We are delighted to welcome author Kathryn Rogers to Omnimystery News today.
Kathryn's new occult mystery thriller is Memphis Hoodoo Murders (Sartoris Literary Group; August 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the chance to catch up with her to talk more about the book.
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Omnimystery News: Tell us something about Memphis Hoodoo Murders that isn't mentioned in the synopsis.
Photo provided courtesy of
Kathryn Rogers
Kathryn Rogers: The idea for the book hit me like a lightning bolt at 5 AM in the summer of 2008. I was in a fishing boat with my husband on the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Brandon, Mississippi; he's the fisherman — not me, so I always have a book or two with me since I like to read while the boat rocks. It's a running joke that when we go fishing, I doze in the boat until at least 8 AM since I am certainly not the morning person in our relationship. However, this day was different, because I sat straight up in the boat and announced to him that I was going to write a book. He raised an eyebrow and said, "That's great. You should do that sometime," as he tried to figure out why his wife was alert at this ungodly hour. However, he didn't understand that I intended to start immediately. I grabbed a flashlight, a legal pad, and a pen and began writing in the dark, because the story was calling to me, and it was too loud to ignore. I had always wanted to write a book, but I had not received an idea I felt was worth reading until then. This was seven years ago, and I have been writing about that story and those characters ever since.
OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you included in the book?
KR: I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and have lived in the South for most of my life. So, I tried to keep the culture with the way people speak, things they do, foods they eat, places they go, etc. as accurate as possible. I was close to my grandparents who have passed on, but they are and will always be primary influences in my life. So, I have always had a soft spot for senior citizens, which is why two of the main characters and the humorous supporting character in Memphis Hoodoo Murders are elderly. When my grandmother died, I got a chocolate lab shortly thereafter, not unlike the lead character in the story. In graduate school I was required to tape pretend therapy sessions with family and friends; this was what inspired the entertaining college assignment the lead character is given in the story.
At first with writing, I think people write what they know, but as their stories evolve, they take on a life of their own. So, while I certainly meet interesting people who have qualities which make their way into my stories, none of my characters are real life people. And all of my characters have strengths as well as weaknesses, because I believe people are complicated and should be written as such. However, the part of writing I find most exciting is the opportunity to give my characters permission to do things I would never do, say things I would never say, and have experiences I would never have. I am not a big risk taker, so the freedom that fictional characters have to embrace scary experiences which I would avoid in real life is liberating to me. I do not think I would want to be a character in any of my stories. I prefer the experience of "putting myself in someone else's shoes" to see how they fit without the risk this would actually present in the real world.
OMN: You mentioned how the story originated. What was your writing process when you got back on dry land?
KR: I generally just let the story flow since I don't normally create the whole story in chronological order. Instead I typically get bits and pieces of the puzzle, and over time it becomes clear what order they should go in. At the beginning, I tend to see the beginning and ending though — it's the rest of it which comes to me in parts. I don't worry about the sequence of events — I just write it all down as best as I can. And then when I have enough pieces, the picture becomes clear.
By the time I get done with the story, I have a clearly defined idea of who the characters are and what their patterns of behavior will be. So, then I read back through to insure that their words and actions are consistent with who I now know them to be. If they are not, I either enhance their characterization to justify their behavior, or I adjust their actions to reflect their true selves. My characters grow and evolve as a result of their experiences in the story; I try to never limit any of my characters by putting them into a box.
OMN: Where did you most often find yourself writing?
KR: My writing environment is wherever the story hits me. If that's when I'm driving, I pull over and type what I am getting onto a notepad in my phone. If I'm at the grocery store, it goes on the back of my shopping list. Ideally, I write in a coffee shop or at home with a strong cup of coffee, good music playing, and no interruptions. However, most of the time I have to make it work wherever I am. If you make writing a priority, it will be. My life will never stop just because I have had a writing epiphany, so I just have to get it on paper as best as I can in the moment. I can always edit it later, but I can't edit what I didn't write down.
OMN: What are some of your outside interests?
KR: I love to drink coffee, listen to music, go to the movies, spend time reading, and enjoying family and friends. I am a licensed therapist, so I spend a lot of time helping clients improve their lives every week. I also spend time daily praying for wisdom and direction in my life with my words and actions.
OMN: Have any of these interests found their way into your book?
KR: I suppose so. Sometimes my characters drink coffee and listen to music although I imagine a lot of people do those things. There is one funny scene in Memphis Hoodoo Murders where some of the characters pretend to be in a marital therapy session; it's much more outrageous than anything I normally see in my line of work with counseling, but I'm sure my career influenced the kind of questions the lead character asks her "clients." In my book there are references to faith and the Bible, which are reflective of the Southern culture in the Bible Belt. The hoodoo references are related to history specific to the region, but of course hoodoo is not as commonly practiced now as it used to be. There is a lot of soul food and barbeque in this particular story, and since food is central to any event in my culture, and I love anything with barbeque sauce, I imagine those preferences played a role in the story as well.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
KR: Don't stop writing; the writers who make it are the ones who didn't give up. I am glad to say I am now confirmation of this advice.
OMN: And what might you say to aspiring writers?
KR: Respect your work enough to stay true to your characters and your vision for their lives. Listen to criticism, and rather than rejecting it, consider whether there is anything of value you could use to improve your story. You want your work to become as wonderful as possible; take any opportunity to improve it, and don't let personal feelings get in the way of bettering your book. Give yourself permission to focus on your inner voice and the readers who will be interested in what you have to write. Accept that no book is everyone's cup of tea; yours will be no exception to this.
