Caitlin Rother shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Caitlin, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
I love this question, because my days are never “normal,” meaning they vary depending on where I am in the publication cycle of a book, and whether I am on a deadline. How I spend my days largely depends on whether I’m doing research, writing or editing a book; preparing for a podcast or TV/radio interview (which often involves re-reading one of my own books before going on camera); coordinating a book tour; updating my website; posting on social media; or doing the actual book tour, which means giving frequent presentations at bookstores, libraries, or to community groups. I have worked for myself, largely at home, since I quit a full-time job with health benefits and a 401K at The San Diego Union-Tribune, where I worked for 13 years as an investigative reporter until 2006. Since then, I’ve written more than 18 books. Of those, 15 have been published, and the others are either under contract, awaiting publication, or are under submission. Today, I’m actually in between books, which is a very weird feeling, as I try to figure out what to work on next, so I’m researching ideas online, in between sending and receiving emails as I set up the next phase of my book tour for my new thriller series, which launches with HOOKED on February 1, 2026. It’s all very exciting when new books come out, but now that I’m writing fiction instead of true crime, most of the rest of the time I’m sitting at my computer, writing or editing, with occasional trips around the block to work out a plot problem. I always make time to work out and swim at the gym or take a longer walk around the neighborhood, swimming in the ocean when it’s warm enough. When I’m not on a book tour, my life is pretty quiet most of the time, which I like, after working for many years in noisy newsrooms. But it’s always good to get out to talk to readers and get feedback on my work, which involves so much isolation. I also play keyboards and sing in a jazzy, bluesy trio with my partner, and we rehearse once a week, so that is an important part of keeping a healthy work-play balance.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Caitlin Rother, a New York Times bestselling author of 16 books. I have written mostly about true murder cases since my first book, POISONED LOVE, about the Kristin Rossum case, came out in 2005. After writing almost a dozen true crime books, I decided to take a break from nonfiction to write crime fiction, which was my original dream many years ago. I’m thrilled to announce that my next book, HOOKED, will launch my new “Katrina & Goode” thriller series on February 1, 2026, followed by STAGED, the sequel, on June 16. I’ve written two more sequels, which are under submission right now, so we’ll see what happens next. Before I published any books, I was an investigative reporter at The San Diego Union-Tribune, and before that worked at the LA Daily News, the LA Times, and two smaller papers in Western Massachusetts. After I quit the news business in 2006 to try my hand at writing books full-time, I taught journalism, narrative nonfiction, creative writing workshops and interviewing at UCSD Extension and San Diego Writers Ink. Today, I find that I can help aspiring authors more with one-on-one coaching, which I do in between books and book tours. The journalism and publishing industries have both changed in many ways since I finished graduate school at the Medill School of Journalism in 1987, so I’m constantly having to evolve, reinvent myself, and find new ways to stay relevant and maintain an audience. But I can’t see myself going back to work for The Man. I enjoy deciding for myself what I want to write about, and how to spend my day the way I want, taking breaks when I want and not being at an editor’s beck and call, which was tough going and stressful when I was a reporter. My chosen path as an artist has its own stresses — it comes with scads of rejection and financial uncertainty — so I’ve had to develop a tough skin and a LOT of resilience. There’s really no other job like it. I’m entirely self-sufficient and as my own boss, I always feel there’s more to do. But books are my passion and as they say, follow your bliss. There’s nothing like holding a newly published book in my hand and getting it into the hands of readers.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and talk to the little girl who had no idea what she would become, or wanted to become. I wish I had had the self-confidence and the faith in the things that people told me about myself — that I could do and achieve whatever I wanted to do. I wish I could go back and whisper to her that I would go much farther than I ever dreamed, that I would reach my goals and then some (once I knew what they were), and that I would never stop trying. But at the time, I didn’t know any of that. Looking back, I did give myself a strong foundation by reading a zillion library books. But other than that, I felt like I was kind of aimless, because I was working so hard at dealing with what was right in front of me, and just trying to survive, that I couldn’t really figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I just kept experimenting and plodding forward. When I first discovered journalism in my last year of college at UC Berkeley, I realized I was good at it, but I wasn’t willing to do the work and make the sacrifices, which at that time meant going to a small town in the middle of nowhere and working yourself up the ladder. Eventually, that’s exactly what I did, and as I did, I started writing a mystery novel. Finally, I had a goal, a dream. I wanted to publish a novel more than anything. So, I realize now that all that book reading I did as a child, teenager and student, really wasn’t aimless at all.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
More times than I can count. Just this week I got some unwelcome work-related news, which came with great disappointment and sadness. I gave myself a day or two to dwell in the emotions of that, then got back up and tried to figure out what to do next. For a journalist and author, this is and has always been a crucial survival skill. I’ve been kicked to the curb one way or another a zillion times over the last 40 years, but I’ve always gotten up. Due to the nature of my job as a writer, I spend a great deal of time typing at a desk, so sometimes those struggles come with physical pain, which can last for weeks, months or even years. But I’ve learned how to work smarter and do the exercises, stretching, and most importantly, resting, so, yes, here I am, still at it. You’ve just got to learn what you need to do to keep moving forward. Because what else am I going to do?
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
My brand as an author is that I am not just a storyteller, but I’m also a truthteller. At times, that has come with a cost, to stay strong and take the hits that some people want to throw at me, especially in the current political environment. So, after so many years of enduring that, I’ve decided to take a break from writing nonfiction to write thrillers. No one, hopefully, is going to get angry with me for writing a novel. I still feel it’s important to tell the truth, I’m just going to do it a little more artfully.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
People, usually women, often tell me that they find me and my life’s work inspirational. I hope that will never change. In fact, I can only hope that people say it even more after I’m gone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://caitlinrother.com
- Instagram: the_real_caitlin_rother
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/caitlin-rother-8992455
- Twitter: https://x.com/CaitlinRother
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caitlinrother/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfaP1P5I3g5FRqNLuNuhTNg
Image Credits
Geza Keller (first one), Richard Malcolm (last two)
