Caitlin Rother

Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 16 books, ranging from true crime to thrillers and memoir. A New York Times-bestselling author and investigative journalist, Rother worked nearly 20 years for daily newspapers. Writing books full-time since 2006, she draws from decades of watchdog reporting on topics from addiction to suicide, mental illness, murder, government, political corruption and the criminal justice system. A popular speaker, she has appeared more than 250 times on TV, radio, and podcasts as a crime expert. After teaching writing workshops for more than 10 years, she now coaches a limited number of authors. In her spare time, she enjoys ocean swimming, and sings and plays keyboards with In the Lounge, a jazzy, bluesy trio.

Rother's new novel is Hooked.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

I think titles are important and I take great care with them, but I would say that about half the time, the publisher will want to come up with something else, for whatever reason, and so I try to offer alternatives until they accept one, because otherwise, they will often come up with something I don't like that makes no sense to me. For example, one of my true crime books was retitled Body Parts by my publisher despite my strong objections. I felt like it was insensitive to victims' families, but I was told that the marketing people knew better. The title stayed and it is my second bestselling book to date (out of 16), so even though I didn't like it, it apparently did help sell the book. Go figure.

What's in a name?

When I pick names for my protagonists, I don't do it randomly. Take the ones from my newest thriller, Hooked, which features investigative reporter Katrina Chopin and surfing homicide detective Ken Goode. I came up with these names many years ago, when I first started writing the book (which took 19 years to get published). It was shortly after Hurricane Katrina, which some people thought should make me throw it out, but I used that association to add context to the character's personality. She was like a storm. Katrina was also the name I was going to give to my daughter if I ever had a child, which I never did, so there was no way I was going to give that up. In the end, no one has said anything about the hurricane association being a distraction. So I think I made the right choice. I am a pianist, and Chopin is one of my favorite composers, so that's where her last name came from. I named her fraternal twin brother Franny, short for Francis, a distant relative of the composer, Frederic Francois Chopin. So, even more personal meaning for me. Ken Goode is a handsome surfer, so I kind of named him after Ken as in Ken and Barbie, and Goode because he is a good man.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

I think she would be impressed that I was so persistent, stubborn and determined to rewrite the book so many damn times until I finally got it published. As a teenager I was always a good writer, but had no idea I would ever be able to write a book (or 16 of them!), let alone jump through the hoops of the publishing industry.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I think beginnings are harder, because if they aren't good enough you'll lose the reader right away, so I rewrite them a lot. Sometimes I even add new beginnings before what was originally my opening chapter. I also find that even though I have an ending in mind, it may not be the final ending, because I often add more twists and turns to make it even more exciting.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Yes, I put quite a bit of myself into my characters, because I know myself and that makes the characters relatable and believable. But they aren't me, because that would be boring. I have had a pretty eventful life so I have a lot of stories to tell and I prefer giving the traumas and adventures to my characters rather than trying to write a memoir.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I watch a lot of movies and limited series, which often serve as a brainstorming aid, inspiration and prompts to make the plot in my current novel in progress even better. I also play music and sing in a jazzy bluesy trio, which I find is symbiotic with my writing because it fuels my creativity in a different way.

Visit Caitlin Rother's website.

My Book, The Movie: Hooked.

--Marshal Zeringue