An Interview With
Kate Carlisle

by Montiese McKenzie

New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle spent twenty years working in television production before deciding to go to law school, where she turned to writing fiction as a lawful way to kill off one particularly evil professor. She eventually left law school but the urge to write has never stopped. Her debut novel is HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER, the first book in her Bibliophile Mystery series. Kate makes her home by the beach in Southern California and loves to visit with readers online at http://katecarlisle.com .

MM: What is your approach to writing a novel: that is, do you outline or not? Do you keep files and piles of notes?

1)What are some of the tricks, pitfalls, etc. that you need to keep in mind when writing a mystery novel/story?

KC: I work with a plot group and I usually send them a basic outline of the story, then we get together and plot it out – opening, turning points, black moment, protagonist's goals and conflicts and any scenes we can come up with. Based on our plotting session, I write an extensive synopsis (approx. 30 pages) and work from that.

I keep files and piles of notes, of course, and also make a “favorites” file for each book, of online sites that relate to the book. For instance, book two takes place in Edinburgh so I have lists of wonderful sites and historical information around and about Edinburgh .

MM: What is it that kick starts a project for you: a character, a situation, or…?

KC: For the bibliophile mysteries, I've got my protagonist and characters set, so when I start working on a new story, I start with The Book my protagonist will be working on. For instance, my first story revolves around Goethe's FAUST. Once The Book is determined, a lot of the plot circles around it. And I confess, maybe I'm a bit slow (!) but I didn't realize that was part of my process until the first book was already out.

MM: What started you in writing? (Was it always a dream of yours?) What keeps you writing? What inspires you?

KC: Writing wasn't always a dream, simply because I didn't think I could be a writer. Don't you have to be a brilliant college graduate to be a writer? That was always my thinking, so instead of writing, I studied acting and singing and dabbled in all sorts of other fields until a friend finally told me I was a story teller and should stop all that other nonsense and start writing stories. It was as though I'd been given permission to write! It was quite a moment for me. And from that moment, it did become a dream. And I just never gave it up, even though it took me twenty years to get published. I'm a big believer in perseverance, along with luck and timing.

MM: Can you tell us a bit about the first story you had published -- how did that come about? And how do you feel about it now, i.e. would you like to change it and how?

KC: Homicide in Hardcover: a Bibliophile Mystery , is my first published book. I came up with the bibliophile mystery series after getting lots of “good” rejections for other stories. Editors seemed to enjoy my writing but said the stories had no real “hook,” and I was so fed up with hearing that, I essentially thought to myself, “I'll show you a hook!” I'd taken bookbinding classes and had an old friend who was a master bookbinder, and the idea of a bookbinder who goes to work on some rare book that leads to treachery and murder, was so appealing! I came up with a story and a protagonist and an interesting group of friends and family – and it sold! I love writing the series. It's new enough that I'm not tired or ready to change anything just yet.

MM: How have you grown as a writer? What has gotten better? What things have you dropped along the way?       What helped most in your growth as a writer?

KC: Despite writing for twenty years before publishing my first book, I still feel like a “new” writer. I'm learning a lot as I struggle to meet deadlines and deal with promotion and all the business that goes with writing. Have I grown? I hope so! I actually think I've learned a lot just since the book came out—barely six weeks ago. I've learned that I have to protect my writing time or it'll get eaten up by email and blogging and all that fun stuff! As far as the process itself, I still feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants sometimes, even with a lengthy synopsis in front of me. I need to be very disciplined with both my time and the writing itself or I tend to wander off and occasionally paint myself into a corner.

What helped me grow most as a writer? I met some wonderful writing teachers early on, then joined a writers' group and met people who have become my friends and mentors and helped me focus and learn and grow. Letting go of my work, entering contests and sending my stories out to agents helped me look at my writing more objectively. And judging contests is invaluable, too. It helps me see where my own writing has gone wrong when I have to critique another's work.

MM: What are the three most important pieces of advice you'd give to writers?

KC: Never give up. Read as much as possible. Love the genre you're writing in.

MM: How long does it generally take you to complete a novel – from conception to completion?

KC: I'm considered a fast writer and can usually finish a book in three to four months. That's if I can keep all those distractions from getting in the way!

MM: How many revisions do you normally go through when writing a novel?

KC: I revise each chapter as I go, then do a final read-through and revise once more from that. So officially, I do one revision, but that's after many mini-revisions.

MM: What's the most difficult stage in the writing for you?

KC: I get near the end, usually three chapters left to go, and start to panic that I've forgotten a hundred important clues and moments. So then I have to read the whole book and fill in those oh-so-important moments, then I can finish the book.

I also struggle with the opening sentence. If it's not right, I fret for weeks.

MM: Who are the authors who you admire most, who inspire you, whose writing you think is most beautiful, moving, exciting?

