About

I'm Cynthia I. Maddox, and I am a writer. 

This blog is about the journey of writing, living with chronic pain, and finding my way through the unexpected detours life has a habit of placing in the road. Rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia have changed the way I live and work, but they haven't taken away my love of writing. If anything, they've given me a different perspective on perseverance.

Friends call me either Cindy or Dixie, depending on where we met.

My story began in south Alabama, where I acquired a Southern accent, learned to make real banana pudding and soft, buttery grits, and discovered that climbing trees with the boys was far more interesting than doing whatever the girls were doing.

I was the oldest of seven children, although I often joke that my grandparents and a succession of faithful dogs did most of the raising.

At seventeen, I married the nicest guy I ever knew, a small-town Alabama boy named Jerry. Military life soon followed, bringing two sons, two European countries, five states, and enough moves to make us experts at packing boxes. By 1978, we'd moved more than one hundred times.

In my thirties, I returned to college as a full-time student while raising two boys and eventually graduated with a degree in history. Not long afterward, we left military life behind, and I began a career as a government employee, where I spent many years professionally prying into other people's business.

Then came my favorite job of all: becoming Grandma.

In 2009, after thirty-five years of marriage, I lost Jerry. It changed my life in ways I never expected. Writing became both a refuge and, at times, something I simply couldn't do. Eventually, though, I found my way back.

I retired in 2014 as my health declined, giving me more time to write, crochet, spoil cats, and occasionally wonder how I ever found time to work.

Writing has been a constant companion for many years. I participated in National Novel Writing Month for several years, served as the Municipal Liaison for my region, and had the privilege of seeing two of my short stories published in the River City Writers anthology.

One of the longest journeys of my writing life was Hidden in the Mist. What began as a writing exercise eventually became a ten-year novel, one that survived grief, long absences, countless revisions, and more than a little stubbornness before finally finding its way into the world.

I've had a marvelous life. I've met extraordinary people, experienced more than I ever imagined possible, and collected enough random knowledge to be dangerously competitive at Trivial Pursuit.

If you've found your way here, welcome. I hope you'll stay awhile, explore, and perhaps discover a story that speaks to you.