Friday, April 24, 2020

Have you seen her? Kate White!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: If ever there was an example of the realities of having it all—which is that it’s constant work, constant juggling, some luck and some timing, and endless passion and abilities--it’s Kate White.  She’s savvy and fabulous, and generous and glam. She’s a terrific cook, with a wonderful family and a pretty darned exciting life. Take a look at her bio below—yikes! amazing!—and her newest thriller  HAVE YOU SEEN ME comes out next week. And it is fantastic!

(It’s an adventure for any writer to have a new release, but these days, you know how scary and uncertain it is—so be sure you look for this one!)

Her latest real-life adventure might be titled “Escape from Uruguay” or  “Last Flight from Uruguay”—which this airplane photo proves. (And we should ask her about that!)  But if I know Kate, she’ll take that harrowing experience and use it for—research!


Maybe the Best Thing I’ve Ever Learned Researching Murder
 (And I Think You’ll Like It, Too)
           by Kate White
     The superstar domestic thriller author Harlan Coben once told me that when book authors do research it’s often just a form of procrastination.
     In certain cases I would say that’s absolutely true. Writing is hard, and how nice to have a legitimate-sounding reason for putting it off for a few hours—or days. You start off with the best intentions, but then you end up falling down some deep rabbit hole on the Internet, and the next thing you know you’re perusing recipes for peach cobbler or watching a video of ABBA singing “The Winner Takes It All.”  And NOT writing.
     That said, I feel a certain amount of  research is absolutely essential. I want to get my facts straight out of respect for my readers. I don’t want you finishing a  chapter of mine and thinking, “This woman has no freaking clue what she’s talking about.” Plus, the research I’ve done has often yielded surprising little nuggets that I’ve been able to turn into delicious plot twists.
     Okay, I admit, I’ve sometimes overdone it. When I was researching a mystery novel that takes place at a spa, I indulged in seven or eight different kinds of facials and massages (loved the hot stone!), and that might have been about five too many. But darn, I felt so relaxed afterwards.  And that’s worth something, right?
     There is, I’ve found, another amazing benefit to book research, something you don’t hear much about. Every once in a while, research opens my eyes in a spectacular way to something that’s of value to not only my writing, but my life in general.
     Case in point: a forensics expert I know taught me one of the best lessons I’ve learned about developing a golden gut.
     When I was writing my first novel, a cop suggested I interview a woman with the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office named Barbara Butcher (Seriously, that is her name!). Now a consultant for forensic and medicolegal investigations, Barbara spent years as a death investigator with the ME’s office and examined thousands of homicide scenes.  We soon became friends, and she’s helped me with forensic details in all my books since.
     From the moment I met Barbara, I was struck by how highly intuitive she is. One day over lunch, instead of inquiring about some appetizing subject like blood spatter or rigor mortis, I asked if good intuition came naturally to her. She surprised me by saying that a golden gut was actually something she’d developed over time from investigating so many homicides. And then she shared her  secret.
.     “Everything we need to know is around us for the taking as long as we are truly taking it,” she said. “As a death investigator I learned to open my senses to what was around me and abandon preconceived notions of what I was going to find. I learned early on that if I was told that I was going to investigate a homicide, then that is what I would find, but if I reminded myself that I was going to investigate the cause of death then I would find the truth.”
     Barbara’s best advice for honing your intuition? “Take your hands off your ears and put them over your mouth. Learn to listen, see, smell, and absorb everything around you without speaking your thoughts first, and if you practice these skills you will get all the signals you need to be able to trust your instincts.” 
     That principle made Barbara a fabulous death scene investigator. And over the years I’ve used that wonderful wisdom again and again. More than once, it’s saved my butt big time. 

HANK: You had me at ABBA, Kate!  And now I am singing. But  it’s so fascinating about the suggestion to listen—so let me ask you, Reds and readers. What are you listening to now?  Jonathan and I, here at home, are listening to a lot of classical music in the mornings—that’s a very different kind of morning for us. Outside, the bird song seems louder—does it to you?
And a copy of Kate’s HAVE YOU SEEN ME to one lucky commenter!


