Interview with Kathi Macias

Many of you ask how the book is coming. So just to let you know, I have been working with an editor, Kathi Macias, and the book is really taking shape. I cannot tell you when it will be completed but certainly when I know that I will post it here.

I was very excited to find Kathi several months ago and she is wonderful to work with. She truly has the vision of the book.

Below is an interview with Kathi, by Mary Ann Diorio from her blog, Musings that Matter:

Interview with Kathi Macias
June 28, 2006


Today's special guest is well-known author, Kathi Macias!

MaryAnn: Hi, Kathi! Welcome to Musings That Matter! I am so excited to have you with us today.

Kathi: Thanks, MaryAnn. I’m excited too—especially because I read your blog and I really do think your musings matter!

MaryAnn: Kathi, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Kathi: Wow, where to start…? (The older I get, the farther back I have to reach for this one!) Seriously, I have never wanted to be anything but be a writer, except maybe a teacher. And the neat thing about writing is that I get to do both. My husband, whom I’ve known for 52 years (since we were six years old and in the first grade!) still remembers the day we were walking home from junior high and I told him I was going to be a writer some day. He says I’m the only person he knows who actually did what I said I was going to do. Of course, I’ve had other jobs as well—pharmacist’s assistant, bank teller, pre-school teacher, newspaper reporter/columnist, secretary/bookkeeper, in-house book and curriculum editor, and associate pastor of a large Southern California church—but writing has always been my passion. I published my first book almost twenty years ago, and have published sixteen more since then. And, of course, I’ve published countless magazine articles, short stories, poems, etc., but books are my main focus. Aside from the writing aspect of my life, I grew up in Southern California, though I’ve also lived in Texas, Colorado, and Washington, and one day my husband and I hope to live in Hawaii. Meanwhile, we go there once a year (a different island each time) and spend a couple of weeks unwinding and just enjoying some much-needed R&R.

MaryAnn: When did you recognize that God had called you to write? Was it a single defining moment, or a knowing over time?

Kathi: As I said, I’ve never wanted to do anything else, and I actually collected quite a few writing awards before I became a believer in 1974, at the ripe old age of 26. (Okay, I thought it was old then!) But when I became a Christian I immediately decided I was going to “write books for God.” Thankfully God is oh, so much wiser than I, and He put me on hold for many years before He allowed that to happen, as I had a lot of maturing to do first. It was fourteen years later before my first book was published, though I had been publishing some articles in Christian magazines prior to that, and already worked at Gospel Light/Regal Books as an editor. I guess I really “knew” it was time for me to pursue writing books while I was working at Gospel Light and God brought me “full circle” on something He had spoken to me years earlier. When I was first a Christian and thought I wanted to write books for Him, He spoke to my heart that I would be ready to write books for Him when I was ready to write books without my name on them. I had no clue what that meant, but then, one day in the mid 1980’s while I was working at Gospel Light, the president of the company approached me about doing a freelance assignment for them (the first of many, as I still freelance for them today). He explained I would be writing a book for someone else—ghostwriting—and, in his words, I would be “writing a book without your name on it.” Aha! So that’s what God had meant so many years earlier. He wanted me to come to the point that writing for Him was more important than getting the recognition for doing so. Now, though I write my own books as well as books for others, I always keep that focus—that I’m writing ABOUT and FOR Him, not just ABOUT Him and FOR me, which is what it would have been doing when I was a brand new believer.

MaryAnn: You've done a wide variety of writing, from journalistic to business to creative. How have your various writing experiences contributed to the writer you are today?

Kathi: You’re certainly right about that! I attribute my journalism training and experience for enabling me to write “on command, on time, and on target.” Of course, being a first-born, high-achiever, type-A personality (uh oh…I think I’m beginning to see why I drive people crazy!), I already tend to carry this personal responsibility thing to the extreme, but journalism training re-enforced that discipline, and it has served me well as a fulltime freelancer. Something else that really helped was my limited drama training. Knowing how to “slip into someone else’s skin” is great training for character development in my novels.

MaryAnn: You've also been a ghostwriter for some famous people. Tell us a little about ghostwriting. How did you get your assignments? How did you work with the "authors"? How much help did you get from the persons for whom you were ghostwriting?

Kathi: Ghostwriting (or collaborating) covers a wide gamut of partnership involvement in writing. Occasionally it is no more than an extensive edit with limited rewrite; at other times it is doing the entire thing yourself and then sharing a byline with someone who will take the reins as primary promoter of the book. Often it’s somewhere in between. For instance, well known pastors will send me a set of teaching tapes, which I will then use as the “skeleton” of a book on that particular topic. Fleshing it out means researching and adding to the existing material, but also rewriting some of that existing material and making it all blend together. One of the greatest compliments I ever received (and this was for an extensive editing job) was when the author read my finished product and dubbed me the “stealth editor.” He said he knew I’d been there because the work was vastly improved—but he couldn’t really tell WHERE I’d been because my additions/changes read just like his own writing. Again, that’s a big part of ghostwriting/editing/collaborating—staying in the voice of the primary author (which can be a challenge when the “author” hasn’t actually contributed any of the writing). Again, my drama training helps here, as I learn to write in the author’s voice. These jobs come from various sources: publishers, the authors themselves (some I’ve worked with before), referrals from previous authors, writers’/editors’ groups I belong to, wonderful people like Cec Murphey, who graciously sends me his overflow, and even agents.

