About THE author
Maxine is the writer and artist of The Crossroads, an illustrated story about the in-between spaces—between childhood and adulthood, between the familiar and the unknown. Her work blends everyday moments with quiet surrealism, finding magic in overlooked corners of life. Through this project, she shares glimpses of her creative process and the ideas that shape the world of the story. When she isn’t working on one project or another, Maxine can often be found doing cross stitch while listening to audiobooks, or playing video games with her husband.
This behind-the-scenes space is for anyone curious about how a project like this comes together—or more precisely, how Maxine’s process unfolds on a project like this. She often feels like she’s making it up as she goes, so if someone else out there is also improvising their way through creative work and happens to find their way here, maybe it’ll help.
As of late October 2025 (when this page was first set up), here’s where The Crossroads stands: I spent the summer playing with watercolor and ink to practice and improve my ability to accurately draw the images I see for this story. I’ve completed a twelve-month overview of the plot, plus a panel-by-panel script and storyboard for the first month. I’ve also applied for two different NOVA grants—hoping someone else might believe in this project enough to give it some funding—but whether those grants come through or not, I’m committed to making it. I’ll find a way to create this, even if it’s just with my own two hands.