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Believe it or not, Mary Kubica, a New York Times bestselling author of 10 psychological thrillers – three of which have been optioned – didn’t want to be an author.
“From a young age, I loved writing. Growing up, I would spend all my free time hard at work on some story, but I was always very private about my work and reluctant to share it with anyone,” explained Kubica, of Chicago, a former teacher. “Although writing was something I loved to do, I never wanted to be an author; the idea of putting my work out there for others to read terrified me. It wasn’t until I finished a draft of my first book, ‘The Good Girl,’ that I felt the desire to try and get it published.”
Upon completing “The Good Girl,” Kubica reached out to 100 agents, but only three wanted to read the entire manuscript. In the end, they passed on it.
“I thought for sure the book wouldn’t be published,” she recalled. “Two years later, one of those three agents reached back out to see if it was still available, and it was. As it turned out, she had recently been promoted from an assistant agent to an agent and was now taking on her own books and in a position to represent it. We started working together and a few months later, we had our first book deal.”
Kubica – who earned her bachelor’s degree in history and American literature from Miami University in Oxford and her secondary education teaching certification from Roosevelt University in Chicago – has been writing full-time since. She will sign copies of her latest novel, “It’s Not Her” (Park Row $30), at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library as part of its “Authors!” series on Thursday, Feb. 5, from 7-8 p.m. At this event, she will speak about her book and open it up for questions before signing (see sidebar for more details).
“I’m so thrilled to be coming to the Toledo Library!” she said. “Libraries have played such an important role in my life and my career, and I am grateful that they’re a part of my book tour this year. This will be my first time at the Toledo Library and I’m so looking forward to meeting librarians and readers from the Toledo area.”
In “It’s Not Her,” while on vacation, Courtney Gray hears a bloodcurdling scream in the cottage next door and finds her brother and sister-in-law dead, her niece Reese missing, and her nephew Wyatt sleeping peacefully. As the police investigate, dark secrets about her family are revealed. The police begin to suspect Reese murdered her parents, leaving Courtney racing against time to find her niece and solve this mystery.
“From the beginning, Courtney is put in an impossible situation – protecting her family while searching for her missing niece and trying to find out who killed her brother and sister-in-law,” said Kubica. “Not only is she grieving their loss, but she’s terrified for her own life and the lives of others. At the same time, she has to be strong because she’s caring for two children who have just lost their parents. She’s strong and resilient, and, in time, begins to suspect that various people close to her may have committed this crime.”
“It’s Not Her” is loosely based on the Keddie Cabin Murders, in which three people were found dead in a cabin in Keddie, CA in 1981. The victims were Sue Sharp, her son John, and Dana Wingate. Daughter Tina Sharp was missing until her skull was found in 1984. Sons Rick and Greg Sharp, as well as their friend Justin Smartt, were sleeping in the cabin when the murders occurred. The three victims were discovered by daughter Sheila Sharp, who had returned home from a sleepover. This case remains unsolved to this day.
“It’s really the opening scene only that bears some similarities: A young girl coming home from a sleepover to find her parents dead, her brother sound asleep in one of the bedrooms, and a sister missing. From there the novel and the real murders go off in completely different directions,” explained Kubica.
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She described “It’s Not Her” as one of her more propulsive novels.
“The murders happen in the first chapter and from there, the characters are literally running to save their own lives,” said Kubica. “This makes it unique. The setting also sets it apart from my other novels. Most of my books take place in Chicago or the suburbs of Chicago. Here, two families have gone on vacation together in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It’s remote and they don’t know anyone there aside from each other.”
She continued: “I loved everything about writing this book – the pace, the characters, the setting. Some books are more cooperative than others during the drafting phase, and this is one of the most cooperative books I’ve written. I connected very early on with the characters and every day felt excited to be able to tell their story.”
Kubica spoke about her writing routine. She’s not a plotter but rather a pantser – that is, she flies by the seat of her pants. She doesn’t plot her novels in advance.
“Usually, all I have is a starting point for my novels before I dive into the writing and start solving the mystery along with my characters. One of the most exciting – and sometimes nerve-wracking – parts of the process for me is not knowing where the story is going to go or how it will end,” she explained. “I don’t do a lot of getting to know my characters before I start writing a novel. I dive right in and get to know them while drafting the manuscript.”
Without a doubt, the best part about being an author is meeting readers.
“There is nothing better than getting to connect with them, whether in person or through social media,” said Kubica. “When I hear from a reader that they loved a book, connected with a character, that a book of mine got them back into reading or through a particularly difficult moment in their life, it makes my day.”
SIDEBAR: “Authors! with Mary Kubica”
Mary Kubica will speak about and sign copies of her latest novel, “It’s Not Her” (Park Row $30), at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, located at 325 Michigan Street in Toledo, as part of its “Authors!” series on Thursday, Feb. 5, from 7-8 p.m. Tickets cost $25.31/person. A copy of “It’s Not Her” is included in the price of admission. Please register online. For questions or more information, contact the library at (419) 259-5200.
