Is the first lady trying to overthrow the president? Award-winning writer Kathleen Antrim's fictional response to this shocking premise is at the heart of her chillingly convincing political thriller, CAPITAL OFFENSE.

 

A Conversation with Kathleen Antrim About Her Writing Life

Question: Why did you choose to write mysteries?

KA: I've always loved suspense. I wrote my first book when I was seven years old, and even that project had suspense. I also like books that are smart, and cause the reader to think. Mysteries tend to be puzzles that the reader is trying to solve, and I love trying to give the reader a challenge as well as something to think about.

Question: What is unique about your main character or setting?

KA: Well, Capital Offense deals with an issue that really hasn't been dealt with in fiction before—the power of the first lady. Carolyn Alden Lane is a woman who commands respect and admiration in her professional life, but is horribly flawed when it comes to her personal life. As I wrote this book, I kept wondering: How far will Carolyn go to save herself and her power? How much will she compromise to reach her goals? Does the end justify the means? And in the final analysis, would she choose to save herself, or sacrifice herself, to save the country?

Question: What authors do you like to read?

KA: I read just about everything I can get my hands on fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. I feel it's imperative for a writer to read as much as possible. As for favorites, well, I love so many it's hard to narrow it down, but I'll name a few—Dorothy Allison, Anita Shreve, Elizabeth George, Terry Brooks, Nelson DeMille, Harper Lee, Nick McDonnell (a new author who is fabulous), Michael Connelly, Barbara Kingsolver, D.P. Lyle, jeez, I could go on and on.

Question: How long did it take you to write this book?

KA: I did about six years of research and it took me about two years to write the novel. In order to get the backdrop accurate and the subject matter really clear, I interviewed ex-CIA, Secret Service, Individuals as high up as the Cabinet level, Gubernatorial and Senatorial security details, physicians, etc.

Question: Do you make a living off of your writing?

KA: Not, yet. In fact, my husband tells me that I have the most expensive career on the planet. But I have to admit, I don't write for the money. I write because it is what I love to do. It's truly a passion, and I get cranky when I'm not writing.

Question: What do you like most about being a writer?

KA: Making up stories is what I love most. I've been doing this since I was a kid, playing with my two imaginary friends Snorky and Hyacinth. At night I'd lie in bed and make up huge tales with dialogue and everything. Some of these stories would go on for several nights; others were just one night stands. It just depended on how juicy the tale was as to how long I'd drag it out.

I've always loved living in other worlds, in fact, one time my imaginary friend Snorky even told off my mother. Of course, this didn't go over very well with Mom. Regardless of how vehemently I protested that it wasn't me but Snorky who'd said those awful things, I still ended up in trouble.

Question: What do you like least?

KA: That's an easy question to answer, the business side of writing. If I had my druthers I'd just write and leave the business stuff to others.

Question: How much time do you spend writing?

KA: I do most of my writing in my mind, before I actually sit down and commit it to paper. So, this is tough to answer. Actually, when I'm in the middle of a project I'd say that I'm consciously or subconsciously working on it 24/7. My mind is always spinning on things, even when I'm dealing with other matters. I think that's why I'm told I'm preoccupied a lot. I don't mean to be, but when I'm in the middle of a project it's just one of the downsides.

Question: How do you discipline yourself to write?

KA: Usually, I'm really happy to be able to focus. But when I get antsy, I exercise and this usually calms me down enough to sit down and get it out. I have to admit that at times it's a wonderful experience, and at others it's like root canal. I don't know why this is, just part of the job I suppose.

Question: Do you hear characters speak to you?

KA: Oh, yes. They definitely talk to me—some more than others, but then that just depends on their personality. I'm working on a project right now with a character named RayAnn. Well, RayAnn talks my ear off. One night while I was in New York, and by the way, I was exhausted, RayAnn would not shut up. Finally, I had to get up and write down everything she was saying, because she wasn't going to quiet down until I did so. But that's just RayAnn; she's always needing to be the center of attention.