Interview with Kathleen McCleary

There’s no place like home. Dorothy knew what she was talking about, didn’t she? I love the house I live in now. About three years ago, we traded in, so to speak, our two-story home for a one-story. Why we hadn’t thought of it sooner, I’ll never know. Who needs steps with a hip replacement? Not me! That’s for sure.

When we first found this house, I was immediately sold. It backs up to natural preserves with every imaginable type of wildlife living just a stone’s throw away. And, what makes this house the perfect home for me is a simple crabapple tree outside my kitchen window. Every morning, I watch my favorite birds stop by to eat. Every season, I marvel at its beauty. In some ways, that tree represents the seasons of my life.

But, imagine if you had to leave it all behind. Think of all the memories your house holds. Your child’s first steps. The holiday gatherings. Heartache and happiness. If only these walls could speak. Well, that’s exactly what this month’s Jens’ Jewels did. In her debut novel entitled HOUSE & HOME, HGTV.com’s Kathleen McCleary takes us on one woman’s journey to find peace with closing the door to her past. Beautifully written, this story will pull at your heartstrings as you come to treasure the simplicity of calling a place home.

As part of this interview, Hyperion Books has graciously donated five copies of HOUSE & HOME. So, don’t forget to look for the trivia question at the end of the column. Good luck! Go ahead and grab yourself something cold to drink and get to know the gifted writer, Kathleen McCleary.

Jen: Most Jen’s Jewels have been authors who have had the lifelong dream of writing a book and getting it published. Your story is uniquely different because although this is your debut novel, you have been in the publishing business for many years (and with much success!) Please tell us a little bit about your educational and professional experience that led to your career in publishing.

Kathleen: I walked a very convoluted path into writing fiction, although, like your other authors, I always dreamed of writing and publishing a novel. I was a comparative religion major in college, and then went on to law school. After one semester, I knew I didn’t want to be a lawyer and that I wanted to do something more creative. So I went to vocational school to learn how to type (believe it or not, I had managed to get through high school and college without typing skills!) and then moved to New York, where I got an entry-level job working for a health magazine. I went on to work as a writer and editor on the staffs of several magazines, including USA Weekend, Money, and Entrée, a trade magazine for the housewares industry. When my kids were young I stopped working full time and started freelancing for a variety of publications, including Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, More, The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living and HGTV.com. But it was all non-fiction. I always had in the back of my mind the idea that I’d love to write a novel. But it wasn’t until I moved across country four years ago (my husband’s job required a family move from Oregon to Virginia) that I found a topic I cared about enough that I felt I just HAD to express it through fiction. It still seems unreal to me that I’m publishing my first novel at age 48!

Jen: Being a columnist on HGTV.com allowed you to spread your wings as a journalist and explore a wide range of topics. Back in 2004, you wrote a poignant article entitled “Can you have a love affair with a House?” Is this the inspiration behind your writing HOUSE & HOME?

Kathleen: Yes. Right after I moved, the editor for HGTV.com asked me to write a regular biweekly column about fixing up our fifty-year-old house. I told him I was still grieving over leaving behind my house in Oregon, so he asked me to write about that first. It was writing that column that made me start to think about writing a novel about a woman who loved her house so much that she literally couldn’t give it up. Shortly after I filed the column, I wrote the first paragraph of the novel. And that was all I had for a very long time—several months really. I just needed to let that simmer, and then the rest of the story started to unfold.

Jen: Throughout the story, I empathized with Ellen, the lead character, with her internal struggle of leaving behind a structure that holds such meaning. I would feel the same way if I were forced to sell my home. Do you feel that it would be less of an issue for a man to walk away from his house rather than it appears to be for a woman? Or is this solely Ellen’s obstacle to overcome?

Kathleen: It’s funny, as much as I have always believed that this kind of house obsession is a female thing, I’ve been surprised at the number of men who have read the book and said they could relate. When I was first writing it, I took an online novel writing class through mediabistro.com. One of our first assignments was to post a brief plot outline and synopsis. Several of the men in the class read mine and just couldn’t get it— they couldn’t understand how anyone could feel so strongly about a house. But then I started posting chapters and the guys really got in to the story. One of them even said, “I think this is a ‘chick’ book, so I don’t know what it means that I like it. I'm not sure where this story will end up taking me but I absolutely love the place it has brought me to at this point.” I think both genders can relate to the idea of losing something you love, something that represents safety and security and comfort.

Jen: In light of the seriousness behind the overall theme of the book, you lighten it up with Ellen’s harebrain schemes to essentially force a take- over of her former house. What role does her sidekick, Joanna, play in making her come to terms with the finality of it all?