Kate White is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels of suspense: eight Bailey Weggins mysteries and six standalone psychological thrillers, including the upcoming Have You Seen Me? (April 28).
For fourteen years she served as the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, and though she loved the job (and all the freebies to be found in the Cosmo beauty closet!), she decided to leave seven years ago to concentrate full time on being an author.
Her first mystery, Even If It Kills Her, was a Kelly Ripa Book Club pick and #1 bestseller on Amazon. She has been published in 15 other countries.
Like many female mystery writers, Kate fell in love with the genre after reading her first Nancy Drew book, The Secret of Redgate Farm.
She is also the editor of the Mystery Writers of America Cookbook, a collection of recipes from the field’s top-selling authors.
Kate is a frequent speaker at libraries and conferences and loves to share her journey from magazine editor to suspense novelist in a talk called “On Becoming an Author: Forging a New Creative Path and Finding Winning Ideas All Around You.”
In addition to writing mysteries and thrillers, Kate is the author of several best-selling career books, including The Gutsy Girl HandbookYour Manifesto for Success, as well as I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve.
She lives in New York City.

Have You Seen Me?

The key to her missing memories could bring relief—or unlock her worst nightmares.

On a cold, rainy morning, finance journalist Ally Linden arrives soaked to the bone at her Manhattan office, only to find that she’s forgotten her keycard. When her boss shows, he’s shocked to see her—because, he explains, she hasn’t worked there in five years.
Ally knows her name, but is having trouble coming up with much beyond that, though after a trip to the psychiatric ER, she begins to piece together important facts: she lives on the Upper West Side; she’s now a freelance journalist; she’s married to a terrific man named Hugh. More memories materialize and yet she still can’t recall anything about the previous two days. Diagnosed as having experienced a “dissociative state,” she starts to wonder if it may have been triggered by something she saw—an accident, or worse, a trauma from her childhood that has risen to the surface.
Desperate for answers, Ally tries to track where she spent the missing days, but every detail she unearths points to an explanation that’s increasingly ominous, and it’s clear someone wants to prevent her from learning where those forty-eight hours went. In order to uncover the truth, Ally must dig deep into the secrets of her past—and outsmart the person who seems determined to silence her.

119 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your new book, Kate . . . what an intriguing premise. I’m really looking forward to finding out just what happened to Ally . . . .

    We listen to a lot of classical music, too, Hank . . .
    and Jackie Evancho . . . and Julie London . . . .

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    1. Yes, singing along is restorative, isn’t it?

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    3. thanks so much, Joan. And gosh, I love Jackie, too. Saw her at a small club in NYC last year. Sublime!

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  2. Kate, congrats on the new book. It sounds great.

    And true story, I spent the day reading The Secret of Red Gate Farm for the first time. I had to laugh when it popped up in your bio.

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    1. OMG, that is so funny. Why did you read it? I often reread Nancy Drew books to remind myself of how good the chapter ending are. I've learned a lot from them

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    2. I enjoyed them as a kid, so it is fun to revisit the characters every so often. I'm reading more than usual right now, so I have a little extra time for a digression from my TBR mountain range for those visits with old friends. I bought a pack of the first six years ago, and I'm just now getting around to reading this one.

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  3. I don't know how I've missed reading your books, Karen, but I can count on this blog to help me find amazing authors I haven't yet found. And, of course, Hank is right about your impressive bio. I can remember as a young college student buying Cosmopolitan Magazine and feeling like such a grown-up and a woman finally out in the world. No doubt many young women over the years have considered the magazine a benchmark in their arrival at maturity, or what they think is their maturity.

    Have You Seen Me sounds like a real thriller of a read. Lost days and amnesia, with its myriad of causes, fascinate me. Where has she been? What has she done? What has she seen? So much possibility for mystery and suspense. And, you know she's seen or knows something that someone doesn't want to see the light of day. It has page turner written all over it.