OMN: Complete this sentence for us: "I am a novelist and thus I am also …".
KR: "I am a novelist and thus I spend a lot of time every week in a pretend world talking to imaginary characters … until my four year old runs by me stark naked, and I am reminded that I don't actually live in the hoodoo underworld and that I must retrieve him lest social services come after me directly."
OMN: How did Memphis Hoodoo Murders come to be titled?
KR: After I had written the initial draft of the story, I was tossing around different options for a title when a friend of mine, Kimberly Creekmore Witter, suggested Memphis Hoodoo Murders. I presented it, as well as some other options, to my editor, and he liked it, so it stuck. I think we made a good choice in selecting it. If I had chosen any other title besides Memphis Hoodoo Murders, I would have picked It's Not Paranoia If It's Real since that was part of the opening line of the book, and I thought it was rather catchy. However, since the story takes place in Memphis, hoodoo is discussed or referenced on almost every page, and people get murdered, Memphis Hoodoo Murders best encompassed the major elements of the book.
OMN: Tell us a little more about the book's cover.
KR: Renee Reedy is a talented photographer out of Columbus, Mississippi, and she is the one who took that picture. I found the props online and suggested some ideas for her to potentially stage some shots. However, she is the professional who brought my vision to life. She worked hard to provide me with multiple photos to pick from, and the editor and I both chose the picture which made the cover. The editor added the font, and I am so pleased with the final product.
OMN: What kind of feedback have you received from readers?
KR: The best feedback I receive is when readers tell me how much they are enjoying the story, admit they've been hooked, and say they can't put the story down. There is so much trouble in the world that I want the stories I write to be a fun escape from reality for everyone. If my readers take something meaningful or worthwhile from the reading, then that's an added bonus.
OMN: Let's talk about other forms of entertainment. When selecting a movie to watch, what do you look for?
KR: I enjoy watching anything entertaining. However, I tend to shy away from heavy films, scary horror movies, violent flicks, and stories where the dog and/or lead characters die. I can write about scary stuff all day long, but I'm a big chicken who doesn't like to actually watch it unfold on screen. I always cover my face or hide behind my popcorn whenever a character is about to be mauled or shot. This is probably because I'm generally very compassionate and sensitive to the pain of others. For example, I loved reading the Hunger Games series; I thought Suzanne Collins exemplified supreme characterization in the development of Katniss Everdeen. However, I had a hard time watching the movies on screen, because once I became a parent, the violence with the children bothered me in a way it did not before. Of course, it's supposed to bother us; it's wrong — that's the whole point. However, I think that because my day job can be a bit heavy that when I am away from it, it helps me to watch movies where things make sense, the story turns out well, and good triumphs over evil in the end. Because unfortunately, life does not always work out that well for people — no matter how good they may be or how hard they may try. I apply this philosophy to my writing and try to leave readers feeling like the story was a good investment of their time and where they feel satisfied when they are done yet still yearning to know more about the characters down the road.
OMN: What's next for you?
KR: I have a lot of writing I intend to do. I do not ever plan to stop. And on a personal level, I am currently expecting my second child, and my husband and I are thrilled about the pregnancy. I love being a parent — I think it's the most challenging and rewarding job in the world.
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Kathryn Rogers is a Memphis native with an affinity for local BBQ and blues rock-n-roll. As a licensed therapist, she holds her Masters in Counseling and Psychology, and as a licensed educator, she holds her Bachelors in Education. Her experience providing counseling services to the community prepared her to expound upon the psychological issues her characters wrestle with in her stories. She currently lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband, playful preschooler, and rambunctious Labrador Retrievers.
For more information about the author, please visit her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Memphis Hoodoo Murders by Kathryn Rogers
An Occult Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Sartoris Literary Group
Addie Jackson has witnessed people trying to kill her family her entire life, and now her grandparents' attackers are hunting her. The Memphis police are never able to catch these crooks since the cops have been bewitched to stay away. Her grandparents, Pop and Grandma, habitually lie to Addie, but she is attentive enough to overhear the secrets they keep from her. In her predictive dreams, Addie regularly sees future events which disturb her, but to her dismay, she has never been able to stop them from coming true. She often dreams of a dark character, who she is later shocked to discover is the Man, a devil from hoodoo legend.
Addie is disturbed to discover she is being stalked by a witch doctor named Hoodoo Helen. To make matters worse, the more secrets Addie uncovers, the more danger she finds. Addie presses Grandma for answers about the power behind the ring and pocket watch she often toys with, but Grandma remains tight-lipped. Knowing their deaths are imminent, Grandma makes a deal with the hoodoo devil to take care of Addie, and Addie is later horrified to discover that her beloved family has been murdered. John, a family friend, steps in to help Addie, and she soon realizes he knows more about her family's tainted past than she ever has. Addie begins receiving cryptic letters from her deceased grandmother, which reveal a shocking family history revolving around slavery, time travel, and magic.
If Addie can survive jail, her cousin's abduction, threats from a menacing gang, corrupt law enforcement, and hoodooed attacks, maybe she can finally dream of a future where she will be safe and free.
— Memphis Hoodoo Murders by Kathryn Rogers
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