Kathleen: Where would we be without our girlfriends? Joanna is kind of a composite of two dear friends of mine, women I’ve known since high school. She is Ellen’s sounding board, her confidante, her cheerleader, her comic relief and her reality check, which are all the roles that really good friends play in our lives, don’t you think?

Jen: In most books involving a potential divorce, the husband is made out to be a cad, but not so in HOUSE & HOME. From his first scene to his last, I found Ellen’s husband Sam simply endearing. Why did you choose for him to be this way?

Kathleen: As anyone who’s been in a relationship knows, people are complicated and relationships are complicated, and it’s rarely just black and white. Any long-term relationship usually involves highs and lows, periods of intense closeness and intimacy and periods of feeling distant or underappreciated. Any two people have to negotiate and re-negotiate what things you can tolerate, and what things are deal-breakers. Sam isn’t a bad guy, but he and Ellen are very different personalities and she has to figure out what is important to her. I think it would have been difficult for Ellen to grow as a person throughout the course of the novel if Sam had simply been a cad. And he is endearing, but he’s also exasperating. To me, that’s what makes him real.

Jen: A question I just have to ask…a hotdog diaper? Does it really exist? Was it your idea? And if so, are you contemplating perhaps a patent before your book hits the bestseller lists?

Kathleen: I completely made up the hotdog diaper, and I don’t even eat hotdogs! Actually, in the final version of the book the hotdog diaper has been replaced by a slightly less repellent (but equally wacky) invention—the Baby Beeper, to help people find their lost babies. In the final analysis my editors felt that a woman as smart and cautious and responsible as Ellen just wouldn’t mortgage her beloved house for a hotdog diaper, and I agreed. It needed to be something that even careful Ellen felt was worth risking everything for. You’ll have to let me know what you think of the new invention! I think it is more true to the passions that motivate the characters. That said, my eleven-year- old daughter has been convinced from the beginning that the hotdog diaper was the real stroke of genius in my writing, and if I’d just pursued that instead of finishing the novel, I’d be rich. I’m still hoping to prove her wrong!

Jen: To thicken the plot, you introduce a potential suitor for Ellen. How does this temptation change the perception she has of herself? Does it make her a stronger person or does it alternately bring to light how vulnerable she can be?

Kathleen: I think it’s only because Ellen feels vulnerable and lost— grief-stricken, really—that she is tempted by a relationship with Jeffrey. Ellen is a pretty careful, responsible, moral person—not the type to enter casually into any relationship, let alone a relationship with a married man. Losing the house, which to her represents stability and security and happiness, unmoors her, sets her loose from everything she’s held on to, including her assumptions about who she is and what she is capable of.

Jen: Even the most seasoned writers sometimes struggle with perfecting the art of their craft. In relation to HOUSE & HOME, what part of the book was the most difficult to write and why? The most enjoyable?

Kathleen: Great question! The scene with the fire at the end of the book was very difficult to write. Believe me, I sobbed into my keyboard many times as I worked on it. It was just very emotional for me. As a wife and mother, I related so strongly to Ellen’s terror for her family that it was truly painful to write. Some of the most enjoyable scenes to write were the scenes with Jo and Ellen. I loved their friendship and the dialogue came very easily. The scene that was the biggest surprise to me was the one in which Jordan shows up at the coffee shop and confronts Ellen about Jeffrey. I simply had not known that was going to happen, and it stunned me even as I wrote it.

Jen: Choosing from the secondary characters in the story, who is your favorite and why?

Kathleen: I love Cloud. He’s a very grounded, self-aware, at-peace kind of guy, and he’s a wonderful counterpoint to and respite for Ellen during this crazy, turbulent time of her life. Just being around Cloud is calming, and the fact that he’s always ready with clean floors, a fresh pot of tea and a big smile doesn’t hurt either. I’d love to have Cloud in my life.

Jen: Do you have a website? E-mail notification of upcoming releases? Blog? Do you participate in author phone chats? And if so, how would my readers go about arranging one? Is there a reading group guide available for book clubs?

Kathleen: Yes to all of the above! My website, www.kathleenmccleary.com, has lots of information on me and the book, including a discussion guide for reading groups, a place to sign up for my mailing list, and contact info to set up author phone chats or visits (I travel back and forth between the east and west coast several times a year, so if I’m in your area, I’m happy to stop by for a discussion). One of my favorite features of the website is something called “Your House Stories.” It’s a place for readers to share their own stories about houses they love. When I first sent the book out to agents and then publishers, everyone seemed to have a story about a house that was important in his or her life. I can’t wait to see what stories my readers have to share.

