Author Kim Malaj Tours Hometown to Promote Her Latest Novel

*Kim Malaj signs copies of her books at the Excelsior Springs Community Center (photo S Jason Cole).*

Kim Malaj spent the first 18 years of her life in and around Excelsior Springs. Now she’s back to promote her latest book, Who is Maggie a historical fiction which features many references to local landmarks and locations. The Lawson graduate now lives on a vineyard and homestead in northern Albania with her husband, Arti, an author of Northern Albanian Folk Tales, Myths, and Legends. Although she gets back for occasional visits, Malaj said this is the first time in 22 years she’s been back for an extended period.

The old Spa View Hotel which was located in downtown Excelsior Springs plays a prominent role in her novel and although it has been demolished, Malaj says she has vivid memories of the old location. Her grandmother was a nurse there and her great-grandmother and great-aunt were both residents. “I spent a lot of my youth going in and out of that building when it was in its worst days,” she recollected. She said the descriptions of Maggie in her novel are based on a resident that lived at the Spa View who would greet visitors as they came in.

Malaj also worked at the Elms Hotel where she learned a lot about the history of the community and some of the more infamous visitors. She heard stories of the bootleg tunnels and prohibition shenanigans. “I knew the history because I had to speak about it when I worked there and it just kind of always stuck with me,” she said.

*Kim Malaj greets Monica and Bret O’Dell at the Community Center (photo S Jason Cole).*

We caught up with Malaj at the Excelsior Springs Community Center where she was set up to meet locals and sign copies of her book. She told us, Who is Maggie is the story of Rozanne Rayvern and her best friend Gage Auburn, who find themselves searching for a missing girl and unraveling the threads of a 100-year-old cold case. “Rozanne works as a pharmacy tech and recognizes a young lady that comes in with a customer… and then you’ll have to read the rest to figure it out,” Malaj smiled.

Malaj says her next book will be centered around the events at the old Nike missile base in Lawson. You can find Who is Maggie and Kim’s other books, including her four-part mythical fantasy Ember in Time series, on Amazon or any of your favorite book retailers.