I write constantly, everyday. I don’t work off an outline or a rough draft. I sit down in front of the keyboard with a blank screen and I start tapping keys. At the end of the day I look up and no one is more surprised than me to learn of the plot twists and turns my tale has taken.
In writing Bombshell I was intrigued by the world of women’s roller derby. The team rivalries, the costumes and the stage names the skaters have all fascinated me. I wondered what might happen if you placed a rivalry or a petty jealousy that gets way out of hand within the confines of a roller derby team. Two individuals who are competing for the top position with maybe one of the two not even realizing she’s in a competition. Add to that mix some sort of sinister aspect like a stalker that requires the services of my main character, dysfunctional, back slapping, babe magnet Dev Haskell, Private investigator. Suddenly I was having a lot of fun writing Bombshell.
A number of my fans have pointed out that in the end it always seems to be a woman who saves the day. Yes, my main character, Dev Haskell is macho, knows people, a guy’s guy and can sometimes figure things out. But at the end of the day it’s a woman who eventually pulls his feet out of the fire. She may break up with him the next day, may tell him to never, ever call again, but only after the fact. Usually she tries to get him on the right path only to eventually throw up her hands in abject resignation.
If you’re looking for a tale where the world is saved from international terrorism, a government coup or a Wall Street conspiracy, it isn’t Bombshell. All my tales are at base about a seedy underside of life, the sludge just below the surface of polite society. My characters are the sort of people we all know and wisely choose to stay away from, yet still we’re just a little bit curious. The situations my characters find themselves in are usually due to their own bad decisions, but then bad decisions make for interesting tales.
Bombshell and all my other books are indie published. I would send fifty or sixty query letters out on each book, groveling for a publisher, any publisher. Each query letter had a self addressed stamped envelope enclosed so they wouldn’t have to pay postage when they sent me the form letter telling me to get lost. One day I had one of my query letters returned, unopened. I had mailed it to one of the big six publishers in New York. My unopened envelope was stamped across the front in purple ink reading ‘Return to Sender’. On the back of the envelope was a handwritten note that read; ‘This does not fit our needs at this time’. They hadn’t even bothered to open my envelope. It dawned on me that Mike Faricy from St. Paul, Minnesota didn’t have a snowballs chance with these people. I decided then and there to try another route, I indie published and haven’t looked back.
At one time indie publishing was a rarity, it is quickly becoming the norm. I can write what I want, when I want and get it out to my readers in a timely manner, for less cost and I retain all the rights. Let me know when we get to the bad part here. If my manuscript was accepted tonight by a traditional publisher it would be twelve to eighteen months before the book was available. That doesn’t seem to be a viable business model for this day and age. All of my books are of no redeeming social value. They are fast paced tales, theoretically written with a sense of humor and even a little romance. I know you’ll enjoy Bombshell, as well as my other books. You can find them all on Amazon and don’t forget to tell two to three hundred of your closest friends how much you enjoyed the read. Many thanks for having me and all the best, Mike Faricy.
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Mike Faricy is the award winning author of mystery suspense thrillers woven together with a rich strain of humor and even some romance. He and his wife live in Saint Paul, Minnesota and Dublin, Ireland.
His entertaining tales are populated with the sort of quirky, oddball characters we’d all like to know more about, but wisely prefer to keep at a distance. They serve not so much as examples as they do warnings to the rest of us. None of his characters will be saving the world from terrorism, international banking conspiracies or coups to topple the government. Rather, they’re individuals inhabiting a world just below the surface of polite society. The difficulties they find themselves in are usually due to their own bad decisions, but then, bad decisions make for interesting tales.
All of his books are stand alone, read them in any order you wish. Russian Roulette introduces the bizarrely devilish Devlin Haskell as a PI with a foot on both sides of the law. Dev’s adventures continue in Mr. Softee and the soon to be released Bite Me. Mike is currently working on his latest top secret project. He graduated High School from St. Thomas Academy and earned a BA in history from St. Norbert College.
His latest book is the crime fiction, Bombshell.
The Story Behind the Book 