Jen: Are you currently at work on your next novel? If so, what can you tell us about it?

Kathleen: I’m right in the middle of my second novel and just loving it! I’m enjoying the process a little more this time, because I have more confidence that my trust-your-gut method of writing might actually work. The book is about a married woman with three school-aged children (13, 10 and 9) who feels completely overwhelmed by what she sees as the negative cultural influences assailing her kids on every side. The family lives in a lovely suburb of Washington, D.C., and Susanna’s life is the typical mad dash from one activity to another. When her teen-age daughter starts to have problems, Susanna decides to move the family to a remote island off the northwest coast of Washington state, to live without cable TV or paved roads or shopping malls for a year. Of course, nothing goes as anticipated….

Jen: Kathleen, my words can’t do your book justice. Well done! I think what makes this novel stand out from the crowd is that your theme (loving a house more than a marriage) is not something readers come across every day. You made me think…about my house, my family, my life. Thank you so much for sharing this book with me. I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you so much! As a first-time novelist, I just love hearing from people who have read the book. And I really enjoyed your questions—they made me think!

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Kathleen. I highly recommend this novel for your book club discussion. Most everyone can relate to the struggle of sorting out the past while trying to move forward in life. Please visit your local library or bookstore and pick up a copy today!

Okay, it’s time for the trivia. Answer the following question and you could be ONE of FIVE winners!

Name the main character in HOUSE & HOME.

Later this month, I’ll be bringing to you my interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Linda Howard. You won’t want to miss it!

Until next timeDeath is something most people avoid at all costs. Whether it’s talking or thinking about it, you have to admit, it’s not the best topic to toss around at a cocktail party. Let’s be honest. No one really wants to die. But, what if you could die for a few moments and then come back to life? Wouldn’t it be fascinating to get a glimpse of what’s on the other side? How differently would you live your life today if you knew what was in store for you down the road? Now that would be an awesome conversation to have with your friends.

This month’s Jen’s Jewels dares to answer that very question concerning near- death experiences in her latest release entitled, DEATH ANGEL. (Quite an appropriate title if you ask me!) I am so delighted to have New York Times Bestselling Author Linda Howard with me this month. Her reputation for consistently delivering such page-turning stories makes her one of the biggest names in the romance industry. Quite simply…her work is truly amazing.

As part of this interview, Ballantine Books has graciously donated five copies of DEATH ANGEL to my readers. So, don’t forget to look for the trivia question at the end of the column. Good luck! Go ahead and grab something cold to drink and get to know the one and only Linda Howard.

Jen: The road which leads to publication can often be attributed to a defining moment in life when a writer’s passion suddenly blossoms into a career. Please give us a brief overview of your educational and professional background in relation to its significance, if any, in preparing you for a career in publishing.

Linda: If I know anything, it was that I was born to be a writer. I wrote my first book when I was nine. My mother read to us from the time we were infants, but sometimes I’d want to hear a story and she wouldn’t have time right then to read, so I was really frustrated that I didn’t know how to read. I was three. Frustration is a great motivator, because I learned how to read when I was four. I can still remember how satisfying it was to be able to read the comic page in the newspaper all by myself. Along the same vein, I began writing when I was nine because I’d read everything I wanted to read in the school library. I needed something to read, so I wrote it myself. Given how early I began writing, my professional background had no influence whatsoever, and any educational background was simply knowing how to read and thirsting for more. I was blessed in that I attended a very small country school, where all the teachers knew me, because my modus operandi was that, on the first day of school, I’d read all of my textbooks from cover to cover, and for the rest of the school year I’d read fiction books while my classmates were laboring over the textbooks. So long as I passed the tests, which I did, and knew the answers if called on in class, my teachers pretty much let me set my own educational pace and read whatever I wanted. That would never happen now. I did go to college -- for one semester. I was the only journalism major in the school, but it didn’t take me long to realize newspaper reporting was not what I wanted to do. I wanted to make stuff up. So I dropped out of college and went to work at a trucking company (now, there was an education!) and continued writing fiction for my own pleasure.

Jen: We live in a society obsessed with instantaneous gratification and I think some aspiring authors just expect their careers to happen. Yours took many years in the making. What was the most valuable piece of advice you ever received and why?

