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Midlife Moxie #3
Moving Maggie: A Midlife Moxie Novel
On her own at 60 with no job, no husband and no future...Can Maggie find her moxie and start again?
The year Maggie Cartwright turned 60, she is hit with a triple whammy of unpleasant and definitely unwanted the loss of her job, the ending of her marriage, and the need to find a new place to live.
The impact of all these undesirable occurrences is that the woman once known as "Move-Ahead Maggie" has lost her moxie and can't figure out where she can go or what she can do with the rest of her life.
Maggie's move to a small rural community sparks a series of unexpected opportunities and new friendships, and she realizes that making a life change can bring unexpected benefits. But as she begins to reclaim her "Move-Ahead Maggie" identity, can she let go of her career-driven focus to take advantage of them?
Moving Maggie is a Literary Titan Gold Book Award winner and a double winner in the 2025 Firebird Book Awards Summer Beach Read and Women's Fiction categories!
The year Maggie Cartwright turned 60, she is hit with a triple whammy of unpleasant and definitely unwanted the loss of her job, the ending of her marriage, and the need to find a new place to live.
The impact of all these undesirable occurrences is that the woman once known as "Move-Ahead Maggie" has lost her moxie and can't figure out where she can go or what she can do with the rest of her life.
Maggie's move to a small rural community sparks a series of unexpected opportunities and new friendships, and she realizes that making a life change can bring unexpected benefits. But as she begins to reclaim her "Move-Ahead Maggie" identity, can she let go of her career-driven focus to take advantage of them?
Moving Maggie is a Literary Titan Gold Book Award winner and a double winner in the 2025 Firebird Book Awards Summer Beach Read and Women's Fiction categories!
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2025
About the author
Nancy Christie
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A little (or maybe more than a little!) about me...
My love affair with writing started in my childhood. Books carried me into worlds I never knew existed, and, once I learned how to write, my imagination kept me there. With paper and pen, I could bring people to life who never before existed. With 26 letters, I could create a universe of my own.
As an adult, writing is my way of making a connection with the rest of the world. Fiction, non-fiction, essays and books—they are all the tools with which I shape the land and make my home.
While I make my living as a freelance writer and am the author of three non-fiction books: the inspirational book, THE GIFTS OF CHANGE (Beyond Words Publishing/Atria), and two books for writers: RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR WRITERS and RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR AUTHORS (both through BookBaby), my greatest passion is for fiction.
I’m the award-winning author of four Midlife Moxie novels: TRANSFORMING TESSA , REINVENTING RITA , FINDING FRAN , and MOVING MAGGIE , the first three in the series (all published by BookBaby).
My four short story collections include THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE , MISTLETOE MAGIC AND OTHER HOLIDAY TALES , TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER AND OTHER STORIES and PERIPHERAL VISIONS AND OTHER STORIES , all published by Unsolicited Press.
My short stories have also been accepted by publications such as The Saturday Evening Post, Talking River, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, St. Anthony Messenger, Wild Violet, EWR: Short Stories, Hypertext, Full of Crow, Fiction365, Red Fez, and The Chaffin Journal, with several earning contest placement.
My books and stories have received awards and contest placements, including the following:
MOVING MAGGIE—2026 Literary Titan Gold Book Award winner; 2025 Firebird Book Awards Competition in the Summer Beach Read and Women’s Fiction categories!
REINVENTING RITA—2023 International Firebird Book Award winner; Bronze award winner in the 2023 Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA) competition; semi-finalist in the 2023 Kindle Book Awards
RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR AUTHORS—Finalist in the 2019 American Book Fest competition
RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR WRITERS—A 2018 Notable Indie by Shelf Unbound; Finalist in the 2018 American Book Fest competition
PERIPHERAL VISIONS AND OTHER STORIES—Bronze award winner in the 2020 Foreword INDIES competition; finalist in The Eric Hof
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 2, 2025
When I picked up Moving Maggie, a novel about a sixty-year-old woman whose life unravels all at once, I thought I knew the shape of the story I was walking into. Divorce, job loss, a sudden move to a rural town that feels both too quiet and too honest. And yes, the book gives you all of that. But what surprised me was how grounded and warm it felt. The novel follows Maggie Cartwright as she leaves her old life behind and tries, sometimes reluctantly, to build a new one in Eden. The plot slowly widens from survival mode to connection and growth, weaving in community, friendship, and a late-in-life courage that sneaks up on her. By the final chapters, where Maggie begins journaling her hopes and small victories, there’s a real sense of arrival, not just in place but in self .
Maggie’s voice is steady but bruised, and I appreciated how author Nancy Christie doesn’t rush her healing. There’s no magical “everything’s fixed” moment. Instead, the book lingers in those everyday tasks that become emotional landmines: cleaning out a house after a marriage ends, sorting through holiday decorations that no longer match your life, deciding what parts of the past are worth carrying into the future. And when new relationships enter the picture, the story doesn’t force romance at the expense of realism. Everything unfolds in a way that feels honest to a woman whose sense of identity has been upended.
I also found myself noticing the author’s choices more than usual. Christie writes with a gentle confidence, giving even simple scenes an emotional undercurrent. The supporting characters feel authentic, not decorative. And the book’s central theme, that reinvention is possible at any age, never turns into a slogan. Instead, it hangs quietly in the background as Maggie stumbles, retreats, and tries again. There’s a moment near the end where she lists the small blessings of her new life, including a child in Eden finally receiving a long-awaited kidney transplant, and it hit me how much the story celebrates resilience without preaching about it.
Moving Maggie is a good fit for readers who enjoy reflective women’s fiction with heart, sincerity, and a strong sense of community. If you like stories about starting over in midlife, rediscovering your own voice, or finding unexpected joy after loss, this one will speak to you. It’s gentle, relatable, and empowering.
Maggie’s voice is steady but bruised, and I appreciated how author Nancy Christie doesn’t rush her healing. There’s no magical “everything’s fixed” moment. Instead, the book lingers in those everyday tasks that become emotional landmines: cleaning out a house after a marriage ends, sorting through holiday decorations that no longer match your life, deciding what parts of the past are worth carrying into the future. And when new relationships enter the picture, the story doesn’t force romance at the expense of realism. Everything unfolds in a way that feels honest to a woman whose sense of identity has been upended.
I also found myself noticing the author’s choices more than usual. Christie writes with a gentle confidence, giving even simple scenes an emotional undercurrent. The supporting characters feel authentic, not decorative. And the book’s central theme, that reinvention is possible at any age, never turns into a slogan. Instead, it hangs quietly in the background as Maggie stumbles, retreats, and tries again. There’s a moment near the end where she lists the small blessings of her new life, including a child in Eden finally receiving a long-awaited kidney transplant, and it hit me how much the story celebrates resilience without preaching about it.
Moving Maggie is a good fit for readers who enjoy reflective women’s fiction with heart, sincerity, and a strong sense of community. If you like stories about starting over in midlife, rediscovering your own voice, or finding unexpected joy after loss, this one will speak to you. It’s gentle, relatable, and empowering.
May 7, 2025
Moving Maggie by Nancy Christie
Great book. Easy to follow and hard to put down. I could relate to all of the characters. I would definitely recommend reading this book.
Great book. Easy to follow and hard to put down. I could relate to all of the characters. I would definitely recommend reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews