What do you do when the summer rain starts? Well, the answer can be simple. Find a good book!
Our guest today in My Writing Corner has a possibility that sounds perfect for the beach or the lake, or just sitting inside while the rain comes down. Welcome to Rosemary Kubli who says she likes to write the type of books she loves to read - intrigue and suspense mixed with a pinch of romance and a clever plot twist or two.
Her professional experiences run the gamut from Human Resources and training to accounting and banking, with publishing being her most recent endeavor. Aside from the seven years she lived in southern California, she has always called the northeast corner of Ohio her home. Rosemary and her husband of 45 years enjoy traveling - on land to visit family and friends and on sea to any destination a cruise ship will take them. When not working on her next novel, she can be found discussing the latest in literary fare with her book club, playing a rousing game of Bunco with some of her oldest and dearest friends, researching her ancestry, volunteering in her community, burying her nose in a book, or obsessing over the latest binge-worthy TV series.Rosemary, what do you enjoy about being an author?
Of course, I enjoy creating the narrative and the characters through which I tell the story, but what I love most about being an author are the comments I receive from my readers. I was so incredibly delighted when a reader told me that a suspenseful moment in the plot literally made her jump out of her seat, and when two ladies said they loved the story so much they intended to read the book a second time. But the comment that’s my personal favorite came from a reader who said Jonathan Woodward (the male main character in Gullible) is the man of her dreams and she will marry him some day. I get goosebumps knowing that my story is as enthralling to others as it is to me, and that my audience loves the characters in Gullible as much as I do. Even those not so complimentary comments serve as reminders that my writing can always be improved.
Tell us about your road to publication.
My long and bumpy road to publication started about eight years ago. With no qualifications other than a lifelong desire to be a published author, in the fall of 2015 I decided to get serious about writing and began penning my first novel. I quickly realized that, once the novel was completed, I had no idea how to go about getting it published! I wish I’d kept track of how many hours I spent researching the answers to my long list of questions. I learned what a beta reader is and how to construct a query letter. I contacted several published authors and asked a lot of questions. I watched a ton of YouTube videos. I joined a local writer’s critique group and took their advice to heart. Then, when my novel was completed, edited, and polished to its shining best, I sent out queries to a multitude of literary agents and independent publishers. A few were interested enough to request the full manuscript, but in the end they all turned down my project.
So, I set aside that first novel, went back to the drawing board, and began writing what eventually turned into Gullible. Again, the queries went out and the rejections came pouring in. While waiting to hear back from two agents who had expressed serious interest in Gullible, I decided to give The Wild Rose Press a try and thank goodness I did! The two agents ultimately turned me down, but the wonderful editor at TWRP who had been assigned to my manuscript saw the potential in my story and worked with me toward a contract. So, although it took nearly eight years and I came close to giving up on my dream many times, today I am thrilled to hold a printed copy of Gullible in my hands!
What is your latest book and how did you come up with the idea to write it?
The plot of Gullible, my debut novel, is completely different from my original concept. Even the title is different! I intended to write a story about a husband who thinks he’s married to the perfect wife until she disappears one day, and he slowly learns she’s been hiding a deep, dark secret from him. Kind of the reverse of Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me, but long before that novel was published. Somehow – I don’t even remember the process I went through – my idea evolved into a story about a savvy con artist with a perfect track record. When she suffers a few missteps in the con she’s running, she begins to question who the gullible victim in her scheme truly is – the man she’s conning, or herself.
Let's get a blurb:
Siena Ricci is shrewd, seductive, and an expert in the art of deception. Masking her identity behind the guise of Marie Lacroix, a specialist in antiques and objets d'art, she swindles her employer's wealthy clients out of their valuable possessions. She hasn't yet met the man she can't manipulate, but then the con she's playing on Jonathan Woodward has only just begun.
Jonathan proves to be an easy mark, but he's also enticingly irresistible. As their relationship heats up, her plot to steal his multi-million-dollar antique trinkets begins to unravel. Noticing a subtle change in Jonathan's demeanor, Marie questions whether she's still in control of the con or if she's blindly become the gullible victim of her own scheme.
Let's get an excerpt also...
