Make Note of Leah Dobrinska
Greetings, Noters!
I know 2023 is only a few weeks old, but I feel like I already need to take a mental health day. It’s been a busy month, what with The Bookish Hour episodes resuming and work on the next Glenmyre Whim Mystery now fully underway. I crossed the 20,000-word threshold this week, going off on a tangent featuring an entirely new suspect I had not plotted out. We’ll see where this leads Hazel and Poppy…
I’m also excited to announce the title for the next Trending Topic Mystery, coming April 2023. #TagMe for Murder finds Coco ready to have the best summer ever, but her plans get sidelined when her ornery new neighbor, Larry Dunmer, washes ashore, dead, and the suspect spotlight lands squarely on Coco’s bestie, Jasper. I had SO much fun writing this mystery; I can’t wait share more deets!
Many of you have also been patiently waiting for Over My Dead Blog, the first book in my new Book Blogger Mysteries. I hope to have more news on this one soon. Bear with me!
For my guest this week on Noteworthy, I am delighted to welcome someone who has become a great writing pal and a masterful Reel maker. Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: Leah Dobrinska is the author of the Larkspur Library Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in the Wisconsin Northwoods, and the Mapleton novels, a series of award-winning standalone small town romances. She earned her degree in English Literature from UW-Madison where she was awarded the Dean’s Prize and served as a Writing Fellow. She has since worked as a freelance writer, editor, and content marketer. Leah lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their gaggle of kids. When she's not writing, handing out snacks, or visiting local parks, Leah enjoys reading and running. Find out more about Leah, join her newsletter community, and connect with her through her website, leahdobrinska.com.
Leah, thank you so much for joining us here at Noteworthy. Anyone who follows me on social media knows I’m a big admirer of your work and truly enjoyed your latest novel, Death Checked Out. It was such an homage to my forever idol Nancy Drew; I absolutely loved it. What book made you first fall in love with reading?
Perhaps this is incredibly clichéd, but the Nancy Drew series made me into the reader I am today. I religiously checked out the faded yellow hardback books (in order!) from my school library as a youngster. The way each of the chapters ended on a sort of cliffhanger kept me turning pages, and now that’s a trick I try to employ in my own books. As a kid, I loved the whole River Heights world. Bess and George were my standard for friends, and I wanted to be just like Nancy. I admired her bravery, her cleverness, and the way she was always helping people. I also wanted to drive a car like her when I grew up!
Growing up, I would make my friends run around my backyard with me, pretending to be Nancy, Bess, and George. I also really loved Helen Corning and was thrilled when she popped up during later books in the series. So, how did you go from reading Nancy Drew books to writing mysteries and romances of your own?
I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t start writing fiction until 2013. My husband and I had just had our first child, and I was itching to stretch my brain in a different way. November rolled around, and I decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know how to write a novel. But, I wrote 50,000 words that month. My story, if you can even call it that, will never see the light of day; however, I got hooked on the process of creating. I immediately set to work on another story, and I’ve been writing ever since. If I go back and count, I think it took me four or five full manuscripts before I wrote the draft that became Love at On Deck Café, my debut novel. I started in the small town romance genre (think Hallmark movies with less cringe and better kissing!) and then moved into writing cozy mysteries.
National Novel Writing Month is such a wonderful challenge for anyone interested in writing. The camaraderie and community you build with your fellow writers really are inspiring. I couldn’t believe how much fun I had (and how easy it was) when I participated in my first NaNoWriMo.
But now, it’s not officially NaNoWriMo; it’s the first month of 2023. What’s one thing you do to prepare for the writing year ahead?
I’m usually juggling multiple projects in different genres and at different stages, so I like to have a big-picture overview of the year. That way, I can keep track of what I’m going to be working on and in what month. I write it all down on paper—what I’m drafting, when; what my deadlines are; when covers and editors need to be scheduled for my indie projects; etc. It’s a simple list, really, but I’ve found that if I take the time to map out my months, I can rest assured I’ll have time allotted for all the work I’m trying to accomplish.
How did you and Greta Plank, your main character in Death Checked Out, meet?
Greta and I met in a small town in Northern Wisconsin several summers ago. I was visiting my in-laws, and we were tooling around their lake on a pontoon boat. We came around a corner of a small cove, and set up on a hill was a small log cabin. I knew in an instant that it would be the setting for my first cozy mystery novel. With that charming, cozy image in my head, the character of Greta quickly came into focus. She’s a woman who is putting down new roots in this idyllic, lakeside town. She’s managed to charm her next door neighbor, the notorious town recluse. She’s a librarian, so she’s naturally curious. All of these bits and pieces of Greta’s personality and story came to me in flashes, and when I returned home to my writing desk, I had the makings of Death Checked Out.
