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Suspence Writer Mary Kubica Tackles a Younger Perspective in Third Novel

marykubica.com
"Don't You Cry" is Mary Kubica's third suspence novel.

Illinois writer Mary Kubica attracted fans and received plenty of critical praise for her first two suspense novels, The Good Girl and Pretty Baby. And those fans haven’t been disappointed by her latest, either.

Don’t You Cry is the story of a Chicago woman’s sudden disappearance and the unexpected revelations her roommate learns in the search to find out what happened. 

The story is told from the point of view of two narrators, following the trend of Kubica's use of multiple perspectives in her novels.

However, Kubica decided to make a change from her previous works and focus on younger characters. "I really was intrigued by the idea of using younger characters than I have done in my previous novels...I wanted to take a step back and explore something else," she explains. "So I choose Alex and Quinn because they're younger (18 and 23), and they're just in such a different spot in their lives than so many of the other characters I've had."

In every story Kubica approaches, she first builds the characters and then allows the story to unfold accordingly. Often surprising herself, Kubica says she usually gets her ideas doing anything other than writing, such as daily tasks around the house.

"For me, it's a thrill when I can to a certain idea or I think of something in my head in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping, and I'm so excited to get back to the computer and put it down on the paper...hopefully it's as thrilling for the readers," she says.

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.