Linda: Well, let’s see. I began writing when I was nine, and practiced for twenty years before I thought I was good enough to submit. That manuscript sold, but I’d submitted it in a vacuum, without knowing anything about publishing. Lo and behold, RWA was born at almost exactly the same time as I sold my first book, and I became a charter member. RWA is a networking gold mine. Through RWA I met some of my dearest friends, including Iris Johansen, who, when I told her the plot for what became DREAM MAN and which I was intending to write for Silhouette, gave me the best piece of advice I’ve ever received. She said, “Don’t waste a big-book plot on a shorter book.” She was exactly right. The space constraints in a category book would have prevented me from writing the plot the way it needed to be written. So I wrote DREAM MAN for Pocket Books, and it was my first book to hit the New York Times Bestseller List.

Jen: Back in the 1980’s when you first began writing professionally, what was the most significant hurdle to overcome in respect to fine-tuning your craft? Did you rely solely on your editor and agent for input? And, how (if at all) does that relate to your involvement with Romance Writers of America?

Linda: My hurdles were the same ones every beginning writer has. I had to learn about plotting, transitions, all the mechanical stuff of being a writer. I’ve always been very good at English, but I learned more about writing from going over that first edited manuscript from Leslie Wainger than I’ve ever learned since. You know, that isn’t so much a hurdle as it is an opportunity. What I write isn’t chiseled in stone; there’s always room for improvement, and I hope I never stop learning. Because I first sold at the same time RWA was organized, the two are almost unrelated. I joined RWA because I was starved for contact with other writers, and its biggest attraction for me is that it still provides that network.

Jen: From conception to completion, approximately how long does it take for you to write a standard length novel? And in general, how much research goes into each one?

Linda: Every book is different. A character-driven plot doesn’t require as much research as an action-driven plot. Nor is the development of a plot necessarily linear. I’ve had some ideas that have to incubate for several years before they become thought-out enough to become books. The actual writing usually takes about two or three months, but the research . . . oh, the research. It’s a good thing I love doing research. Sometimes the research will take a year or longer.

Jen: Being a New York Times Bestselling Author is every writer’s dream; however, with it comes the added pressure of meeting your readers’ high expectations with subsequent releases. What’s your secret for keeping that in check in relation to producing the highest quality work possible yet allowing yourself to enjoy the ride?

Linda: My poor readers have to be some of the most frustrated people on earth. I don’t see how they could possibly build any expectations around anything I write, because I never know from one book to the next what I’m going to be writing about. One book may be a comedy; the next may be a time-travel. The one after that may be pure romantic suspense. Or it may be a hybrid of several different elements. Sometimes I’m body-slammed by a story that come out of the blue, and sometimes one gradually unfolds until I know it’s ready to write. Every book is different because all of the characters are different people, and getting to know them is what keeps me interested.

Jen: When I pick up one of your books, I am guaranteed at least three things.

1. A fast-paced, action-packed storyline that will take me on a ride like none other.
2. Sex scenes that would make the cast from Sex and the City blush.
3. A well-executed resolution that leaves no questions unanswered.

Which of the three is the most challenging to write and why?

Linda: Number three, by far. For one thing, I’m a total pantster. I can’t plot, I can’t outline, and if I did I’d lose interest in the book because then, as far as I was concerned, the story would have already been told. The fun for me is knowing the beginning and the end, and figuring out how the characters get there. But the resolution is always fraught with danger, because of all the detours I run into along the way. I’ve never yet been able to write a book that matches the idea in my head, so I’m always screwing up somewhere along the line. Maybe one day I’ll nail it.

Jen: In your latest release, DEATH ANGEL, you chose to tackle a controversial subject concerning near-death experiences. Without giving too much away, were you hesitant about your readers’ willingness to embrace its inclusion in the story in respect to its credibility to the plot? Have you or a loved one had a near- death experience? Do you believe they exist?

Linda: H’mmm. To answer your questions in reverse order, I have no doubt that near-death experiences exist, and I have no doubt that there’s something else after death, even though neither I nor anyone in my family has had a near- death experience. Neither was I the least bit hesitant about having a near- death experience as part of the plot. I think readers are, by definition, pretty intelligent people. This is a work of fiction, and they recognize that. I don’t write about anything in an effort to persuade -- in fact, my characters often do things that I personally don’t like -- because the stories aren’t about me, they’re about the characters, and all of them are different. This was Drea’s story, and what happened to her was what happened, so I had to write about it. It’s as simple as that.

Jen: The lead characters, Drea and Simon, both have crosses to bear as well as demons from which they run. Who is the stronger character and why?

Linda: They’re equals, but their strengths aren’t the same strengths and their weaknesses aren’t the same weaknesses. They complement each other, and fit together into a whole.

Jen: A pivotal moment in the storyline is when Drea has an epiphany of sorts in respect to her ability to become self-sufficient. Why then does she willingly get drawn into Simon’s web?

