Around the Fire with today's guest Rosemary Kubli and her New Release.

Rosemary, welcome to my fire. Can I grab you a refreshment while you start by telling us a little about yourself?
Water, chilled, no ice. How boring am I (she asks, laughing)? Here’s the deal – I don’t like carbonated beverages, I’m not much of a mixed drink gal, and I only drink wine on the rare occasion. I will admit that I start my day with a cup of hot breakfast tea, and I crave a coffee in the afternoon. Otherwise, it’s water all day long. Oh, and if I’m in a posh mood, I’ll have a Bailey’s on the rocks.

Water is not on my list of favorites. For me it’s a necessary evil but one glass of  water it is. Go ahead share who you are other than your bio while I’m at it?
I love to laugh, and I love to make people laugh. If I tell a story about how I got from Point A to Point B, you can count on it being filled with humor. When gathered with family or friends, I enjoy a rousing card or board game. I like to begin my day with a brisk walk around my neighborhood. I love to eat, but I hate to cook. Unfortunately (for my waistline), I love to bake!

We could hang out! I’ll do the cooking cuz I love to cook. Board games and laughing go together like milk and cookies. What else do you enjoy? For instance, what do you read or hobbies you have?
My TBR stack of books – which I never seem to get to the bottom of – largely consists of mystery and suspense novels. As far as hobbies go, a few years ago I abandoned my scrapbooking hobby in favor of creating digital photo albums. After returning from each vacation, I can’t wait to gather everyone’s photos and plug them all into a digital album. During the winter, one end of our kitchen table is usually covered with a picture puzzle that gets worked on whenever my husband and I have some down time. I’ve also done a lot of family history research and occasionally scour Ancestry.com to see what new information has been unearthed.

We’ve given up on puzzles until we no longer have feline friends. Who is your network or support system?
First and most importantly are my husband and sons who have devoted so much time to critiquing my rough drafts and encouraging me to pursue a writing career. Secondly, the ladies in my book club have been incredibly helpful with my marketing efforts. And, lastly, I rely on my writers’ group to provide feedback on my works in progress.

Do you find inspiration in other’s books?
I’d have to say that I find inspiration in every book I read. Every author/story is either a model for how to write well or a lesson in what pitfalls to avoid.

Do you have any fun or outrageous talent?
I can balance my checkbook! Does that count (she asks, jokingly)? Sadly, I’m not a particularly talented person.

Seriously? What’s a checkbook? I have ONE check from years ago that I hold onto incase of an emergency. Tell us about your neighborhood? Any special haunts?
My husband and I have lived in the same lovely, peaceful neighborhood for 33 years and many of our neighbors have become lifelong friends. Our area of Ohio is part of the Connecticut Western Reserve which granted land to settlers moving westward in the 1700s, so our town is designed much like a colonial New England village complete with a gazebo on the Village Green. We’re also surrounded by a beautiful metropark that offers lots of activities – golfing, walking trails, boating, flower gardens, nature preserves. Although we love to travel, this corner of northeast Ohio will always be home.

It sounds wonderful. My hubby and I just camped in Ohio outside of Cleveland. He wanted to visit the Christmas Story house. It was a hoot. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Don’t let life get in the way! Devote one hour every day to writing and be disciplined in keeping to that schedule.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
My computer contains one completed book that I need to revisit and make more interesting before I pitch it, plus three novels I started but can’t decide where I want to go with them.

Do you have a particular object like a piece of jewelry or a keepsake of some sort? Can you tell us what makes it special to you?
When my older sister got her first good-paying job, she gave my mother a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas. Both my mother and sister have passed away and the ring has been handed down to me. The ring is almost always on my finger, and each time I look at it I’m flooded with wonderful family memories.

I’m sorry for your losses but happy you have a wonderful memento. Would you rather have unlimited international first-class tickets or never have to pay for food at restaurants?
The first-class plane tickets, for sure! I love to travel and there are so many places I’d like to visit.

Did you ever win something? What?
I did! While visiting a resort in Las Vegas a few years ago, my husband and our friends and I decided to finish our breakfast coffees in the Keno lounge. I paid $10 to play five games of Keno and won $5,000 by matching all 6 of the numbers I chose on the very first game!! The casino manager took a photo of me holding one of those oversized Publisher’s Clearing House-style checks. It was my 15 minutes of fame!

Who is the most interesting person you’ve met and talked with?
Wow – this one’s hard to answer. I’ve met a lot of interesting people, but two stand out in my mind. My husband and I have stayed at bed and breakfasts with a group of our friends several times, and the owners of two separate B&Bs have been really fascinating individuals. One is a retired gentleman who regaled us with so many interesting stories about the history of the inn and his career as the dean at a few universities around the country. The other is a woman, also retired, who is one of the greatest story-tellers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I could listen to her talk for hours, and I take every opportunity to stay overnight at her B&B.