    Hank, I can't say that I'm listening to anything consistently right now, but I fall down the rabbit hole quite easily when someone posts a YouTube video on FB or queries about favorite songs. And, ABBA always sends me searching for my favorite ABBA music, with "The Winner Takes It All" being my absolute favorite one. Thanks for that earworm, Kate. Hahaha!

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    1. Lucky you, Kathy! Now you can have the fun of reading them all!
      And I have to admit when I saw the Mamma Mia movie, I cried through the whole thing. It was just so… Nostalgic.

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    2. Yes, Cosmo was a benchmark for so many women. Loved my job there but I could see how print was falling apart and wanted to leave to follow my other passion while I still have the chance....Hope you give the book a try. On another note, when I came up with the line for the blog about ABBA, I used it as an excuse to listen to that ABBA song again!

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  4. Thanks for stopping by, Kate, and sharing your research stories. Seven or eight spa treatments was just being thorough, right? Looking forward to reading "Have You Seen Me?" soon.

    I did get an Audible trial last month and have downloaded 5 audiobooks/podcasts.

    I need a laugh most days, so I am currently listening to Rick Mercer's Final Report. He is one of Canada's top satiric commentators who had a long-running weekly TV show called the Rick Mercer Report.

    But now I also have an ABBA earworm, aargh! I played their songs all the time growing up in the 1970s and 1980s... Mamma Mia, Super Trouper, and yes The Winner Takes It All are some of my faves.

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    1. Once I started singing super trooper in the car, I was so happy about something. But I only could sing about two lines. And I remember Jonathan saying: know what I wish sweetheart? And I said: what? He said: I wish you knew more of the words..

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    2. Hank, here you go. Which two lines do you sing?
      https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/abba/supertrouper.html

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    3. Grace, I have to confess that I continued to thoroughly research the book AFTER publication. Sorry for the earworm

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  5. The book sounds terrific, Kate. Congratulations on it, and on getting out of Uruguay.

    I'm fascinated by Ms. Butcher's advice on listening. Years ago, when I was a drama student in college, a director told me to close my eyes and listen when a scene was going wrong. The actors may have all the facial expressions and body language right, but if you screen that out by closing your eyes and just listening, you can immediately identify the actor who has his/her line reading or motivation wrong. Turns out, it works when you think someone is lying to you, too. They can only fake sincerity so far, and then their voice betrays them.

    I listen to classical music all the time because I love it, and also because it's part of my job. Lately I've been listening to the music we have on the program for next season, if we get to have a next season. Lots of Holst and Saint-Saens, plus jazz, percussion concertos, and some exciting new music from the incomparable Omar Thomas. Should be fun, if we can ever get more than 10 people together in a room again.

    Recreationally, though, I've been listening to Sonny Landreth's recent release, "Blacktop Run", and also "Heritage Music," with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and the Wronglers. For now, I've turned off the news and even the podcasts because this girl just wants to have fun.

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    1. That is so brilliant about acting! If I ever see another person in person, I will try that :-)
      And we have cut way down on the news, too. There’s just no reason to fill our heads with that every minute of the day.

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    2. Thanks Gigi! That is fascinating about the drama class. I'm going to try that when I listen to people....I've been listening to fabulous album I bought at the Grand Canyon last year. Wind of the East. Instrumental and gorgeous

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  6. Ooh, what a premise! I want to read that book.

    Right now I'm listening to the space heater in my office, because...spring in New England! And yes, the birds are happy and loud at five AM. They must like the cleaner air these days.

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  7. Welcome Kate! I love this essay--such good advice for all of us. It was a cardinal rule as a clinical psychologist too--shut up and listen! I remember the book about the spa very clearly--remember thinking this woman knows what she's talking about!

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    1. thanks Lucy. And as Hank says, yay for research. Oh that's funny about the spa book. I have kept up that research years after the book was completed!