KC: My favorite book is still The Prince of Tides and I go back and read it at least once a year. I love light mysteries and of the many authors I enjoy, I'd say Nancy Martin and Hailey Lind are my current favorites. But I also love Michael Connolly and Robert Crais, and I'm an unabashed romance fan, too. I love Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Linda Howard, and so many others.

MM: What do you find most satisfying in a book: a great plot, beautiful writing, fully realized characters?

KC: I read books to visit favorite characters or meet new ones, and I especially love mystery series for that reason. I want to grab the next book and find out what's been happening with those people I got to know last time. I enjoy a good plot but it's the people I connect with. I keep going back to the Stephanie Plum books for that reason. Yes, I hear complaints that the plots are all the same, but it's Stephanie and Lula and Joe and Ranger and Grandma Mazur that I care about, not the plot!

MM: In your own work, what do you think you are strongest at: plot, beautiful prose, character? Or something else?

KC:I can't really be objective about this but I would say my strong suit is writing the characters. It's definitely not my beautiful prose! And plotting the stories are fun—but I have help with that through my plot group. I love developing my characters and hearing their voices in my head. Transferring those voices from my head onto paper is fun, and I'd say that's what I do best.

MM: How do you plot a mystery or a thriller – what stymies you most, what do you find easiest?

KC: I plot with my plot group—many heads are better than one!

MM: Does the world you create in your non-series novels continue to live in your mind long after you've completed the novel? What implications does that have in terms of wanting to do a series in the same setting?

KC: I find I get very wrapped up in the world of my series. In fact, when my protagonist travels to a different city—as she does in book two—I actually miss the people back home! For book two, I made sure that a number of the characters ended up traveling with her, just so the book would have the same feeling as book one.

MM: If you have a series: When doing a series, how "into" the world of that series do you get? Do you constantly think about that world and compare it to reality, changing it or fixing it as you go along? What scares you about doing a series? What are the advantages/disadvantages of series characters? If you do not have a series (in publication or planning) would you like to? If so, why? If not, why not?

KC: I'm always comparing my series world to reality. I need to make sure that what they're doing and how the plot is moving makes sense in the real world.

I don't know of any disadvantages to writing a series—not yet, anyway! I've heard of authors who want to kill off their characters because they're sick of them, but I'm not there. These people are like my family, they're in my head. I worry about them and wonder what they're doing when I'm not around. LOL

MM: What other kinds of writing do you do?

KC: I also write romance. I've sold a book to … brace yourselves … Harlequin! And hope to sell many more. I really like both mystery and romance genres and would like to continue to write in both worlds.

MM: What tips do you have for beginning writers?

Study the craft, be open to criticism, don't take the business personally, read constantly, write every day, and never give up on your dream.

MM: What about readers – how have they received your books – do you hear from them, have any problems arisen, or any good/funny/touching experiences happened with regard to readers? What kind of fan mail do you get? Have you developed any friendships with fans over the years? What do your fans most like about your books?

KC: I've had the most wonderful response from readers. What a thrill it is to get a fan letter from someone who enjoyed my book! I'm especially excited when I hear from librarians. I appreciate them so much and I'm in awe of the work they do. My family moved a lot when I was young, so the first thing I would do after moving into a new home was to search for the closest library.

I'm so new that friendships with fans haven't developed yet, but I do have a few people I correspond with regularly already. They send me photos of my books at their local stores and I love talking to them by email. I think they enjoy my characters more than my plotting or my brilliant prose!

I have also received one piece of what I would call “hate mail” and my friends tell me that means I've “arrived.” LOL

MM: Is the publication of each book as thrilling as that first one?

KC: This is my first book so I can't imagine anything more thrilling than seeing that first book on a shelf at my local bookstore. I'll let you know next year!

MM: What are your goals as a writer?

KC: I want to continue to grow and learn so that my characters develop and grow along with me. I would love to write a second mystery series along with writing romance. I also want writing to be my career, I want to support my family, so I intend to continue paying attention to the marketplace and the business of writing and publishing in the hopes that I will survive and thrive in a rather unpredictable world.

MM: Why do you think mystery is so popular?

KC: It's that unpredictable world I just mentioned. We have so little control over things that happen and we're often let down by the system and by people we should be able to trust. A mystery novel provides a satisfying resolution. Justice and truth win the day, and we don't always get that in the real world.

Another thing that appeals to me with stories of amateur sleuths is that it's a real person solving a real crime, and that's always fun to read. It's the best kind of entertainment for the money!

MM: Why has mystery spawned so many sub-genres?

KC: Mystery readers are insatiable, don't you think? I know I am, and if I see a new book out with an interesting hook that I haven't seen before, I'm going to grab it with both hands. Because of that, I think the market will continue to demand new ideas and as long as that demand is there, clever authors will always be coming up with fun new niches to explore.