Linda: Because she loves him. From the beginning she recognized something in him, and he something in her, that pulled them together, but they were both in denial with a capital D, because both of them saw emotion as a weakness and they didn’t want to love anyone. For both of them, becoming willing to admit to love, to accept it, was a huge part of turning their lives around.

Jen: In my opinion, DEATH ANGEL would make the perfect screenplay. Has there been any talk about it making it up on the big screen?

Linda: Not that I know of, but, hey, if anyone’s interested, think GERARD BUTLER.

Jen: I was surprised by your decision to forgo a website. Why have you chosen not to give in to the Information Age? What impact, if any, has it had on your career? And, are there any hidden benefits for remaining incognito?

Linda: I didn’t choose not to give in to the Information Age. After the third stalker, the cops told me emphatically that a web site wasn’t a good idea. At the time, I was in the process of getting one set up. I don’t know what it is, but evidently there’s something about my books that some obsessive types tend to focus on. I mentioned that a web site didn’t necessarily have to have any personal info on it, and the detective just shook his head and said, “No. It gives them one more thing to focus on. These people aren’t rational.” So I took his advice. I don’t know if it’s had any negative impact on my career, because the books seem to sell okay without a web site. There’s no way to tell if they’d sell better if I had one, but it doesn’t matter, because staying alive is more important. I’m not a recluse, but I am careful.

Jen: Do you participate in author phone chats? And if so, how would my readers go about arranging one? Do you have a blog? E-mail notification of upcoming releases?

Linda: No blog. See above. I do occasionally post on the Writing Playground blog, because the Children are wonderful people and I’m one of their Mavens. It’s all part of what makes our local RWA chapter, Heart of Dixie, so special. It’s a great little chapter. But I don’t do self-promotion, at all, in any form. I’m an introvert, so self-promotion is alien to me. I’m not shy, as people who’ve met me know, but I don’t feed off crowds or attention, either. I’ve done a couple of phone chats, but I have no idea how they’re arranged. Someone else did it, and I phoned into the central location at the correct time. The questions and answers were posted on-line and the moderator gave me the questions, and then typed in the answers. Is that what you’re talking about, or has technology moved on from that? To be honest, the past three or four years have been very tough; I’ve struggled to keep my head above water, so I’ve done only what was necessary and let everything else go.

Jen: Are you currently at work on your next novel? And if so, what can you tell us about it?

Linda: No, I’m currently taking a break. I have no idea what the next book will be about. A character has been taking shape, but whether or not she’ll be the next heroine, I don’t know. As I said earlier, sometimes an idea takes years to form.

Jen: On behalf of my fellow RWA members, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done and continue to do make our organization the best in the industry. It has been an absolute pleasure being able to chat with you. I wish you much success in 2008.

Linda: Thank you! I love this type of interview. And -- RWA rocks.

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Linda. Please stop by your local library or bookstore today and pick up a copy of DEATH ANGEL.

Okay, now it’s time for the contest question!

Name one of the two main characters in DEATH ANGEL.

Next month, I’ll be bringing to you my interview with Heather Thomas, best known for her role in the eighties television show The Fall Guy. Her debut novel, TROPHIES, is a hilarious spin on what life is truly like for the rich and famous in L.A. You won’t want to miss it!

Until next month....Jen

When a twist of fate landed Jennifer at the "Reading with Ripa" roundtable discussion with Kelly Ripa and Meg Cabot, she knew that her career as a French teacher would essentially be over. Instead, she figured out a clever way to combine her love for reading and writing and "voilà" She became a book reviewer and columnist with www.freshfiction.com. On the sidelines, her parents secretly hoped that her French degree from Vanderbilt would one day come in handy and Jennifer is happy to report that the phrases ‘Je ne sais pas' and ‘C'est incroyable!' have been quite useful when reviewing certain selections! As is typical in her whirlwind life, one thing led to another and soon she found herself facilitating a popular moms' book club and writing a column she cleverly named Jen's Jewels. (Jewelry is one of her many addictions, as is the color pink and Lilly Pulitzer, which when you think about it, would probably make for a good story! Hint! Hint! ) To keep herself away from her favorite retailer, Ann Taylor, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Harford County Public Library in Maryland. As a national trainer for The Arthritis Foundation's Aquatic and Land Exercise Classes, she is an advocate for those like herself who suffer from arthritis, the nation's #1 cause of disability. When asked how she manages to do all of these things and actually get some sleep at night, she simply replied, "It's just Par for the Course." Hmm! Now where have we heard that before?