Don’t You Cry: Mary Kubica Q&A

When I first asked Mary Kubica to take part in an author interview, my blog didn’t even exist yet.  I whole-heartedly expected her to say “bug off” in the most classy way possible, but figured you never know unless you ask.  You can imagine my shock when she immediately replied “I’d love to; thank you so much for including me”! On top of being such a talented, established author in the genre, she is super down to earth and friendly! She is one of many authors who have encouraged and supported me on this journey to starting my own blog and I owe her a big thank you.  I first read Don’t You Cry back in January and was blown away (you can read my review HERE). I can’t wait for you all to read her newest story, so much that Mary is giving away 1 signed copy HERE!

1) When did you first realize your passion for writing? Did you ever expect to
make such a successful career doing so?

I started writing for fun when I was just a young girl. Growing up it was always a hobby for me; it didn’t occur to me that one day I could be an actual author. But I had a deep enthusiasm for writing from the very beginning, and was mesmerized by the idea of creating characters and stories, and though much in my life has changed since I was nine or ten years old, this is one thing that’s always remained the same: my passion for writing. I feel extremely fortunate to have made a career of something I love so much.

2)Your debut novel, The Good Girl, has been compared to the likes of Gone Girl and
The Girl on the Train. Was Gillian Flynn’s bestseller an inspiration for your
debut, or did it come from somewhere else entirely?

I started working on The Good Girl in 2005, though it wasn’t published until 2014. It was a long journey to write the novel, find an agent, and get the book published. I didn’t actually read Gone Girl until my agent suggested I do when we were in the process of submitting my novel to publishers. I didn’t set out to write a psychological thriller either, but started with the notion of a kidnapping, and surprised myself at the way the story unfolded. Though I can’t say Gone Girl inspired The Good Girl because of the time gap, I can say
with certainty that Gillian Flynn and other pioneers in the genre have helped make thrillers hugely popular these days, and for that I’m infinitely grateful.

3) What is your most favored method of research when writing a novel? Is there
any one (or few) person(s) in particular who have proven exceptionally
helpful in writing all three of your novels?

I will research when needed to feel comfortable speaking on a certain topic, but my novels are certainly not research-heavy. I rely most on my imagination to create my stories,
and empathy and compassion to bring my characters to life.

4) In your newest story, Don’t You Cry, we see your signature move in using
multiple narratives. How do you manage to keep your timelines and POVs
straight and execute the revealing of plot twists so perfectly?

This is a great question! A little secret – I actually don’t write my novels in the same
way you read them. For Don’t You Cry, I started with Quinn’s story first, and wrote her entire narrative from beginning to end, and then went back and had Alex tell his tale.
This way I could focus on one character at a time. Once the two stories were complete, I alternated chapters back and forth, and made some final tweaks to be sure
the narratives unfolded how I wanted them to!

5) Do you have any upcoming projects or ideas for stories to be released in
the next few years that you could share with us?

I’m just finishing up my fourth thriller, which will release in the summer of 2017! Though still untitled, this one begins when a young father is killed in a car crash with his
four-year-old daughter in the backseat, unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident until
the coming days when his daughter begins having nightmares about another car
following and pushing them from the road, and the man’s widow sets off to find
her husband’s killer. Can’t wait to hear what you think!

AUTHOR BIO

Mary Kubica is the bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL (2014) and PRETTY BABY (2015). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. Mary lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children and enjoys photography, gardening and caring for the animals at a local shelter.