Today at the Café we have with us mystery author Kathryn Lilley, whose latest book, DYING TO BE THIN, was released by Signet/Obsidian in October 2007. If, like Kathryn, you have to have your 2 cups of coffee each morning — grab a cup and enjoy the interview. Maybe afterwards we’ll head over to her favorite coffee shop, the Java Man in Hermosa Beach, CA, for another cup.

CAFÉ:
Tell us a little bit about your latest book.

KATHRYN:
DYING TO BE THIN is a mystery featuring plus-sized TV news producer Kate Gallagher, who enrolls in an exclusive diet clinic so that she can get a job on camera. But when the head diet guru turns up — murdered and fondued — Kate loses her appetite. And now that the menu features murder, Kate has a breaking story on her hands!

CAFÉ:
Sound fun and different. How long have you been writing?

KATHRYN:
I've been writing since childhood. In the seventh grade, I was given a "What did you do over the summer?" assignment. Because my summer had been spectacularly boring, I made up a story about skydiving that included coping with a parachute that failed to open. My story was the hit of middle school, and — voila! — my career as a fiction writer was born!

CAFÉ:
When did your first novel come out?

KATHRYN:
DYING TO BE THIN is the first book in a series under my own name. I previously wrote YA detective mysteries for the Nancy Drew series. Writing for that series taught me a lot about the craft of writing for the mystery genre.

CAFÉ:
What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book? Why don’t you tell us a little about the setting and main character.

KATHRYN:
The Fat City Mysteries are set in Durham, North Carolina, which in real life is known as the "Diet Capital of the World." I created the idea behind the series years ago, when I enrolled in a diet clinic to lose 90 pounds, in order to land my first job in TV news.

CAFÉ:
What is the main reason that you write?

KATHRYN:
I like to dream up interesting stories, and writing is the way I express them.

CAFÉ:
Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to take away from your work?

KATHRYN:
I do think there are underlying themes that emerge from my stories. In A KILLER WORKOUT, there is a theme about the need to take preserve the national forests.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a schedule for your writing or just write whenever you can?

KATHRYN:
I get up every morning at about four a.m., then I work for several hours, until it is time to start my "day job."

CAFÉ:
Wow you definitely win the award for morning person here at the Café. I admire your dedication. Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what's going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

KATHRYN:
When starting a book, I do a very rough outline to sketch out the characters and the spine of the plot. The outline bears little resemblance to the book that finally emerges.

CAFÉ:
If you had your ideal, what time of day would you prefer to write?

KATHRYN:
Early morning, which is fortunate, because that's the time I actually do write.

CAFÉ:
Day job?

KATHRYN:
I'm an editor at an IT security company.

CAFÉ:
Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

KATHRYN:
No, it was surprisingly easy to get published. The real challenge was getting the manuscript into publishable shape.

CAFÉ:
You are among the lucky then. Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you'd like to share?

KATHRYN:
Fortunately, I didn't have many rejections. But my most memorable one came from an agent who had requested an exclusive. She took a while to read the manuscript, and then she eventually sent me an email along the lines of, "Dear Kathryn:  I really wanted to like this story. But I just didn't like the character; I didn't like the story; I didn't like the voice. In fact, I just didn't like anything at all about it."

Sigh. That rejection was really tough.

And one time there was a critique group that wouldn't accept me as a member, and then someone in the group copied me on a sarcastic email. That bummed me out. I should say at this point to wanna-be authors that you should never take rejection or criticism personally. And you should never be bitter. And you should never say, "Neener, neener!"

CAFÉ:
Wow what stories. And good advice. What kind of promotion do you find most effective?

KATHRYN:
I think reviews and articles are by far the most effective, because they spread word of mouth about one's work.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a most interesting book signing story — in a bookstore or other venue?

KATHRYN:
I appeared at one downtown LA bookstore for a signing, and even before I got set up, copies of DYING TO BE THIN were flying off the table. I was amazed that so many of the buyers were men, who I haven't considered my primary audience. I commented on this fact to the bookseller, who smiled knowingly and said, "Yes, any time an attractive female signs here, the men line up." You have to understand that this bookstore is set in a location where the men are surrounded mostly by buttoned-down, female attorneys and cops. Any woman in a V-neck is evidently the equivalent of eye candy. It was the best signing I've had so far, in terms of sheer volume. Now, I'm not saying I'm proud of the reason I sold a lot of books that day. But the next time I sign there, I'm wearing something cut to the navel. And a sparkling belly button ring.

CAFÉ:
LOL Now that’s a story we’ve never heard before. Future writing goals?

KATHRYN:
In addition to completing the Fat City Mysteries series, I'm working on a paranormal thriller. The story is very uncozy and unchick lit. The story is so dark, it scares me.

CAFÉ:
Ooh, you’ll have to keep us posted on that one. Any heroes?

KATHRYN:
Abraham Lincoln, George Washington.

CAFÉ:
Interesting and cool choices. Person you would most like to meet dead or alive?

KATHRYN:
Abraham Lincoln

CAFÉ:
What do you read?

KATHRYN:
Potboilers and thrillers! I'm currently on a Stephen King kick.

CAFÉ:
What are your hobbies?

KATHRYN:
Um...does perpetual dieting and exercise count?

CAFÉ:
Sure. Favorite TV or movies?

KATHRYN:
Movies: Rear Window, Bladerunner, Casablanca TV: not so much

CAFÉ:
Any pets?

KATHRYN:
I have three cats including Smokie, a gorgeous Ragdoll cat who made his literary debut in DYING TO BE THIN (although under a different name and gender, much to his dismay).

CAFÉ:
I’ve put some of my pets in my books too. Family?

KATHRYN:
I'm married, with two beautiful daughters.

CAFÉ:
What part of the country/world do you live in?

KATHRYN:
Southern California, with a crumbling second home in Connecticut.

CAFÉ:
Any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

KATHRYN:
Write every day, and spend lots of time studying the craft of writing. Writing is more about craft than talent, IMHO. It also helps if you are very driven to write, otherwise you'll give up.

CAFÉ:
I agree on that. Anything you would like to add?

KATHRYN:
One of the things I love about DYING TO BE THIN is that the protagonist, Kate Gallagher, who is "a woman of a certain weight," is presented as something of a man-magnet. This quality is unusual in mass market fiction. Usually, women who are struggling with their weight are relegated to the back row, in terms of career and sex-appeal. But Kate is gorgeous, and she knows it! By the end of the novel, she has not one, but two romantic interests!

CAFÉ:
I think that’s great. Website?

KATHRYN:
www.kathrynlilley.com

CAFÉ:
Where can people purchase your books?

KATHRYN:
Everywhere, including most book stores, online vendors, and the publisher's website.

CAFÉ:
Thanks so much for joining us here at the Café. Click here for a review of DYING TO BE THIN.

©2008 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.