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    2. I think I need to write a spa book, too, Kate:-)

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    3. Deborah, I highly recommend it. The hot stone is great, as I said, but also loved the hot oil treatment on the third eye

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  8. Hillsborough County is under a tornado watch, so I am going to make the brief. I absolutely love your Bailey Series Kate. I appreciated the insider's view of magazine publication.
    As far as listening? right now thunder so off I go. May all be safe this morning.

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    2. oh gosh, Coralee, my thoughts are with you. Thanks for the shout-out about Bailey. Good luck!!

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    3. Oh, Coralee! Take care… Let us know when the warnings are gone!

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    4. Hi Everyone: All is well. The watch is over (for now) Just another Spring Day on Nome St.
      Still raining in "sunny FL".

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  9. Kate, what an interesting cv you have! As a single gal I enjoyed Cosmo's fashion tips and cooking/recipe sections the most--which I'm pretty sure dates me. That was the era of the "woman on the street" What Not to Wear, too. That's quite a pivot, from editing Cosmo to writing crime fiction.

    It's so quiet here right now. We are between two airports, a municipal one about four miles away, and CVG, which is not actually in Cincinnati, but across the river in northern Kentucky. We live close to the Ohio River, and in normal times there are dozens of planes flying over. So I am enjoying the peace, and the barred owls hooting at night, and the pileated woodpeckers and crows hollering at one another in the daytime.

    Amnesia has always fascinated me. Ally's experience sounds intriguing!

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    1. The absence of airplanes is really noticeable, I so agree! Absolutely killing when one flies over, because you realize how many don’t.

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    2. The Absence of Airplanes— Oh, a good title!

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    3. Oh, Karen, I can relate. I'm out in PA right now and we have so many comforting sounds. And for the first time we have pileated woodpeckers, too. Though there are no planes now, one morning at 6am we saw 40 lights going across the sky. So scary. I thought: don't tell me we're having an alien invasion, too! But it was the Elon Musk satellites. They fly low for a while apparently and then go higher.

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    4. Oh! I bet that's what I saw one night, too, Kate. Thank you for clearing up that mystery!

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  10. I’m a huge fan!! Kate’s new book sounds fanTAStic—recovered memory is a fascinating topic (wondering how you researched it, Kate) - and “shut your mouth and open your ears“ is great advice for writers listening to advance reader critiques... also for doing research because often it’s the thing you’re NOT looking for that might be just what it needs

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    1. Well, let me just take this moment to say what a huge fan I am of Hallie's books--and her guide to writing mysteries too!! And yes, agree about that last point totally

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  11. The Bailey series is one of my favorites, and Have You Seen Me sounds great. On my list!

    I listen to music all the time, and that hasn’t changed. Lately I’ve added ocean sounds to my listening. If I close my eyes and just listen I can imagine I’m sitting on the beach! In real life, the birds have returned and in the morning I can hear them singing, which is a wonderful way to start the day.

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    1. Oh good idea! Sweet, but sad. xxxxxx

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    2. Cindy, you have my word you WILL be on the beach again. Hope you like the new book, HAVE YOU SEEN ME? The most recent Bailey book, from last year, SUCH A PERFECT WIFE, just got nominated for an International Thriller Writer Award, so that was a bright spot for me in a gloomy time.

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  12. Happy Book Day, Kate! Thanks for sharing that excellent advice. It reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink, which argues that intuition is actually based on observation - whether we realize it or not. Since cops and MEs are trained observers, it's no wonder they have such strong instincts. I'm looking forward to reading Have You Seen Me!

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    1. Oh yes, I think about Blink ALL the time!

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    2. thank you Cathy. Love that Gladwell book, too. I'm just now reading his latest, Talking to Strangers, and am finding it very helpful....FYI, Barbara always says women make better crime scene investigators because they LISTEN

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  13. Congratulations on your new release!

    We tune into the Metropolitan Opera every evening at 7:30 because "we can watch British crime procedurals anytime, but each Met broadcast is only for 24 hours," my husband tells me.

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    1. Oh, fascinating! Tell us about that!

