(Photo caption: Sheila Bugler, author of new novel The Stepmother)
Ballinasloe-raised Sheila Bugler is a much-admired writer famous for her series about crime-solving journalist, Dee Doran. She has also written several stand-alone works, and launched her newest standalone novel, The Stepmother, in Salmon’s store recently.
Sheila was born in England and moved to Ballinasloe at the age of six. She grew up in the town and attended Newtown National School. Her father, Dr Harry Bugler, was a local GP and is well known in the area. He and his wife Deidre still live in the town. She went to boarding school in Athlone at Our Lady’s Bower, before studying Psychology at the University of Galway. Following this, she worked across Europe and as far away as Argentina before settling in the UK. She lives in Eastbourne, in East Sussex, with her husband, Sean but still makes it back to Ballinasloe regularly: “about three – four times a year”, Sheila says.
Her latest book, The Stepmother, is a white-knuckle domestic thriller that dives deep into the complex legal and emotional realities of non-traditional families. Sarah arrives at school one ordinary day to pick up her stepchildren, only to find that their father, Mike, took them out of school earlier. He’s not returning her calls, and then sends her a text message, saying, “Don’t go home, it’s not safe”. Worse is to come when Sarah is told by police that as she and Mike are not legally married, and he is the children’s father, there is nothing they can do. Sarah needs to work out what to do and what Mike has been hiding before it’s too late…
The Stepmother is Sheila’s eleventh novel. Early reviewers have praised the book’s addictive pacing and emotional depth. One said: “It had more twists than a corkscrew! There was always another twist or piece of action that kept my attention. A truly fantastic book!” Another said it was “a must-read for psychological thriller fans! while a third described it as a: “gripping, emotionally charged thriller.”
The launch in Salmon’s attracted a crowd of devoted crime fiction fans and interested local readers, and Sheila was available to sign copies. She chose to launch the book in Ballinasloe for several reasons. “Dermot Salmon has always been really supportive of my books, and I’ve done lots of book signings there in the past,” Sheila says. “I wanted to have a book launch in the town, and everyone there has been lovely to me. I did an event in the library a few years ago and lots of people came.”
You can find Sheila on Instagram: @sheilabuglerauthor. She’s also on Substack (https://substack.com/@sheilabugler) where she shares advice and writing tips or aspiring authors.
