Want A Sneak Peek?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Cari Dubiel has paid her dues. BIG TIME. She’s the Adult Learning and Information Services manager at the Twinsburg (Ohio) Public Library, and coordinates all programs, services, and collections for adults. She also  spent five years as the Library Liaison to Sisters in Crime. So we all have much to thank her for! And now, she’s written a novel of her own.

I know it’s unusual for us to do this, but before you hear from Cari, here’s a sneak peek at her book!

HOW TO REMEMBER

Lauren’s house is one of the huge ones. It may as well have been a castle, since I would never live in a place like this, with its vaulted ceilings and bathroom just for guests. She flung open the door, her eyes lit with a tempered rage as I held the cups of coffee out to her. My penance.

“Come in, come in,” she said. “The baby’s asleep.”

Baby? What baby? Did they get a dog? I thought I remembered her talking about that, the last time I’d seen her. Which was yesterday and felt like a hundred years ago.

I followed her into the dining room, where Jim sat with his Mac and a mug in front of him. Shoot. I snapped my fingers. “I forgot. Jim, I’m so sorry. I should have brought you some.”

He got up and put a skinny hand on my shoulder. I tensed, my own shoulders tight. 

Then he stepped back. “What’s up?”

I shook my head. “I don’t even know, man. I don’t even know.”

“It’s fine.” He waved a hand. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Lauren and I took seats at the dining table. I loved coming here, loved the comfort of their beautiful house and warm company. It was one of those places where I always felt safe. I was determined to ignore the oddness that poked at the edges of my consciousness. This was not the place for those feelings.

Lauren and Jim exchanged glances. “We haven’t been sure where you went,” she said finally, carefully, as if she had taken all the words she had thrown at me and wrapped them in a neat package.

“Where I went?” I looked between their concerned faces. “I went to Ethan’s last night after work, like I always do. The bar.”

An unearthly wail echoed from upstairs. Lauren groaned and put her head on the table. “Just let me sit here for one minute. All I ask for is one minute.”

Jim got up. “I’ll get her. You talk.” He climbed the stairs, his steps heavy.

I turned to my friend, peered at her. “What is going on?” I had to face it. If there was a problem here, it was mine. I took a sip of my coffee. It was getting cold, the warmth I had sought gone so fast.

Jim came back down the stairs clutching a small, squalling bundle to his chest. He handed it to Lauren, who sighed and sat back in her chair. She leaned over and grabbed a round pillow from the chair beside her, positioned it around her waist, and attached the baby to her breast. 

I watched the process, dumbfounded, and my body ached in response. “Wait. You have a baby now? When were you pregnant?” The words tumbled out of my mouth in clumsy, staggering succession.

“You missed it,” Lauren said. She reached for her own cooling coffee with one hand, the other encircling her breast as the baby gulped. “I mean, Miranda, I know you weren’t happy about it. But you didn’t have to disappear.”

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Yes. I know you want to read more of her fiction.

But first, here’s Cari. With the rest of her real-life story.

Crowdfunding a Novel

 or 

Why Did I DoThis to Myself?

It’s been a crazy journey so far, and I’d love to take you all with me. This book started when I woke up from a disorienting dream. In the dream, I’d forgotten an entire year of my life. I checked my calendars, my to-do lists, but everything was gone.

 I started to wonder how such a thing could happen, if it could happen.

In October 2017, I read THE PUNCH ESCROW by Tal M. Klein. It’s hard science fiction with heart – great characters and a story arc that explores what it really means to be human. As I read it, I kept thinking about how my book was similar. My novel is a blend of mystery and science fiction, with a hint of a love story, set in the suburbs of Ohio. Protagonist Miranda Underwood is a neuroscientist who loses a year of her memories, and computer programmer Ben Baker is the guy who helps her put it all back together, while he’s also investigating the mysterious death of his mother.

When I investigated Tal’s journey to publication, I discovered he was on Inkshares, a platform that will release a novel when it meets a certain number of copies sold. 

When I first read about it, I was ecstatic! I had just finished a five-year term as the Library Liaison to Sisters in Crime, and I knew a lot of people were excited about my book. I could sell enough copies to meet the goal – no problem!

Spoiler: I was wrong.

Right now I’m sitting at 159 copies. In the time since I started my campaign, an excerpt from the novel was chosen for the Hugh Holton Award, given by the Midwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. The book was chosen for two Inkshares Syndicates, which means that a group of Inkshares members have pooled their money to support my book. But I still have more work to do. I’m trying to meet the goal for the publisher’s Quill program before it ends.

 I have to sell 250 copies by February 9 to be eligible.

This has been a wild ride. I didn’t expect to meet so many people along the way – Inkshares has an awesome community of helpful, supportive authors. And feedback about the work has been overwhelmingly positive. I’m really excited to continue the marketing process once I know I have a product to sell!

So, what have I learned so far?

·      Selling a book is hard work. You have to be able to communicate the value of your work to your potential readers.

·      You need a good cover. Since my fabulous designer redid my cover, I’ve sold many more copies.

·      You have to send people personal messages and ask for the sale.

·      You have to swallow your pride and shout your mission from the rooftops.

And that’s what I’m doing here today – Please, tell all your friends, family, everyone you know, and ask me anything about the book!

HANK: SO exciting! And we cannot wait to her what happens.  Reds and readers, what do you think?  Will she make that Feb 9 deadline?  Check it out here!

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     Cari Dubiel is a librarian, writer, speaker, and teacher in Northeast Ohio. She is the co-host of The ABC Book Reviews Podcast and the mom of two young boys.

Read the first two chapters and pre-order here: https://www.inkshares.com/books/how-to-remember

@caridubiel

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