Q & A with author Caitlin Rother and Susan J. Farese of SJF Communications
SJF: In a nutshell, tell us about your book(s) or written piece.
CR: Secrets, Lies and Shoelaces: A Story of Hardship and Healing: This memoir chronicles my marriage to a troubled alcoholic with borderline personality disorder who took me on a roller-coaster ride of self-doubt, crisis management, and constant chaos marked by 911 calls, suicidal threats, a trip to the psych hospital, and a life-threatening bout of domestic violence. And years later, how I managed to move on to find love again amid a healthier and happier life.
Hunting Charles Manson: The Quest for Justice in the Days of Helter Skelter (co-authored with Lis Wiehl): A fresh, contemporary look at Charles Manson, the Manson Family, and the murders they committed in the summer of 1969, with new, revealing details and alternative scenarios on motive and outcome gathered from interviews, recent parole hearings, and a re-examination of original source materials. This book discusses the psychology, mental illness, drugs, and other social dynamics involved as Manson brainwashed and controlled what, essentially, was a cult.
SJF: What has your experience been as a writer in San Diego?
CR: After working for 13 years as an investigative reporter at my hometown newspaper, the San Diego Union-Tribune, I left the news biz in 2006 to pursue my dream of being a full-time author. Since 2005, I have published 13 books (with five more in the pipeline) and have achieved my goal of becoming a New York Times bestselling author. However, to survive in a perpetually evolving publishing world and to maintain a national audience, I’ve had to develop a “business machine,” in which being an author is just one of half a dozen jobs that have included writing-research coach and consultant, TV commentator, public speaker, writing workshop leader, and event planner.
SJF: How has storytelling influenced your life?
CR: I live to tell stories. Some of them grab me by the throat — or the heart — and they don’t let go until I’m done with them. The good ones continue to have legs even after I publish a book about them, which is never a bad thing.
SJF: If you had a magic wand, what kind of opportunities would be available to writers in San Diego?
CR: It is expensive to live here and I wish I could focus more on just my writing, but I’ve got bills to pay, so paying speaking gigs are always welcome. I spend a lot of time working alone and miss the community of the newsroom. Although I know many authors in town, I wish we had more chances to get together in one place and compare war stories or trade advice, as journalists do at the Society of Professional Journalists or the San Diego Press Club.
SJF: What are you excited about when it comes to participating in the inaugural San Diego Writers Festival?
CR: I’m always happy to share my knowledge and experience with aspiring writers and authors, and to work with them as a coach. Writing a book is very hard work, but it is addictive. There is nothing like holding your very first – or even your 13th — published book in your hand.
SJF: What advice would you give to a new writer in San Diego?
CR: Take writing classes and workshops — I recommend San Diego Writers, Ink — and also read, read, read, write, write, and rewrite. Get some of your writing published in small outlets before you decide you are ready to try to get your first book published. Too many people think they can just wake up one day, write a book and get it published — without learning the basics first. Getting published, and staying published, requires you to learn your craft, then to apply great determination and persistence as you repeatedly pick yourself up off the curb and rebound from rejection. I’ve been a professional writer since 1987, and I’m still learning and rebounding from rejection.
SJF: Many thanks, Caitlin!
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Learn More about Susan J. Farese of SJF Communications
