Excelsior Bay Books- What’s right about indie bookstores

Last Saturday, I had an enjoyable and successful book signing in beautiful Excelsior, MN, at an indie bookstore called Excelsior Bay Books. What made it so pleasant was watching the personal and friendly exchange between the owner, Ann Nye, and customers. It’s fun to browse in a store this size, Ann has a large variety of titles. There’s even a seating area where you can sit down and look over a book before purchase or visit with other book lovers and friends. Let’s keep these wonderful treasures, the indie book stores, around for a long time. Support the indie bookstores!

Upcoming Events

In June, I will head to Northern Minnesota. On Friday, June 19, I will be in Detroit Lakes  at Book World from 1:00 to 3:00, and on Saturday June 20, I will head over to Park Rapids to Beagle Books where I will sign books from 11:00 to 1:00 as part of their author fest.  The next Friday, June 26, I will be at Book World in Baxter from 11:00 to 1:00, and on June 27 I will be in Grand Rapids at Village Books from 12:00 to 2:00. Drop by and say hi iif you are in the area!

Spring, Robins, and My Mother

Yesterday, I saw my first robins of the season. I always anticipate their return not only because it signals spring, (my favorite time of year), but because they remind me of my mom.  She was the sweetest, kindest woman I’ve ever known, and she liked birds, especially robins. She had us kids on robin watch in the spring and we were delighted when we spied our first ones. Mom kept a bird bath in her large flower garden and fed the birds in a feeder which hung on a maple branch in our front yard. It always amazed me how the birds didn’t seem to mind the feeder swaying widely in the brisk prairie breeze. I gave Mom this little robin years ago, and now that she’s gone I have it. I’ve placed it where I can see it and enjoy a few seconds of Mom with me again.

Next Event

My next signing event will be at Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, Minnesota, on Saturday, March 21 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Excelsior is a lovely town on Lake Minnetonka. Come explore the shops and restaurants, and stop by the indie bookstore to say hi.

Signing Events for Silver’s Bones

I am beginning to set up signing events for the release of Silver’s Bones, the second in the Cal Sheehan mysteries. Events in March are as follows:

Saturday, March 14, Barnes and Noble Maple Grove, from 1:00 to 4:00.

Saturday, March 21, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, MN from 1:00 to 3:00

Friday, March 27, Barnes and Noble, Ridgehaven, (Minnetonka) from 7:00 to 9:00.

Saturday, March 28, Bloomington Writers’ Festival and Book Fair, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 10:00 to 4:00.

A Mystery Solved!

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been hearing a chittering sound in the house. The first time it occured was about 10:30 at night. I was reading along side my sleeping hubby. At first, I thought the sound could be a new, funky snore of his, but after leaning in and listening, I ruled it out. Heard the sound again, then it stopped, and I proceeded to fall asleep. Somewhat anxious about the sound, the next day I told my husband it sounded like an animal, a squirrel, perhaps, and that it was inside our house somewhere. I heard the sound again and again in the next few days and reported to my husband everytime, who must have thought I was hearing things, but dutifully went to check out our home, inside and out, after which he  assured me our house was tight and no creature could gain access. Then he heard it too. Thank God! But he couldn’t figure out what it was and thought it could be the wind causing something (like our wreathes) to move.

Then this morning when in our entryway, I heard the sound LOUD and CLEAR! I narrowed it down to a plant I’d brought in from outside this fall because it still looked so pretty and I didn’t want the frost to hit it. The coleus had long died, but the ivy was still alive so I kept it watered. I now knew the sound was coming from the plant, and realized it was from a FROG! My husband carried the pot back outside on our steps where it remains. I don’t want to think about what’s happening to the frog in twenty degrees.

Morale of the story: Don’t bring outdoor plant pots inside for the winter. They may be someone’s habitat!

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.