Good news, romance novel readers. Sarah T. Dubb has published a new book. “Honey Bee Mine,” takes place in New York’s Finger Lakes region.

Penny is trying to keep her bee farm going while at the same time organizing a honey festival. She has lots of bills to pay, bills she incurred for the sake of her ex. A handsome (oh, so handsome) single dad moves temporarily back into town. Penny believes she knows what she needs and what she doesn’t need. She knows that involvement with this former bad boy is exactly what she does not need.  As any true romance reader knows about heroines, we all know she does need it.

“Her own inability to ever accept help from other people is her real problem,” Dubb said. “She’s stuck trying to handle everything on her own.”

This book took a short four months to write but another year to publish. Dubb’s fans might remember that last year Dubb published “Birding with Benefits,” which became a Hallmark movie last fall. “Adventures in Love and Birding,” can be seen on Hallmark’s streaming platform, Hallmark+.

Dubb’s process is similar to a lot of writers. She had a starting point and knew some of the things that were going to happen along the way but “I tend to discover a lot as I write,” she said. “I rewrite a lot so my drafts change almost completely from the first draft to the second draft.”

That’s the part she likes the most. For Dubb, the hardest      hurdle is the first hurdle.

“I think getting the first draft down is the part that feels the most grueling,” she added. 

After the first draft, though, “it’s moving puzzle pieces around and figuring things out more deeply,” she said. “That’s all very, very satisfying.”

She also found her characters, at least one of them, telling her what they wanted.

“I thought that this book might not be as spicy as my first book but then the main male character, Xander thought otherwise,” Dubb said. “It is really fun to develop these characters and see where they’re going but it’s also important to remember that I did invent them and if I need something about them to change for the sake of the story, then it’s going to change.”

Now that the book has hit the shelves, Dubb said she is happy to be able to hold the finished work in her hands.

“I think the part that is difficult are these months running up to it where you feel like you should be talking about your book and marketing your book but people can’t read it yet,” she said. “Now, to finally be in this stage where it’s actually (out) and people are going to be able to read it, I hope it’s a warm, sun shine-y book.”

Dubb said the people who have read the story have called it a “balm,” so unlike her last novel, “Honey Bee Mine” has come to life with a job.

“I’m hoping it can bring some comfort to folks,” she added. “We’re living through a very chaotic time so I’m just really excited that it gets to enter the  world and starts finding its readers.”  

A conversation with “Honey Bee Mine” author Sarah T. Dubb and writer Jessica P. Pryde
WHEN: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
WHERE: Stacks Book Club, 1880 E. Tangerine Road, Oro Valley
COST: $19 including a copy of the book
INFO: stacksbookclub.com/events/4224820260221