Does Greta have any resolutions for the new year?
Ever the optimist, Greta loves the fresh start of a new year! She and her co-librarians, Josie and Iris, have challenged each other to read one hundred books each this year. Greta is also hoping to keep the peace with the president of the library board, Cindi Fields. No small feat considering the woman has plans Greta is not on board with. Greta has promised Detective McHenry she’ll keep her nose out of his investigations, and she plans to put forth a solid effort in that regard. She should have enough on her plate, planning programming and participating in the local festivals, but if things get desperate, she may just have to go back on that resolution. She hopes he won’t hold her curiosity against her!
One hundred books! There were years when that wouldn’t be a huge challenge for me, but it’s definitely getting harder to balance my reading-for-fun time with my writing. I need to work on that this year. How do you take care of your creative side? How do you ensure you don’t get burnt out as a writer?
Writing is not my full-time gig. I’m a stay-at-home mom to young kids who take up the majority of my time. When I finally get a chance to write, I’m usually craving my stories and my characters and I can’t wait to dive back in. In a lot of ways, I think because my time is so limited, writing doesn’t make me feel burnt out; it energizes me.
That’s beautiful. What a wonderful way to experience writing a book! What’s been your favorite “research” moment or activity?
As I was drafting Death Checked Out, a library-based cozy mystery, I got to go to the local library before it opened. Some of my favorite librarians walked me through their daily tasks, talked to me about their job, and it was a total dream. I felt like I was a kid at Disney!
You are such a great advocate for libraries, Leah. Your love for them really shines in Death Checked Out. Tell us, what are three things that are always on your desk when you are writing?
My laptop. A timer. The notebook where I have my story outline written.
And what would be your favorite, can’t-live-without writing tool?
Gosh, I’m pretty old-school. I have an ancient laptop and an even more ancient version of Microsoft Word, and that’s where all my books have started! I usually use the timer app on my phone since I tend to draft in thirty minute writing sprints, but I have had my eye on this cutie timer. I think it would help me get even more words out, don’t you?
So cute! And I was amazed to learn you write your manuscripts in 30-minute increments. It must be such a rush! It’s always so enlightening to hear how other writers bring their ideas to life. There’s no one way to write a book, that’s for sure.
Now, for our final question… You stumble across a crime scene. What book character are you alerting first? Why?
At the risk of repeating myself, for sure Nancy Drew. Her instincts? Impeccable. Her poise? Unflappable. She would know just what to do, and I would gladly be her wing-woman, content to follow her lead.
I couldn’t have said it better myself! Leah, thank you so much for sharing a bit about yourself and your writing here with us on Noteworthy. Noters, if you’re looking for your next cozy read, Death Checked Out is a must!
Death Checked Out: When in doubt, go to the library…and solve the murder mystery!
Greta Plank, library director in the small, lakeside town of Larkspur, Wisconsin, prefers her rose-tinted glasses extra rosy, thank you very much. It’s how she copes with the hard stuff in life…like her sister’s death and her ex-boyfriend’s deception. But Greta’s cheery resolve takes a hit when she stumbles upon a dead body on her way home from work. What she assumes is a terrible accident Greta soon learns is something more sinister, and to make matters worse, a new-to-town detective cites her as not only his primary source for the case, but his top suspect.
To clear her name and save her reputation, Greta decides to do some off-the-books clue cataloging of her own. After all, asking questions is what she does best. With the help of her fellow librarians and her lawyer mom, Greta flips through the pages of the murder, uncovering details about Larkspur’s real estate market and the deceased’s rare book collection as she tries to understand why anyone would have authored his death.
With friends and neighbors stacking up as both victims and suspects, Greta must cross reference the facts and put a hold on her idyllic worldview if she wants to get the full story without paying the fine of her life.
Stay connected with Leah:
Website: https://leahdobrinska.com/
Newsletter: https://leahdobrinska.com/newsletter
Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3zB9eeg
The Mapleton Series (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BFXFBS3
The Larkspur Library Mysteries (Amazon): https://amzn.to/3ULbXch
Death Checked Out Purchase link (Amazon): https://amzn.to/3T4XK9n
Death Checked Out Purchase link (Barnes & Noble): https://bit.ly/bndeathcheckedout
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatleahwrote
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatleahwrote/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whatleahwrote
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leah-dobrinska Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/leahdobrinska