Midwest Writers Room
Chapter Break with Mary Behan
A former professor of neuroscience, Mary writes fiction, memoir, and short stories. “Abbey Girls,” (published in 2015) is a memoir she wrote with her sister, Valerie Behan, about their childhood in Ireland. Her first novel, “A Measured Thread,” (published in 2020) is set in Wisconsin and Ireland, was named a Top 100 Indie Book in 2020, a finalist in the Page Turner Awards, and an eLit medal winner. “Kernels” (published in 2021) is a collection of short stories. Her stories have been published in the Irish Literary Journal Crossways and received Honorable Mention in Writer’s Digest Writing Competition in 2021.
In “Finding Isobel” we follow the journey of a young woman named Isobel Babić, whose life takes an unexpected turn after the death of Maggie O’Connor, her de facto grandmother. While she was growing up in Canada, Isobel’s parents refused to tell her anything about how they came to adopt her, only that she was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Empowered by a bequest from Maggie, Isobel sets out to uncover the mystery surrounding her background. Her journey takes her from Wisconsin to New Zealand, and ultimately to Sarajevo. Along the way she encounters a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and stories. Isobel discovers that the past holds far more than mere answers, setting her up for a future she could never have imagined.
LINKS:
mvbehan.com
A former professor of neuroscience, Mary writes fiction, memoir, and short stories. “Abbey Girls,” (published in 2015) is a memoir she wrote with her sister, Valerie Behan, about their childhood in Ireland. Her first novel, “A Measured Thread,” (published in 2020) is set in Wisconsin and Ireland, was named a Top 100 Indie Book in 2020, a finalist in the Page Turner Awards, and an eLit medal winner. “Kernels” (published in 2021) is a collection of short stories. Her stories have been published in the Irish Literary Journal Crossways and received Honorable Mention in Writer’s Digest Writing Competition in 2021.
In “Finding Isobel” we follow the journey of a young woman named Isobel Babić, whose life takes an unexpected turn after the death of Maggie O’Connor, her de facto grandmother. While she was growing up in Canada, Isobel’s parents refused to tell her anything about how they came to adopt her, only that she was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Empowered by a bequest from Maggie, Isobel sets out to uncover the mystery surrounding her background. Her journey takes her from Wisconsin to New Zealand, and ultimately to Sarajevo. Along the way she encounters a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and stories. Isobel discovers that the past holds far more than mere answers, setting her up for a future she could never have imagined.
LINKS:
mvbehan.com