My Writing Journey
Featured in North Star Monthly
Stay Silly: How I traded my mouse for a pen in retirement
My journey from software engineer to children's book author—and why staying silly matters
By Maggie Keefe
Dec 19, 2025 Updated Jan 9, 2026
After 40 years as a software engineer, I was excited to put down my mouse and live the life of a lazy retiree. The first few years of retirement were blissful: content to sip coffee on my porch, cook, and entertain guests. During the first long Northeast Kingdom winter, my husband and I traveled to Myrtle Beach for a few months to escape the cold. Life was good!
Then the pandemic hit. Hip surgery and isolation caused severe cabin fever. I even missed the distraction of a job.
Before retiring, we consulted a financial adviser to see if we could live on our savings without living in our car. He assured us we'd be fine as long as we didn't do anything extravagant, like buying a boat or taking too many expensive vacations, or eating meat. An occasional trip was possible if we remained frugal. There were spreadsheets showing us how to live comfortably until around 92, then we would have to die, or live in our car, or worse, with our kids. Then he asked us a question we hadn't considered.
"Have you thought about legacy?" he asked.
Legacy? Doesn't that involve money? There wasn't much extra money in that spreadsheet. I couldn't see where he was going with this.
"Nope, never thought about it," I answered honestly.
Well, it seems, the sooner we croaked, the more money our kids would get. This could justify eating bad food, drinking a lot, and avoiding the gym. When I brought this up to my kids, expecting them to say, "Oh, mom, we don't care about legacy; we want you to live forever," they replied with a long, questioning look that indicated, "How much money are we talking about here?"
That conversation stuck with me.
A Different Kind of Legacy
During the pandemic, I realized your legacy doesn't have to be about money. It could be anything of value you leave behind. This was a revelation. I thought about how much I enjoyed writing in my journal and the book I wrote about a haunted house in fourth grade. I might have a story or two in me, maybe a children's book for the grandkids. I started writing my first children's poetry book, "Daydreaming."
Northeast Kingdom children's author Maggie Keefe shares her silly stories and poems with young readers during a library storytime in Vermont. Keefe, a retired software engineer turned writer, regularly visits local schools and libraries throughout the region.
Knowing nothing about the publishing industry may have benefited me. If I knew how much there was to learn, I might have chosen needlepoint or crochet. Getting a literary agent or a publishing company to consider you is a challenge. There's a query letter, which you send to agents and publishers. It's a pitch about you, your book, and sample writing. Then you wait months for a rejection letter. Getting an agent and getting published is no easy task for an unknown author. It takes time and effort. I decided to pursue self-publishing. I respect self-published authors. It is no easy task
Learning to Publish (the Hard Way)
Finding an editor, an illustrator, getting an ISBN, and deciding where to publish—KDP, IngramSpark, etc. It was a huge learning curve, but I told myself learning new things is good for the aging brain. Even if I never got this book out the door, I was doing my part to ward off dementia.
On Feb. 15, 2022, I pressed publish in KDP. This was quite a thrill, and my first sale was even more so. I’m not making money. After publishing, hiring an editor and illustrator, there’s not much, if any, money to be made, but I have my legacy!
Like a gambler, I was addicted to the thrill of publishing. My next book was a second silly poetry book; these were just so much fun to write. Then, I decided to try something different for books three and four. I began the chapter book series, The Clever Cat Chronicles chapter book series with Trouble's Tale, followed by Whiskers in the Wild.
Why I Write Silly Poems for Seniors
My next endeavor was a labor of love for my senior friends. After all, I was navigating the trials of aging myself—why shouldn't we laugh about it? Laugh Lines, silly poems for silly seniors, is dedicated to those seniors surviving the trials of old age with optimism, wit, humor, and modern medicine.
The cover of "Five Different Boo-boos" by Northeast Kingdom author Maggie Keefe, illustrated by Vaughan Duck. This picture book for ages one to five teaches children about courage and resilience through a fun story inspired by real-life adventures.
My latest picture book, “Five DifferentBoo-boos,” is a fun story inspired by actual events. It has a message every child needs to hear: You are brave, you are strong, you can do hard things.
I’ll leave you with Kurt Vonnegut’s inspirational words:
"The arts ... are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow ... Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something."
Embrace your inner child and embark on an adventure or two. You might discover a new passion and create a legacy to be proud of. And stay silly!
Maggie Keefe is the author of children's poetry books (Daydreamingand One Little Voice), chapter books (Trouble's Tale and Whiskers in the Wild), silly poems for seniors (Laugh Lines), and a picture book for littles (Five Different Boo-boos). She splits her time between the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and Sarasota, Florida, writing silly, quirky children's books and sharing her stories at local schools, libraries, and senior centers. Contact her at neomaggie@yahoo.comto arrange a reading or visit http://www.maggiekeefe.com
