This isn’t part of the book; I’m just poking fun at my history.
Maye West here! The name’s the same; however, the game’s different. The real Mae West would spin in her grave at the thought that people would compare me to the ultimate sexpot. She was a big-busted, blonde bombshell with a potty mouth (for her time). My only claim to fame is a sharp tongue and a potty mouth, and maybe the bust. I am 5 ft. 4 inches tall with Red wavy hair courtesy of Clairol # 44R, Green/Brown eyes that turn totally Green if you piss me off, which, by the way, is not that difficult! People who know me say I can go from Sweetheart to Bitch in 60 seconds. I’d like to think my deductive reasoning is noteworthy, but that remains to be seen.
Mom thought that naming her kids after famous people would make them famous! Why she thought that a famous name would give me a leg up on the ladder of success when, being born in a little shack in East Corinth, Maine, is still a mystery to me. The story that my brothers used to tell was that I was born at home; then Mom went to the Hospital to make absolutely certain there would never be another one like me. Cute, huh? Nice guys! I choose to tell the story a tiny bit different – after two failures, my brothers – she got it right! ME!
So how did I end up in the big city of Glendale, in Maricopa County, Arizona? Good question. In the winter we live in Paradise, and in summer we live in Hell! My chosen profession sometimes makes me think the latter applies year-round. “But it’s a dry heat” only works when the temperature is below 100-120 degrees. I’m not complaining, mind you; I did come here for the Sun. I LOVE floating in my pool while getting a glorious tan. Please, no lectures about the dangers of the sun; I need all the Vitamin D that I can get. Besides, only “Mad dogs and Englishmen” go out in the noon-day sun!
I left Maine after two snowstorms back to back dumped 30 inches each, on everything; by the way, that’s 5 feet! I came to Arizona via the wonderful state of Washington, where I proceeded to acquire webs between my toes and the feathers on my legs, in Grays Harbor County where the annual rainfall is 164 inches, that’s over 13 feet!
What’s a gal do if she only has a high school education? I signed up for Real Estate School. In Washington State, at that time, you could start selling Real Estate with a Temporary Permit while you took the Real Estate Course and eventually, hopefully, passed the State Real Estate Exam. Cute! What Bureaucratic Lunacy was that?
I signed up for Real Estate School, and a Broker friend asked me to come work for him at Smith & Smith Realty (the name was changed to protect the guilty). I was thrilled!! Somebody wanted to hire me!!!
If you read my first book, “Murder on Lake Haverly,” in the “Maye West Mysteries” series, you might have recognized me. I was a Realtor for close to 30 years in Washington and Arizona.
Go to www.brendacolbathbooks.com And you will find places where that book is available for purchase, along with my other 20-plus books.
