Please help me welcome my friend and fellow Mystery on Lilac Lane series author, Maxine Douglas. Happy Release day, Maxine!!
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I am originally from Wisconsin, born and bred, but my late-husband and I moved to Oklahoma after I retired from my day job after nearly 30 years. I share my home with my shelter cat, turned cover model. Simon. Maybe I should say Simon’s shares HIS home with me. I have one son, two granddaughters, and two great-grandchildren.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Art of Deception?
To never give up on love and finding your soulmate. In this story, it’s reconnecting with your soulmate. Sometimes fiction imitates life.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
I’d rather have a bad review simply because I know the book was read, or at least I hope it was. As a rule, I believe reading a book is subjective to the reader. Not every reader gets the same experience in their journey.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have 3 (inanimate) objects, what would they be?
Tough question! I would want plenty of paper and pencils, as well as the good book.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
Yes! I am currently writing my next Friday the 13th story that is due to be released in November 13, 2026. In Lighthouse Cove where each sweep of the light reveals the past… and it’s waiting in the storm.
When a reclusive woman seeking solace in a storm-battered lighthouse witnesses a ghost ship emerging from the lake’s haunted past, she’s thrust into a supernatural battle with a cursed sailor torn between duty and redemption—before becomes her prison and the sea her grave. I will also be working on my second Friday the 13th story title Lighthouse Cove set to be released on November 13, 2026.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
When I first started writing way back when, I wrote what I knew and the people knew. Now I’d like to think that as much as my characters and their situations are fictional, they do carry a bit of me in them somewhere.
What do your friends and family think of your writing?
My family is very supportive, even if they haven’t read any of my books. My brothers and my son said they don’t want to know what goes on in my creative brain. LOL Several friends continuously buy and read my books, which warms my heart in the best way possible.
Your favorite…
Movie I have so many it’s hard to chose just one, but I do enjoy the Hallmark movies from time-to-time.
Music Country or classic rock from the 1960s-1990s
Place you’ve visited My late-husband and I travelled the US a lot from coast to coast.
TV show from childhood Walt Disney’s Zorro was my first Bonafide hero!
TV show from adulthood The Gilded Age, Outlander, Bridgerton, to name a few.
Sports team Why the Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers Football
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? LOL All three!
Every masterpiece tells a story—this one whispers murder.
In the picturesque town of Wisteria, Wisconsin, gallery owner Skye Johnson loves celebrating local art and the friends who create it. When photographer Lucas Cooper agrees to show his new collection honoring his late mentor, Skye can’t wait to display it—until one photo reveals something strange. Hidden in the image of the old Hendrickson barn, where Lucas’s mentor was found dead, is a detail that doesn’t belong.
Someone has added a painted clue—a silent cry for help from a witness too afraid to speak. Now, Skye and Lucas must unravel the mystery brushstroke by brushstroke before the truth—and the artist—are buried for good.
Excerpt:
The gallery door swung open easily. Too easily.
Skye’s heart skipped. “Lucas…did you lock up when we left?”
“Yes,” he said immediately. “I always do.”
Inside, nothing looked disturbed at first glance. The photographs still lined the walls. The desk was tidy. The air smelled faintly of lemon cleaner and old wood. Then Skye saw it.
The barn photograph—the altered one—was gone.
Her breath left her in a rush. “It’s missing.”
Lucas crossed the room in three long strides. The empty hook on the wall swung slightly, as if it hadn’t yet settled.
“They only took that one,” he said, voice flat. “Not any of the others.”
Skye’s pulse thundered like a base drum. “Which means they didn’t want us studying it any longer.”
“Or they didn’t want anyone else seeing it,” Lucas added.
Her stomach twisted tightly. She turned slowly, scanning the room. “They came in again. While we were out talking to people.”
“And they knew exactly what to take,” Lucas said grimly.
Before she could respond, the bell over the door jingled and Skye jumped.
A man stood just inside the doorway, holding a large flat parcel wrapped in brown paper. He smiled, pleasant and forgettable.
“I’m looking for the gallery owner?” he said, walking toward the counter.
“That would be me,” Skye said cautiously.
“Delivery for submission review.” He handed it over. “There’s no name or addressed attached.”
Lucas frowned. “You didn’t mention expecting anything.”
“I wasn’t,” Skye said slowly, accepting the parcel. It was heavier than she expected.
The delivery man tipped an imaginary hat and left without another word. They stood in silence until the door shut.
“I don’t like this,” Lucas said.
“Neither do I.”
Skye carried the parcel to the desk and carefully unwrapped it. Her fingers trembled as the paper fell away.
The painting beneath made her gasp. It was the barn. Not a photograph; a painting. Dark, layered strokes. The same angle as Lucas’s photo. The same slant of light. And there, unmistakable in the shadows a human-shaped figure clearly watching.
Her knees weakened. “Oh my God.”
Buy links:
Amazon US: https://tinyurl.com/32yxznv2 / Series: https://bit.ly/4pCtfrJ
Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/4pEsZst
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4altB1F / BookBub: https://bit.ly/3XkQElF
About the Author:
Award-winning author, Maxine Douglas writes in many genres and found a love for western historical romance. A Wisconsin native, Maxine resides in Oklahoma. While Maxine may miss her family and friends in the north, she loves the mild winters Oklahoma has to offer.
Having found love in 2001 and then losing the love of her life in 2018 to cancer, Maxine hasn’t given up on believing in true love. She hopes that she expresses that feeling with every story she brings to life through her writing.
Maxine is a current member of the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. and its affiliations Central Region Oklahoma Writers and Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild. She is also a member of the Romance Writers of American, The Friends of the Chickasha Public Library, and serves as a Board Member on the Chickasha Area Arts Council.
Author Alicia Dean 
Great interview!!
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