Authorpreneur Dashboard – Vicki Tapia
Maggie: A Journey of Love, Loss and Survival
Literature & Fiction
Set in a time when women had few rights, this compelling narrative chronicles one woman’s tenacious journey from abuse to independence. This is a #MeToo story that has waited over a century to be told. Mt. Clemens, Michigan 1887. Seventeen and headstrong, with marriage on her mind, Maggie is sure she has found her one true love. But when she collides head-on with betrayal, overwhelming loss and ill-treatment, her life unravels. Maggie rises above adversity through rare determination and grit, becoming an independent woman ahead of her time. Yet before she can truly find peace, one heartbreaking, life-altering decision remains. Inspired by her great-grandmother’s life, the author explores intergenerational relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, and sisters. She weaves a timeless story of survival and courage set against the backdrop of late 19th century Michigan and the prairies of eastern Montana at the turn of the twentieth century.
Book Bubbles from Maggie: A Journey of Love, Loss and Survival
On The Edge
Chapter 20. Maggie edges closer to the breaking point. Recounting a confrontation with Sam, she suspects he is lying, but even if he is, what can she do about it? There are few choices for a woman and her children in 1900. Thoughts of escape begin to creep into the far corners of her mind. Is there anywhere she might turn to find safe harbor for herself and her children? This scene exudes fear, both in Maggie and her children, during an unsettled time.
Nighttime Reflections
The story of my great-grandmother Maggie has called out to me to be written since 1997 when a number of documents about her life were uncovered by a genealogist in Michigan. The writing seed finally germinated 4 years ago. There were times during the writing process that it felt like she was leaning over my shoulder, instructing me on what to write. In this first chapter, the story opens in 1941 when Maggie is 71 years old. The dream sequence that immediately follows the first paragraph takes the reader back in time to 1899, where Maggie is thrust into a frightening confrontation with her husband, Samuel. This dream sequence was written long before I started the actual book and was one of those times I felt Maggie's presence. The words simply poured out of me and I couldn't stop writing until the scene was finished.
It cost her dearly
As long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by our family stories, which were passed down orally through the generations. The stories about my great-grandmother Maggie always intrigued me. After uncovering several written documents about her life, I decided give her story a voice. This excerpt from Chapter 15 takes place in 1896, when two of her children are small. It's her birthday and Maggie has deliberately not told her husband, Sam, that she's going into town to see her beloved sister, Ella. She knows it is a risk which may cost her dearly, but has confidence in her ability to pull it off without his knowledge. How can a delightful day turn so ominous? Fear is a powerful emotion and Maggie knew it well.
