all of these people share the journey of novel creation with me. I might have given up long ago if not for them.

    #5) I’m grateful for my Readers. I super loves all of you! You’re all awesome for taking the time out of your lives to read what I’ve put down on paper.

    #6) I am grateful for school. As exasperating as it might be, and as much as I bemoan all the writing time that school sucks up, it has been an incredible experience to go back to school. I graduate in May and I am excited to see where I’ll end up next.

    There are, of course, many, many, many more things I am thankful for. Things like turkey and mountains and snow and Christmas with a five-year-old (it’s going to be a blast!) I could fill a hundred pages with all the things I am thankful for, but I promised to keep this narrowed down. I hope everyone else feels as overwhelmingly blessed as I do.

    Happy Thanksgiving (several days early). I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    Well, as I tend to do a lot of top 10 lists, I think I should do the top 5 things I am thankful for this year.  I am an optimist, so I tend to be happy about … well … nearly anything.  If I got a flat tire I’d probably be less inclined to be happy, but I’d think something along the lines of; “Well, at least I have my cell phone to call for help.”

    But I still think it’s important to focus on the things that have really made your life a good one.  It’s just plain unhealthy to dwell on bad things and melancholy.

    So!  My top 5!

    1) Always and forever — I am thankful for my son.

    2) I am thankful for the rest of my family — including the one’s who are currently in the military and in dangerous areas.  I’m grateful that we haven’t had any distressing news from them.

    3) My chance to attend school.  This has been a major growing experience for me — even if it is a headache a lot of times with tons of homework to do.

    4) My cat.  I do love my cat.  He kills spiders for me.

    5) My writing.  I love the fact that I am a writer.  It means I’m a little weird and I see things differently than a lot of people, but the actual process of writing gives me too much joy for me to ever give it up.

    I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  If you’re doing NaNoWriMo then hurry up and eat your turkey so you can get back to work!