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    2. oh wow, will check out. I didn't realize they were doing that

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    3. metopera.org
      Renee Fleming as the merry widow will be available till 6:30pm tonight. Next week's lineup includes Leontyne Price in Aida, an oldie but goodie.

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  14. Hello, Kate! I have the Mystery Writers of American Cookbook!

    You're so right about how easy it is to fall down the rabbit-hole of research. And preconceived notions. How many times would we come to different conclusions if we weren't told what the outcome was ahead of time?

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    1. Yes--I have a stickie on my computer that says "if you think you know what you are looking for, that's what you will find."

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    2. yes, that so true. I love that Hank has that comment on her stickie. So close to what Barbara said.

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  15. Kate, your book sounds fascinating. WOW. Showing up at a job you left five years ago. That is a particular nightmare in and of itself!
    Congratulations on your new release. I have to check out your books now, because like Kathy, your works will be new to me. That is a good thing for me because during the pandemic, I am charging through my TBR pile and loving every day.

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  16. Kate, your new book sounds amazing! Now my brain is trying to figure out where the 48 hours could possibly have gone. I am beyond intrigued .
    One of the best things I ever read, and which I try to remember, it that we should "listen to understand, not listen to reply".

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    1. Thank you for that! And I love the expression you shared. I make the mistake frequently of forming my reply and NOT listening

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  17. Unbiased listening and observing really is a lost art. It's so simple yet incredibly transformative.These days, I find myself wanting to listen to less noise rather than more. The book sounds exciting and dreadfully frightening for the main character!

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    1. So agree--often, instead of listening, people are just waiting for their turn to talk.

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    2. I do hope this period teaches me to listen more!

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  18. Kate, with your track record, I'm confident this book will find its audience quickly--pandemic or no pandemic! I don't read many stand-alone thrillers these days, but Ally's story intrigues me--will be looking for a copy. Love your friend's advice, too. I'm a 'fixer'--someone comes to me with a problem and I immediately go into 'how can I fix this for them?' mode. But I have learned to keep my mouth shut, listen, observe, and let them tell me if they need/want/could use any help from me.

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    1. you make such a good point. I mentor a lot of women and sometimes I want to fix their issues without probing enough. I need to keep asking questions. Thanks for reminding me of that

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  19. Kate is TRYING to comment! More to come--but she is reading every single word here!

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    1. thanks Hank. yes, made the mistake of logging on with Safari.
      Thanks everyone for your patience.

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  20. Hi Kate! Welcome to Jungle Reds! We met at Malice in 2016. There were sooo many people queuing up for your books during Author Signing Books hour. I remember reading that you were an editor in Chief at Cosmo magazine. Forgive me for asking - were you also a model before going into journalism? I often see your books at the library. I read your first novel a long time ago!

    Congratulations on your book birthday!

    Hank, how wonderful that you and Jonathan listen to classical music. That was among the first sounds that I heard after getting my cochlear implants. My cousin's husband set up his Radio Show to broadcast remotely all day on Earth Day at KALW.

    Listening is quite an art. It takes a lot of practice!

    Diana

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    1. Oh, dear, Diana, that must have been QUITE the moment! Awww...

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    2. Ha, I feel like I must have paid you to say that there "were sooo many people queuing." And that question is sweet. I did model for a while. Just for the fun of it and because I was a dateless nerd in high school and that felt like a bit of revenge!
      I loved being on the cover of Glamour!

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    3. Thanks so much. Are you sure there were many people in line? Maybe TWO. ha. And that is so sweet of a question. Yes, I did model for a while, just for fun. I was a dateless nerdy girl in high school and being on the cover of Glamour felt like revenge!

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    4. sorry for the double response. I didn't think the first went through

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    5. THe cover of Glamour--YES! I have seen that cover! You were a--what did they call them? Top Ten college..what again? That was my total life's ambition those days.

