Silver’s Bones will be released in March, 2015.

Silver’s Bones by Midge Bubany

The second in the Cal Sheehan mystery novels, Silver’s Bones, will be released in March. The story begins when skeletal remains are found during an excavation for a retaining wall on Cal’s ex-girlfriend’s property. It is soon determined the remains belong to a young woman, Silver Rae Dawson, who disappeared fifteen years ago while babysitting on a neighbor’s farm. Cal finds investigating the cold case both fascinating and challenging and as he unravels the past, he exposes the lies and secrets which lead to the truth, but at a devatating price for many.

The Equalizer, by Midge Bubany

FAQ

Two of the most frequently questions I’m asked are: Have I always wanted to be a writer and how much do I write ?

Have I wanted to be an author all my life? No, although  I’ve always put my thoughts, opinions and feelings down on paper because it was much easier for me to express myself in the written language than verbalizing. My friends may find that strange, because I am a talker.

My  novel writing  began when I was going through menopause.  As women “of my age” know,  during this time one doesn’t sleep as well. During periods of wakefulness,  I would entertain myself by making up a love story served with a side of mystery. After a couple years I started writing it down. Then I took Ellen Hart’s Mystery Writing class at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and rewrote it as a mystery with the love angle as  a side story. I quickly became engrossed and obsessed with writing. Hours would fly by. The Equalizer released June, 2014 by North Star Press, does not resemble the first draft of the novel I’d first written. After several revisions, not only did the setting of the story move southwest fifty or so miles, but the story line changed: the homicide change from one victim to two, and the secondary character of Cal Sheehan became the protagonist.

Second question: How much do I write? It varies, but I usually can get in four to six hours per day if I am not substitute teaching. After I start my day reading as I sip coffee in my den where it is peaceful and quiet, I dress, (I never write in my pajamas), and move to my computer and begin my writing day. I can only take sitting at the computer for a couple hours at a time, so I need to break it up with other activities: housework, errands, or going to my fitness club to work out.

I absolutely love punching out the first draft. In the last couple years I have learned it works for me better to write the story lean, then add the details in revision which I liken to putting frosting on a cake. The whole revision process has become more enjoyable as I develop as a writer.  As I am becoming a more efficient writer, I find I need to spend less time revising. The first novel was painfully slow: seven years.

And So It Continues

After a few weeks of editing and corrections on three proofs,  The Equalizer was ready to be sent  to the press. In preparation for the release, I spent many hours setting up events, writing press releases, a bio, blurb, and a summary. The selling and marketing phase of publishing a book is almost a full-time job in itself. I guess that’s why author’s hire publicists, (which I can’t afford at this point). I have set up 13 signing events, most of them will take place this summer, all in Minnesota. “The summer of the book”, is what my husband and I are calling it. The launch party is at The Bookcase in Wayzata, MN on Thursday, June 12 at 7 pm. I have no idea what kind of numbers I will have. After you get bookstores to agree to host a signing you hope people will actually show up, therefore you have to advertise  in local newspapers, post on social media sites, and basically tell everyone you know. I had my first signing at the school I taught in for 12 years, and have been subbing in since I retired six years ago. It was absolutely incredible seeing the enthusiasm from my friends when buying my book. I’d underestimated how many books I would sell and ran out! I’d brought forty-one  with me. The next day my awesome colleagues posed for photos with  my book. So cool. Note the  signs saying “Sold Out”.  

And so it begins.

January 7, 2014

This is my very first blog  on my journey to becoming a published author. My book, the title of which is in limbo, is due out  June 1, 2014. I entitled it The Equalizer, however my publisher, North Star Press, thinks it sounds like a film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (wow I bet that took him years to learn how to spell as a kid), so we shall see what happens. The story begins the literary life of Deputy Investigator Cal Sheehan,  who tackles the first homicide investigation of his career: a shocking double murder in an outstate Minnesota county park. Was it a radom killing? Or was the real target the squeaky clean businessman or the scrappy young parks worker who never turned down a fight? In the mix of the tale, Cal is distracted by his dysfunctional family and two aggressive women who vie for his affection and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Coming soon!