Background

Mary Kubica was born in Illinois, United States.

Education

Mary Kubica holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature.

Career

Before the start of her writing career, author Kubica used to work as a history teacher at Warren County High School in Gurnee. In 2014, Mary Kubica was as a debut novelist. Two months later, the runaway success of The Good Girl made her a bestselling author. “Mary’s meteoric rise has been remarkable,” says Erika Imranyi, Mira executive editor. The Good Girl sold almost a half-million copies in North America, been published in two dozen countries, was a New York Times and international bestseller.

Following the grand success of her debut book, Kubica went on to write a few more successful novels in her career. Author Kubica has been described as a writer having a vice-like control, by the Chicago Tribune. Most of her novels are regarded as hypnotic, illuminating, and thrilling by a number of literary magazines. Currently, she is working towards the plot development of her next suspense book. Literary magazines such as the Los Angeles Times and People’s Magazine always praise author Kubica for her excellent style of writing, intriguing plots, and interesting character depictions. She always remains in the demand list of many readers all across the globe. Over the course of the last few years, author Kubica has succeeded in developing a formidable fan base for herself with the help of her exciting books. The next thing that she wants to try in her literary career is to write a book series that will feature a unique lead character.

Another mind-blowing book penned by Kubica is called "Every Last Lie". This book was released by the Park Row publication in 2017. The chief characters of this book include Clara Solberg, Nick, Maisie, etc. At the beginning of the book’s story, it is depicted that Clara and Nick Solberg are happily married and have a 4-year-old daughter named Maisie. Their world seems to be filled with happiness until it gets shattered due to a tragic car accident. At the time of the accident, Nick and Maisie were in the car. Clara Solberg is informed that Nick has died, while her daughter is remarkably alive without any signs of injury on her body.

Author Kubica has told the story in the form of alternating perspectives of the investigation of Clara Solberg and the last months of Nick up to the moment of the crash. Once again, author Kubica appears to have weaved a chilling thriller in her unique style. This thrilling novel gives the exploration of the dark recesses of a grief-stricken mind.

Achievements

• The first book that author Kubica wrote in her career is called Good Girl. It was picked as an Indie Next in the year 2014 and then went on to be nominated for the Strand Critics Award in the category of the best debut book. The book was also nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Other Mrs

    (Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family fr...)

    2019
  • Don't You Cry

    (A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among ...)

    2016
  • Every Last Lie

    (Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their...)

    2017
  • Pretty Baby

    (She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing...)

    2015
  • When the Lights Go Out

    (Jessie Sloane is on the path to rebuilding her life after...)

    2018
  • The Good Girl

    (One night, Mia Dennett enters a bar to meet her on-again,...)

    2014

Views

Mary Kubica likes to write mystery, thriller, and suspense books. She is still trying to wrap her mind around a new identity as a bestselling writer: “People I’ve known for a long time are surprised that I became a novelist. Most people assumed that The Good Girl was [going to be] a children’s book - it wasn’t at all what my family and friends expected from me. There are still times when someone asks what I do and I have a hard time saying, - I’m an author.”

Mary described her writing routine in the following words: "I’m definitely an early bird. I wake up at 5 am every day to get some writing done before my kids are awake. Once the family is up, writing can be much more difficult and much less planned. Depending on whether or not my kids are in school, or what other obligations I have for the day, two hours of writing each morning may be all that I have. As my children head off for full-day school this fall, I’m looking forward to much more writing time in the future!

I don’t outline and I rarely take notes. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and so I have trouble moving past a chapter until it’s in tiptop shape. I stick to one, maybe two, drafts, revising as I go so that by the time I reach the end I have a solid manuscript. Then I read this over once or twice – making some minor changes as I go – and it’s off to my editor!

I don’t necessarily model my characters off of celebrities or people I know, and yet my characters are certainly a motley of people I’ve encountered or situations I’ve experienced in my life."

Quotations: "I enjoy writing about Chicago and the surrounding area because, for me, this is home," she said. "I strive to submerge my readers in my novels' settings in an effort to help them become fully invested in the storyline."

"My novels are not so much whodunits, but rather stories about the psychology of characters and how they adapt," Kubica said. "I take ordinary people and put them in truly extraordinary situations, often involving the characters' domestic lives, whether they're stories about marriage, family dynamics or close friendships."

"Authors can be advocates for libraries. As a child myself, there was nothing I loved more than borrowing books on any subject that suited my fancy."

“I love writing about marriage and families, and my books are more psychological than horror. What goes on in people’s minds is fascinating to me, and I’m always interested in the idea of unreliable narrators.”

"Never give up! As someone once said to me: it only takes one agent or publisher to love your work, so go out and find that one. My road to publication has certainly not been what I expected. There have been rocky points all along the way, but I couldn’t have been happier with the way everything worked out. There were definitely times I thought pursuing a career as an author was an impossible notion – that it would never happen – and yet surprisingly it has! It can happen for you too. Write, edit, submit, repeat… write, edit, submit, repeat – until you find that one agent or publisher who loves your work (and then be prepared to edit some more)."

Personality

In addition to writing novels, author Kubica likes to indulge in gardening, caring for pet animals, and photography. Kubica’s love for pets often compels her to visit local shelters and inquire about the health of the animals living there.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Ms. Kubica's books circulate well in our community," said Kay Palecek, adult services coordinator at the Deerfield Public Library. "When two of our librarians met her at last year's Book Expo in Chicago, they learned that she loves to speak at libraries."

Interests

• photography, gardening, animal care

• Writers

  Jodi Picoult, Jeannette Walls, Alice Hoffman, Ann Hood

Connections

Mary Kubica lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children.

colleague:

Erika Imranyi

Erika Imranyi is the editorial director of Park Row Books, Harlequin's new literary imprint. She joined Harlequin in 2011 with the MIRA imprint. She worked with Mary Kubica on her debut novel, The Good Girl, which has been an incredible success.

Friend:

Heather Gudenkauf

Heather Gudenkauf is the Edgar Award-nominated, New York Times and the USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden and Not A Sound.

References

• Author Mary Cubica Official Website