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    6. Kate, I do remember seeing many people queuing down the stairs. There were many authors tables lined up. And totally get what you mean because I had similar feelings when I was modeling too briefly (never on a cover though I did a few runaway shows and I got FREE clothes!). Being on the cover of Glamour - Wow!

      Hank, thanks!

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    7. Ha, they were probably lined up for Karin Slaughter, but thank you for that. Modeling was fun for sure. !

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    8. This is a very interesting topic. Like Bibliophile/Diana I have cochlear implants and listening is an acquired skill as Diana said. For those of us with cochlear implants in particular we have to train our brains to hear.

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  21. Congratulations! Your book sounds captivating and special. Where we live the peace and tranquility is what makes this area unique and beautiful.

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  22. This story sounds so unique and mysterious. I certainly want to know what happened during that 48 hours. I listen to Easy Listening music when relaxing and sometimes reading. I love the music from the '50's when simply listening for enjoyment or background.

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    1. Yes, fifties music! It is so--simple and innocent.

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    2. I hope you'll give it a try. I have to say I think it's my favorite standalone I've written. I don't listen to much from the 50's though I LOVE Sinatra

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  23. Oops: unknown is : Donna Shaw

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  24. My college major, in 1969, was Police Science at a two-year school. One of our classes was Criminal Investigation, and the teacher was a detective on the Hamilton, Ohio police force. One of the things I remember most clearly from that class was Detective Duley saying, "The eye can only see what is already in the mind." I've long since decided that was the opposite of the truth, that you can only truly see what is there if you empty your mind.

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    1. Whoa..sounds like a perfect character, though.. And you are very wise!

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    2. wow, it sounds like he was so so wrong. And you are so right

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  25. I've never read your books, Kate but like others, I am meeting new authors through JRW all the time. Mystery Writers Cookbook, huh? Will definitely need to find this one as a share with my sister. Your new book sounds intriguing and will be pre-ordering it soon. Listening is what I used to do for our former organist. He would send me to the middle of the nave to listen for balance, often between the organ and the choir. I got real good at listening by the right ear verses left ear. Sometimes I had the music in hand, but often it was just my ears finding the holes or were the organ just needed to pipe down a bit.

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    1. Deana, that is FASCINATING! So--what would you say?

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    2. thanks Deana!! And I love that story you shared. Very powerful

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    3. What would I say, Hank? Basically I would point out sections that seemed off or muffled. Some times I could tell him if a section sounded too heavy or light, maybe switch up the sections of pipes he was choosing. If the choir was flat or if they were not together at the start or end of the section or piece, not following his direction. Our organist couldn't always hear the choir from where he sat at the console especially as he got older.

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  26. Your novels are intriguing and this new story sounds like an experience. Music for me is important and especially uplifting at this time. I look forward to enjoying this book greatly.

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    1. thank you, traveler. And you are intriguing to me!! That you clearly love travel so much. I'm with you on that. I hate thinking of the trips I have had to cancel this year. You, too?

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  27. Congratulations on your new book, Kate! That premise is great and can go in so many directions. I'm sure everyone here on the Reds wants to know what happened in that 48 hours! As for listening, I find that a lot easier to do when meeting new people than talking. And I think people talk more to someone actually paying attention rather than waiting his/her turn to speak. Currently the Today Show is on in the background while I wait for the local news. Tonight I will tune into YouTube and watch Love Never Dies, the follow up to Phantom of the Opera.

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    1. Oh, cannot wait to hear about that! I am such a novice on YouTube...but I know it must have wonderful things!

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    2. Thank you for that tip, Pat. I went to Youtube and saw the link to Love Never Dies. Will check out for sure!!

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  28. Hi Kate! The premise of your book is fabulous. Just reading the description gave me goosebumps. I think I have to order it to share with my daughter, who loves good suspense novels.

    As for listening, Hank, the birds do seem really loud. I'm also listening to a lot of traffic--lockdown doesn't seem to have made things any quieter in that regard, plus everyone in the neighborhood seems to be out with mowers and blowers. But I'm going to put on ABBA when I take a work break! Isn't it weird how music can tie us in to such specific memories? Anything by ABBA takes me instantly to suburban Edinburgh in 1979. I had just moved there to be with my soon to be (now ex) husband, and when I hear ABBA I am walking to the village pub on a very cold, crisp, starry night. Time travel!

