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.

 

Roundtable Interview with Kathleen Antrim - By Brian Kaufman

Kathleen Antrim's first novel, CAPITAL OFFENSE, is a political thriller. Is the First Lady trying to take over the Executive Branch of the government? An investigative journalist has personal reasons for looking into the First Family's activities. His father, a U.S. Senator, may have been murdered...
Ms. Antrim is a member of The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Left Coast Crime Writers. She won awards from both the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference and the Maui Writer's Conference. She is also active in state and local politics. She ran a local school board campaign, and was active in Guy Houston's election to the California State Assembly. Her political experience clearly shows in her novel.

Question: The power relationships in your novel seem very authentic. How did you go about researching the novel?

KA: I spent six years researching CAPITAL OFFENSE, because I wanted to make sure these relationships and the backdrop were are perfect as I could possibly get them. I interviewed many people from ex-CIA, Secret Service, Gubernatorial and Senatorial security details all the way up to people who've held Cabinet Level positions. Many of my sources I've had to thank anonymously due to their current involvement in politics.

Question: It's hard not to note similarities between your characters and the characters in a certain past Presidential administration. What are your feelings about the relationship between truth and fiction in the novel?

KA: I love to read and write realistic fiction. To me there's nothing better than a novel that makes you think, "This could really happen." So, as to my feelings on the relationship between truth and fiction--well, as the cliche goes, truth is often stranger than fiction. And good literature is often a metaphor for real life--a mirror into which we can look back at ourselves and our culture.

Laura Bush recently acquired a copy of CAPITAL OFFENSE. The mother of an assistant White House Press Secretary read the novel and loved it. Ms. Antrim notes, "He had a copy personally delivered to the First Lady. Then he took twelve more copies to hand out on Air Force One and around the White House."
Though the book focuses on a Clintonian President (and his First Lady), the author avoids taking an ideological stance that might distract from the story.

Question: I'd be hard-pressed to place a bet on your political affiliations. Was the even-handed approach intentional, or the accident of balanced personal beliefs?

KA: I'm a person with a really strong belief system, so I worked very hard to make sure none of that bled into "Capital Offense." The evenhanded approach was absolutely intentional as I wanted this book to be a fun, fast read that hopefully made people think about issues bigger than partisan politics. Issues like whether or not the role of First Lady, or First Spouse should be regulated. I don't know whether or not it should be regulated, but I think the time has come for our country to decide.

How many of us consider a spouse when we walk into the voting booth to cast our ballot? Yet, history has proven that roles like that of the First Lady have been immensely powerful. And now we have a First Lady who has parlayed her power into a successful senatorial seat, Senator Hillary Clinton, and is positioning herself to run for the presidency. If she were to win we'd have our first Madam President and a First Spouse in President (he retains the title) Bill Clinton. Wow--talk about a powerful person in a position that has immense access and is accountable to no one. It's very intriguing and thought provoking.

Ms. Antrim is currently at work on her next novel, and though she declined to talk about the project, she is "absolutely in love" with the book. She lives in Pleasanton, California with her "husband, two daughters, three dogs, two guinea pigs and an Amazon parrot."