A local librarian is debuting her first novel. Sarah T. Dubb, who works part time at Pima County Library, is the author of “Birding with Benefits.”
Set in Tucson, the story follows Celeste, a divorced soon-to-be empty nester who has decided to embrace the possibilities the universe has to offer, and John, a quiet but talented birding expert who wants to win a birding competition as a boost for his tour business.
“When I very first thought of (the story) the characters were part of it from the start,” Dubb said. “I knew a few basic things.”
The story, Dubb said, went through many iterations before she got it wrangled into novel format.
“It was really a long road to piecing together all the different parts of the story,” she said.
The entire process took a few years.
“This is actually my first foray into writing fiction,” Dubb explained. “I started that back in 2020.”
She boosted the romance by including fake dating, a jealous ex-girlfriend, as well as growing and undeniable attraction. They’re all aspects that make the novel a perfect summer read — hot enough to match the weather, but with all the romance novel tropes a reader expects.
“In terms of fake dating, you know that in the romance trope world, that’s a trope that comes with premade moments and expectations and things that you can play with,” Dubb said. “That’s something I really love about the romance genre in general. The romance tropes we use, readers have expectations but they also expect to see those tropes played with and turned around and flipped over. That’s just a lot of fun to play with.”
Birding is the frame on which the story is hung. Although important, it was the last element to come together. It had the added benefit of fulfilling the need for urgency within the context of the story.
“Actually, the very last part of the story that all came together when I was drafting was their participation in the bird contest,” Dubb said.
She blames an email for that aspect.
“I got an email from the Tucson Audubon Society about an annual bird-a-thon that’s a fundraiser,” she said. “When I saw that email I said, ‘Oh, that’s it. That’s the final bit of the book that’s going to pull everything together.’”
She also pulled from her personal affinity for the hobby.
“I love birding; I’m a birder,” she said. “ When I started birding, something that I really loved about it was that it really changed how I saw the world.”
While there are many stops along the way to becoming a published author, it wasn’t until the novel’s final edit and Dubb had the pages printed out and spiral bound that she realized she had written a book.
“Even though it wasn’t a book yet, it was in the size and shape of a book and it had the cover,” she said. “My whole family, we were just like, ‘Oh, look at this thing!’ We passed it around and we would just leave it on the table and look at it.”
Dubb knows the reputation of romance stories, but she finds them to be joyful and a bright spot at the end of the day.
“I think (romance novels) can be a really safe place to explore what relationships can look like (and) what vulnerability can look like,” Dubb said. “Sometimes people can fall into talking about it as fantasy; I tend to prefer to use the word, ‘aspirational.’”
Dubb will be making a few appearances around town for book signings. Otherwise, find the book in the usual online places.
“Birding with Benefits” by Sarah T. Dubb Book signings
WHEN: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 30
WHERE: Caps & Corks
3830 W. River Road
COST: Free admission
INFO: sarahtdubb.com
“Birding with Benefits and the Benefits of Birding: Celebrating Birding Through Fiction”
Sarah T. Dubb and Jessica Vaughn
Part of the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival
WHEN: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10
WHERE: Doubletree by Hilton Tucson Reid Park, 445 S. Alvernon Way
COST: $30 registration fee
INFO: tucsonaudubon.org/festival
