In the past few months, I’ve come to know several Boomer Lit
authors. We often talk about what motivated us to write novels about and for
baby boomers. Here’s my story.
Four days after my sixtieth birthday, my employer of 17
years laid me off from my management position. With the economy the way it’s
been the past several years, what happened to me is hardly unique or noteworthy.
Unfortunately, it’s happened to millions of baby boomers over the past few
years. Still, that knowledge didn’t lessen the shock and grief over what
happened.
An attorney friend of mine told me being laid off is one of
the major stressors in life second only to losing a spouse. To better understand what I was going through
I researched the subject of loss. I came to understand the seven stages of
grief I was experiencing. The stages are 1) shock and disbelief 2) denial, 3)
anger, 4) bargaining, 5) guilt (with a loss of self-esteem) 6) depression and
finally 7) acceptance.
Grief can cause physical, even life-threatening conditions
such as broken heart syndrome. Hoping to
avoid health issues, I grew determined to reach a level of acceptance. Still
dealing with a loss of self-esteem and anger over what happened, I focused on
my writing intent on utilizing what had happened to me in my next novel.
I’d written seven previously published novels, mostly
mystery and suspense. That genre didn’t seem right for what I had in mind, a
novel about and for baby boomers.
With that audience in mind, I began a novel that had been
churning around in my mind for some time, a return to Woodstock story. Goodbye
Emily. I created a character, Walter (Sparky) Ellington who’d lost his wife,
his job as a college professor, and he’d lost touch with his best friends since
high school, who had their own grief to deal with.
As an author, I’d learned the importance of keeping one’s
audience in mind. While determined to be honest and open about my feelings and what
aging baby boomers increasingly face, I vowed to portray boomers the way I knew
them to be, funny, talented, sexy and optimistic about the future.
The result was Goodbye Emily, a Boomer Lit novel released in
January by Koehler Books. From the reviews, it’s been well received.
Goodbye Emily is one of a growing trend of novels you’ll
find on this blog. Many involve mystery, suspense, intrigue, romance. They’re
well-written, exciting and wonderfully entertaining. I hope you’ll take a look.
About the Author:
Michael Murphy and his wife of 41 years live in Arizona. He’s a full time writer and part time urban chicken rancher. His next novel is The Yankee Club, a humorous mystery set in 1933 New York, inspired by The Thin Man series.
Michael Murphy and his wife of 41 years live in Arizona. He’s a full time writer and part time urban chicken rancher. His next novel is The Yankee Club, a humorous mystery set in 1933 New York, inspired by The Thin Man series.
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