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  29. Be still my heart!!! Deborah to have you comment is such a freaking honor!!!! And that I gave you goosebumps.
    Glad you like ABBA too.
    I have one funny story UK bird story I must share. About 15 years ago I was staying at a resort in the Caribbean and I took the garden tour that was offered. I suddenly realized that one of the other two women was the great British actress Claire Bloom. The gardener pointed out a nightingale and she wondered aloud if there were nightingales in the UK. She must have just been momentarily confused because of course Will Shakespeare mentions them. But it gave me the chance to say: "But didn't a nightingale sing in Berkeley Square?"

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  30. Kate! Claire Bloom?? What a lovely story. Did you get to visit with her?

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    1. ha, no I sensed I should have respected her privacy. Though I was dying to ask, "What was it like to be married to Philip Roth?"

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    2. Oh, right--yikes. I'm sure she was happy with the privacy though...

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  31. Congratulations on your new release. Can't wait to read it. I've been listening to the country music station on the radio. Too cold to have the windows open to listen to the outside noises.

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    1. Thanks Dianne! I am such a country fan. Even the sad songs lift my spirits. My husband and I love to go hear Laura Cantrell sing at a small club in NYC

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    2. Yes, they are easy to sing along with, aren't they? And I always wanted to be Linda Ronstadt.

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  32. Yay! Kate is here with another creepy-crawly suspense title to put on my list! (I'm keeping a list of books I want to buy and doing a once-every-few-weeks order from one of my local bookstores. Trying to balance instant gratification with being responsible about requiring packing and shipping.)

    I loved THE SECRETS YOU KEEP, which I think was the last stand-alone from Kate. I really only started getting into reading domestic thrillers (or modern gothic, or psychological suspense)in 2018, and THE SECRETS YOU KEEP was one of the first in the genre I read. So I'm psyched HAVE YOU SEEN HER is here!

    Although - and this is greedy - Kate, I hope you haven't left Bailey Weggins behind entirely!

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    1. oh thank you, fabulous Julia. I hope you like it. And I have not left Bailey behind. Btw, I've gotten more and more into reading domestic thrillers. Took me a bit to realize I was writing them!

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    2. You have been writing them from moment one! xoo

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  33. Interesting post. I can always count on the Reds to have the best stuff ;-)! Early in the morning my listening is kind of scattered - it's warm so windows are open and I can hear birds and the water noises of the pond and fish jumping, plus have old classic Westerns low on TV as background while I check out my favorite blogs. Thanks for the giveaway - can't wait for this one.

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    1. Awww..so wonderful of you! You and Jonathan--he could watch those all day!

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  34. Oh those old westerns. They always ended happily. Could use some of that feeling now!

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    1. Such a poignant thought--yes, hard to imagine a happy ending right now. I guess--ah. Happy will have to be relative.

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  35. Congrats on the book! Sounds wonderful!
    kozo8989@hotmail.com

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  36. Congratulations! I would love to win a book by this author! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  37. Congratulations on the new book. It sounds very interesting. I can imagine how the main character can just feel like she is figuratively falling. She is also desperately trying to get her bearings so she can determine what is going on.
    Everyone's input on listening, and observing (without judging) has been a good reminder. I used to play ABBA in the car for my children when we would drive from Tulsa to Joplin, Missouri to visit my Grandmother. We would sing in the car to the music. Just six months ago my 28 year old told me how she was at an Octoberfest and how they were playing her favorite "ABBA" music. You never know what your children will remember.

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  38. Congrats on the new release! I can’t wait to read it!

    My daughter plays French Horn in her school’s wind ensemble and in a local symphony orchestra, so I’m always listening to the pieces that they have played or are playing.

    dadaw1321 at numail dot org

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