Midlife Mavericks: Women Reinventing their Lives in Mexico

by Karen Blue

Overview

Midlife Mavericks chronicles a new trend--unmarried American and Canadian women building better lives for themselves in Mexico's beautiful colonial villages.

Cozy up on a comfortable couch and share a margarita with successful women who have found an alternative to high-stress careers. Sip a glass of wine with empty-nesters seeking adventure and drink a glass of ice tea with retirees living in comfort on just their Social Security or disability income.

You'll laugh and cry with these gutsy gringas as they journey from unfulfilled yearnings towards answers each woman must ultimately discover for herself.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940014967594
Publisher:	Universal-Publishers
Publication date:	07/18/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	312 KB

About the Author

I consider myself a midlife maverick. Eleven years ago I chucked my life in corporate America to "retire" in Mexico and search for my life's purpose.

The last few years I've been traveling, reading, writing and playing. I started writing Midlife Mavericks about 10 years ago. I bought all the books on writing and getting published. I followed the instructions on finding an agent to a "T". About a year into the process, I landed a well-reputed agent in New York. She took the next year trying to convince a major publishing house to take on the book. Finally, she said, "I'm frustrated. This is a good book and deserves to be published. The editors have all been very interested. They just don't think the market is big enough. After all, how many women want to move to Mexico?"

"And what percent of the men who read Mt. Everest planned on climbing the mountain?" I asked. In any case, by the time I retrieved Midlife Mavericks from the agency, the face of publishing had changed considerably. Print-on-demand and e-publishing technologies had matured to the point where any author could see their dream turned into reality.

After I learned how to manage the marketing end of self-publishing, I sold nearly 3500 copies with very little marketing. But the real bonus was the hundreds of emails I received from women who considered the book to be "life altering." The women's stories gave them the courage and determination to make significant changes in their own lives. Not all moved to Mexico, but knowing my writing has touched others' lives in such a profound way gives more purpose in my life than years of filling shareholders' pocketbooks.

Becoming a bit bored, in 2001, a friend and I started an on-line magazine called Living at Lake Chapala. (www.mexico-insights.com). After three years, I quit to become "retired" again, only to meet a special someone with whom I've been RVing around Europe and North America for the past three years.

Besides being involved in the writer's community here, I am active in several on-line writers' groups, tackle various crafting and painting projects, create soft sculpture dolls and enjoy bridge, Scrabble and Cranium. For two years I taught English at the orphanage in San Juan Cosala. Whew! That's why I put "retired" in quotes above.

I live in La Floresta, a small cobblestone neighborhood just outside Ajijic, which is located on the north shore of Lake Chapala, south of Guadalaja.