MaryAnn: Your Matthews & Matthews detective series from Broadman & Holman has become quite populart. Where did you get your idea for this series? Is a detective novel different in any way from a mystery? If so, how?

Kathi: This series originally started as an idea for a stand-alone book, but the more I discussed it with my agent, the more we realized it would be a great series. I’m not sure a detective series is really different from a mystery series, though I had to learn about being a detective before I could write about it. Fortunately I have great contacts: my cousin is married to a DA and my son is a corrections officer, so I picked their brains every chance I got. Also, I had an acquaintance from church who is a police detective, and he graciously read all three manuscripts for accuracy.

MaryAnn: You are a wife, mother, and grandmother. How do you balance your many roles?

Kathi: I suppose the most important thing here is understanding about seasons. My kids are all grown and gone, with families of their own, so I don’t have to worry about balancing my writing time with PTA meetings or homework. But I do guard my evenings and weekends so my husband and I can spend them together. I work forty to fifty hours during the week at writing/editing/speaking, so my “off time” is precious to me.

MaryAnn: What do you like to do for fun?

Kathi: Oh, I hate to even say this because I’m so predictable, but given the opportunity to do anything I want, I’ll choose reading a good novel every time. I have so little free time to do that, though I read extensively for my job—research, editing/reviewing other manuscripts, etc.—so I grab every spare moment to read something just for escape and pleasure. Also, my husband and I enjoy riding his Harley, which is how I got my “road name” of “Easy Writer.” And you’d be surprised how many Harley-riding grandmas there are out there!

MaryAnn: Would you describe a "typical" writing day if you have one?

Kathi: I’m up no later than five in the morning, usually earlier. Once my husband is off to work (about five-thirty), I retreat to my private place for an hour or two of uninterrupted prayer and Bible study. After that I’m off and running. I hit the computer as early as possible and, with few exceptions, I practice the BIC (butt-in-chair) writing method until I knock off at four or five to make dinner.

MaryAnn: What projects do you have in the works? More novels? Any non-fiction?
Kathi: Oh, boy, I’ve got a list that would fill your blog for months! I’ll just hit some of the highlights. Fiction first: I have three series (one mystery, one “other worldly,” and one chick lit with a twist) in different stages of completion. I also have three nonfiction books, also in different stages. Of course, I have about a dozen others on my “future wish list” as well. I hope to be able to announce title and release dates on at least a couple of them very soon, but can’t quite do that yet.

MaryAnn: What advice would you give new fiction writers? Seasoned fiction writers?

Kathi: The market is getting tighter all the time—and that’s true for nonfiction, as well as fiction. Excellent writing and compelling stories are a must, but they’re not enough. Publishers today want a well thought out marketing plan. In fact, that needs to be about 1/3 of your proposal. This has been a real adjustment for me, as it wasn’t the case when I started writing/selling books. But it is now, and I just have to accept it and “get with the program,” so that would be my advice to beginning AND seasoned fiction writers: Do what you have to do to partner with your publisher in marketing your book, and let the publisher know your willingness and ability to do so when you submit your proposal.

MaryAnn: How do you view the role of fiction in building God's Kingdom?

Kathi: Jesus taught the masses in parables, so I see no reason for fiction authors to apologize for being “storytellers.” If that’s how we most effectively reach people with the gospel, then that’s what we should do. But we must also remember that God has called us to excellence, so let’s become the best fiction (or nonfiction) writers we can be, for we really are called to write ABOUT and FOR Him, not just ABOUT Him but FOR us.

MaryAnn: Last question. So often, I hear comments that Christians are out of touch with the culture. DO you have any suggestions as to how Christians who write can be more relevant in what they write without compromising or watering down the Gospel?

Kathi: This is a tough one because, in the past, CBA publishers have resisted what many of us consider to be “cutting edge” topics. But I believe that is changing, and I’m grateful for that. At the same time, however, it behooves us to take even the most questionable topic and treat it with tact, remembering that our words reflect the One we serve.

MaryAnn: Kathi, thank you so much for being with us today. We've been greatly blessed by your insights, your generosity, and your love. May our Lord grant you the deepest desires of your heart.

Kathi: Thank you, MaryAnn. And may the One who has called us to “write the vision and make it plain” greatly bless you and your readers as well.

MaryAnn: I encourage you to visit Kathi's website at www.kathimacias.com and to purchase her books. Her Matthews & Matthews detective series is outstanding.Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another "musing that matters."

Blessings,
MaryAnn
Copyright 2006 by MaryAnn L. Diorio, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
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