I love listening to others with stories. I fear the art of listening is sorely overlooked. What was your first job?
Working in my college’s cafeteria. I got to select 3 flavors of ice cream every night and then scoop the dessert out as the students passed through the food line. Yum!!

Rosemary, it was such a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for sharing my fire. Before you head out into that lovely town, will you please leave us some information about you books and where we can find it and you?

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Gullible – A Novel of Suspense, Intrigue, and Romance
by 
​Rosemary Kubli

Released June 14, 2023
by The Wild Rose Press

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.
​
​Link to Amazon: www.amazon.com/Gullible-Rosemary-Kubli/dp/150924851X
Link to Barnes and Noble:  www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gullible-rosemary-kubli/1143179526

A further peek between the covers.
     Marie stared at Jonathan Woodward’s number on her cell phone, hesitant to make the call. She and Jonathan hadn’t spoken with each other in nearly a year, and she worried their rapport, which she’d worked so hard to nurture, might not have withstood the test of time. She berated herself for not considering this possibility before agreeing to Gus’s Somerset Necklace scheme. Well, there’s only one way to find out if Jonathan is still under my spell. She took a deep breath, touched the screen, and listened as the call rang once…twice… 
     “Marie! What a welcome surprise!” Jonathan sounded happy to hear from her, an encouraging sign.  
     “Hello, Jonathan,” she said in her sultry voice, the one that usually hooked her unwitting target within seconds.  “Am I catching you at a bad time?”
     “No, not at all,” he replied, his tone soft and intimate. She’d successfully set the mood. “We haven’t been in touch for a while. How are you?”  
     “I’m well, thank you. I wanted to call you before now, but I hated to intrude on your privacy.” 
     “I appreciate your consideration. My family has had a rough year, but I think we’re finally on the mend.” 
     Marie understood loss. The sadness in Jonathan’s voice elicited memories and emotions she preferred to keep buried. When she responded, her empathy was sincere. “It takes a while to recover from such a tragedy.” 
     “Yes, longer than we imagine, unfortunately.” Jonathan sighed heavily. “So, what prompted this call? Is something interesting going on the auction block?”  
     Marie giggled coyly. “Oh, I’m sure I can always find some little trinket for you to add to your collection. But this isn’t a work-related call. I just made plans to spend this weekend in Boston. You live near there, don’t you?” 
     “Yes, in Burgess, just west of the city. Why are you traveling up this way?” 
     To keep things casual, so she didn’t appear to be aggressively pursuing him, Marie fed Jonathan a tall tale about a weekend reunion. “A couple of friends from college invited me to join them for a girls’ getaway. I’ll be in Boston Friday night through Sunday afternoon.”  
     Dead silence. Then, “That’s nice. It’s always fun to get together with old friends.” 
     The disappointment in Jonathan’s voice came across loud and clear. He’d probably assumed Marie was traveling to Boston to meet him in person as they’d discussed the last time they spoke, then realized she was instead calling to ask for recommendations on restaurants and sightseeing venues.  
     “Yes, I’ll be happy to see them. It’s been a long time since we were last together.” 
     “Well, if you need my input about places to go or things to do, don’t hesitate to call.” 
     Okay, time to get to the point. “Thank you for the offer. But Jonathan…gosh, I hope I’m not being too forward.” She paused to give the impression she was worried he’d reject her suggestion. “I was hoping we could get together while I’m in town.” 
     Again, silence. Uh-oh. Had she misread the playful insinuations he’d made during their previous phone conversations? Or perhaps, in the months since they’d last spoken, he’d become involved with someone and was no longer interested in pursuing a relationship with her. At last, he said, “I’ll need to rearrange my schedule. How’s Saturday, mid-afternoon?” 
     Relieved, she breathed easily again. “Saturday afternoon works for me, but I don’t want to interfere with your commitments. Perhaps I could make a trip to Boston another time.” 
     “No, no,” he said hastily. “We’ve waited long enough to meet as it is. Text me the name and address of your hotel. I’ll find a café close by where we can spend the afternoon getting better acquainted.” 
     “That sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to meet you.” 
     “Same here. I’m afraid I need to go for now, but I’ll call you Saturday morning to finalize the 
details. Take care, Marie.” 
     Marie grinned with satisfaction as she strolled over to her closet to select her wardrobe for the upcoming weekend.  Her plan was moving along perfectly. As a matter of fact, Jonathan was playing right into her hands.


More about the author.
Rosemary Kubli writes 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. 



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