Fiction about 5 strong women in later life. Building new lives, refusing invisibility. And you exhale as you see yourself between the lines.

Welcome to Knowing Yourself Through Fiction

You’re not done. And this is where your next chapter begins.

If you’re a woman 55+ who’s ever asked yourself, Is this all there is?

If you’ve felt invisible, dismissed, or like your best years are somehow behind you.

If you’re navigating friendships that shifted, purpose that disappeared, or the quiet ache of wondering, What comes next?

These stories are for you.

What This Is

I write fiction about five women between 55 and 75+ who land in an ancient canyon in the Southwest and end up changing each other’s lives.

Most are meeting for the first time. Different stories, different wounds, different reasons for being there. But something about the canyon makes them stop pretending they’re fine.

The series is called Women of the Canyon.

The first book follows all of them as they meet, and each woman gets her own book starting with Raven in Whispers of Echo Canyon. Then Riley. Quinn. Val. Skylar. One at a time. Each of them finding whatever comes next in a life everyone else assumed was already settled.

There’s land at risk, yes, and a developer who thinks he can bulldoze the canyon’s history. But the real story is them - learning they’re not invisible, not done, and not alone.

That’s the heart of the series.

Women starting over at sixty, not because they planned to, but because something in them finally said, *Is this all there is?*

This is fiction that holds space

It doesn’t lecture.

It doesn’t fix.

It simply says: You’re not invisible. You’re not too late. You’re not alone.

Every story I write is rooted in change, friendship, and quiet reinvention…

especially for women who were told their story was already finished.

If you don’t want to miss a single moment with these five women, keep reading.

What You’ll Find

Three types of fiction on Substack, all featuring the same five characters:

📕 Chapters from the Women of the Canyon series, the continuing story published weekly when I’m actively drafting (pauses during editing phases)

🗓️ Daily Dose of Fiction - short daily stories centered on a weekly theme of friendship, connections and purpose. Featuring the same characters from my novels.

💫 Life’s Threads - Another short story taken from the weekly Daily Dose theme, plus reflections that explore the stories more deeply and link them to your own life.

I appreciate you. Come along for the ride - Subscribe today.

Get all of the stories

However

If You Want More: Become a Story Insider

Story Insiders don’t just read about these women. They sit with them in the private moments.

You get everything free subscribers get, PLUS:

📕 Riley’s 2am Journal - entries she wrote in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep. The backstory that shaped who she was and who she’s becoming. Available immediately when you join.

📂 Monthly Secret Journals - rotating private entries from Raven, Quinn, Val, or Skylar. What they write when no one’s watching. What they can’t say out loud yet. The tender, unfinished parts that don’t make it into the books.

💌 Letters From the Canyon - a character writes directly to YOU. Not as fiction, but as if you’re the friend she needs to talk to.

🛤️ Ongoing Tracks – notes from my life: what I’m learning, noticing, and becoming in this chapter of my 70s. Not teaching. Not advice. Just the steady hum of what’s still unfolding.

This isn’t about content. When you become a Story Insider, you’re not just reading the story.

You’re part of it.

You’re trusted with pages no one else sees, fictional and personal.

You’re sitting at the table with them. You’re trusted with pages no one else sees.

Become a Story Insider

I’ve been where you are.

I’ve felt the quiet ache when a friendship disappeared without explanation.

I know how it feels when the purpose that once fueled you is gone—and you’re left staring into the emptiness, wondering what you’re supposed to do now.

We moved to Hawai’i and I left a career that had defined me. I felt lost, unsure where I belonged or who I was going to be.

So, I started writing. And surprisingly landed in fiction. Rather than just stories, my characters became women like us, experiencing the same issues we have in this new phase of life.

Unexpectedly, my readers began pointing out that these women were inspiring them to look at their life, their friendships and reflect on their next chapter.

And because I believe stories matter.

They let you feel seen without needing to explain yourself.

They hold space for your truth without rushing you to fix anything.

They offer insight, not instruction. A moment of quiet understanding.

Through fiction, I create space for women like you to reconnect with what matters.

Not by telling you what to do—but by showing you what’s still possible, even now.

I’m Marylee

I’m publishing my first novel at 73.

I’ve always been a builder—of businesses, gardens, and now, stories.

After 25 years in the nonprofit sector and two decades running an award-winning gardening business, I turned toward a new passion: fiction rooted in real emotion.

I self-published two nonfiction books on desert container gardening: Getting Potted in the Desert and the creative nonfiction story Riley’s Garden Oasis. These works reflect my desire to leave a legacy of specific techniques for struggling desert gardeners. My books on desert container gardening have reached thousands of readers, and I still share that love through teaching and a thriving community of over 5,000 desert gardeners.

With no rigid schedules and driven solely by the desire to create, I am embracing this new chapter of my life.

I’m blending live experiences with imagination—exploring the joy, freedom, and deep challenge of starting over at any age.

I live in Tucson with my partner of over 30 years.❤️

When I’m not writing, you’ll find me traveling, golfing, swimming, puzzling, or reading good stories with a strong cup of coffee close at hand.

You’re not alone. And you’re not done.

Be part of something meaningful. Fiction that touches your heart and a place to meet others who speak to your life.