Gus frowned. “You’re not saying you’re giving up on this job, are you?”
“Of course not.” Marie was insulted Gus would suggest she could be defeated so easily. “I promise I’ll wrap up the job as soon as possible. But, more importantly, I discovered Jonathan Woodward owns something of much greater value than the Somerset Necklace.” Gus took a swig of beer and washed down his food. “What would that be?”
“Are you familiar with the Singing Bird Pistols from the nineteenth century?”
“Yeah, sure. I researched them last year when you told me you helped Woodward buy one at auction. They’re remarkable pieces, no doubt, but their real value is in keeping them together as a pair. Separately, they’re not that easy to fence. Woodward owns one of the Bird Pistols, but no one knows the whereabouts of the second one.” He took another bite of his sandwich.
“Oh, but you see, I do.” Marie tingled with excitement, as if she were about to tell Gus he held the winning ticket in last night’s lottery drawing. “The second Bird Pistol is in Jonathan Woodward’s library.”
Gus swallowed hard. “He owns both pistols?”
“Yes.”
“You’re certain?”
“Gus, I wouldn’t lie about something like this,” she said indignantly. “He keeps it in his glass showcase. I viewed it with my own eyes and held it in my hand.” Marie described the showcase Jonathan kept hidden behind the sliding wall in his home library.
“But you didn’t see both pistols in the case?”
“No. The second pistol is at his son’s home in Connecticut.”
Gus sat back in his chair. “This is incredible. Last year, after you told me about the bird pistols, I sent out some feelers. One of my Asian buyers told me, if we ever located both pistols, he would be
extremely interested in obtaining them. He loves anything having to do with his
country’s history and said he’d be willing to pay upwards of $10 million for the pair.”
Marie’s breath caught. Ten million dollars! Splitting a purse of that size with Gus would have a huge impact on their futures. Anticipating Gus would be all-in on the job, she’d already fleshed out a plan to acquire both Singing Bird Pistols.
“The fact that you have an interested buyer means we have no choice but to take advantage of this opportunity. There can’t be any chance of messing this up, Gus. A sale of this size means we can both retire from the business. I know I’m ready to call it quits, and I think you are, too.”
Gus gazed at her with sadness in his eyes. “I’d miss it, for sure. It’s been my life. But my fingers aren’t as nimble as they used to be, and the strain on my eyes is becoming a problem. I’ve been thinking about turning the operation over to the younger guys for a while now.”
Marie made the decision for them both. “Then, let’s do it!”
What’s your next project?
After writing Gullible, I realized these characters have a lot more story to tell. Currently I’m working on the sequel, Vengeful, and I’m fleshing out the plot for a third novel to round out the trilogy.
Wonderful! How do you develop characters?
By taking snippets from the personalities of the people I know – including myself! For instance, if the character needs to be strong-willed and determined, I visualize someone I know who has those traits and, while I’m writing that character, I imagine how the person I know would behave if placed in my character’s situation. I also complete a profile for each character, especially for those minor characters that might not appear until several chapters later, so I don’t make the fatal mistake of unintentionally altering their personality and making the reader wonder why this character was a nasty so-and-so in chapter 6 but in chapter 15 he’s the sweetheart who runs the town’s animal shelter.
What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Be diligent, be professional, and do your homework. Join a local writer’s critique group and use their feedback to improve your work. Write in a genre with which you’re comfortable. And read! Read a lot and from different genres, not only for pleasure but to learn from other authors’ voices and writing styles. Lastly, write, even if it’s only for a few minutes every day. You can’t get good at something if you never practice!
Following are the Buy Links for Gullible and Rosemary's social contact information.
Buy Links:
Link to Amazon: www.amazon.com/Gullible-Rosemary-Kubli/dp/150924851X
Link to Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gullible-rosemary-kubli/1143179526
Social Links:
Linktree for all links https://linktr.ee/rosemarykubli
Website www.rosemarykubli.com
Facebook Rosemary Kubli - Author | Facebook
Instagram www.instagram.com/koobswrites/
Twitter twitter.com/KubliRosemary
Thank you, Rosemary, for being my guest today. Any questions for Rosemary?
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