Rob Holden: Natalie R. Collins, welcome to ReadersRoom.com! It's a pleasure to ... hey! Haven't we met before?
Natalie R. Collins: Why, yes, it seems that we have. Usually, I am not the interviewee here.
Rob Holden: Well, you are NOT here because you are my partner at ReadersRoom.com -- you ARE here because you have a new book out – Behind Closed Doors! So -- tell us a bit about it!
Natalie R. Collins: Behind Closed Doors is the story of Jannie Fox, a twenty-something Mormon woman who is tilting at windmills so to speak. She is fighting for other women--their very lives--and yet is not living hers. Trauma in her past has caused her to close off and become less than real. But all this changes when her childhood friend, Melissa, goes missing. In looking for her, Jannie is forced to face demons from her past and deal with them, even though she'd rather wrestle with rattlesnakes. And she learns that the life she thought was ideal, Melissa's life, was not what she'd thought. Hence, no one knows what goes on Behind Closed Doors.
Rob Holden: There are a few things going on in the novel that I would like to talk about, but let's start with Jannie herself. She really is a rather complex character who seems to have spent her life mostly living for others while losing herself. Can you tell us a bit about where she came from?
Natalie R. Collins: Well, Jannie is one of those characters who told me her story, and I had to listen. She is a rape victim and that scars her terribly. She has also been born into a society that praises virtue above all, and a former Mormon prophet even claimed it would be better to have died than to have lost your virtue. In the face of that, it's just easier for Jannie to hide, and yet she wants to make sure that what happened to her won't happen to anyone else. Hence, she fights for others, but has forgotten how to live herself.
Rob Holden: The character that I think I found most fascinating in the novel was Brian Williams. Could you tell us a bit about his evolution?
Natalie R. Collins: Brian is Jannie's former fiancee, and his life has always been a little complicated, because he feels like an outsider. While Jannie's family, and Mike and Melissa's families, all have long legacies of being "born in the church" Mormons, he is a convert. And that has always bothered him. He has spent a lot of his life trying to make up for it, and wanted to do that by having the perfect wife, the perfect job, the perfect Mormon life. He's not happy that Jannie
walked away from him, and did not become his eternal companion. And he can't let that go.
Rob Holden: As with your previous novel, Wives and Sisters, this novel takes a very close look at some of the less savory aspects of Mormonism. With your background, do you find this difficult to write about?
Natalie R. Collins: Actually, I find it endlessly fascinating, and of course the clichéd cathartic. But it really is. There is so much going on in the history of this patriarchal religion, with it's very violent past, that I just never run out of things to write about. And the deeper I delve, the more fascinating it seems. Most of all, I think it's interesting that I get hate-mail, when all one has to do is pick up the newspaper to see that there are good Mormons, and bad Mormons, just like every other group of human beings.
Rob Holden: Which brings me (perfectly I might add), to my next question. While you write about some of the bad things people do as a result of their flawed interpretation of LDS doctrine you never actually attack the Church itself, in effect walking a fine line. Do you find this difficult, and is it something you need to be constantly aware of while writing?
Natalie R. Collins: Not really. I never set out to write about the Mormon Church itself, although certainly doctrines are discussed. This is about the people LIVING in this very interesting culture. It always has been. So it's not hard to keep it about the people, and I think that's what I'm doing. Of course, certain doctrines and the way they affect lives are going to come out in doing this. Like the teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, which had great impact on rape victims. You think once you've lost your virtue, that's it. And if you didn't die trying to protect it, or at least fight, there is so much guilt. Jannie is dealing with that, and she suffers from a phobia as a result of all that happened to her. She can no longer go into a Mormon Church without having a severe panic attack. She has hidden this from her parents for years, and it all comes out with Melissa's disappearance. But Jannie's phobia is a result of the teachings. And I think sometimes people, even people who are "talking to God," don't realize the impact they are going to have.
Rob Holden: Let's skip back a book, to Wives and Sisters -- currently out in paperback. Can you tell us a bit about that novel?
Natalie R. Collins: Wives and Sisters is the story of Allison Jensen. A traumatic childhood comes back to haunt her when she discovers a conspiracy that goes to the very core of her life. A conspiracy that protects an abuser and leaves many victims in its wake. Alli is determined to fight for justice, and against her tyrannical fanatical father, so that she and her brothers and sisters can have a normal life. Unfortunately, after the trauma they suffer, it's questionable if that will ever be possible.
Rob Holden: In both novels, you feature young women who find a kind of inner strength when they need it -- based on terrible circumstances. Is this theme drawn from personal experience?
Natalie R. Collins: Well, of course I am drawing on personal experience to a certain extent. Wives and Sisters, in particular, is loosely based on my life, but let me say very loosely. The things that happen there represent various things that happened to me as a child. And growing up, too. In many ways, Allison is me. But it's very, very fictionalized. I'm no James Frey, although I did have a few agents suggest that I write a memoir, when I was marketing W&S. I wouldn't do it, though. It's fiction.
Rob Holden: Now Behind Closed Doors came out directly in paperback with a much larger print run than the hardcover of Wives and Sisters. This seems to be a growing trend in the publishing industry these days. How did you feel about it?
Natalie R. Collins: Well, while I am happy to have had a book in hardback, Wives and Sisters, it's very hard to sell, especially as an unknown author. I was lucky enough to get the support of my publisher and a big distributor, and when W&S went to the paperback printing, it was a substantial print run. At this time, my publisher realized that I had more potential in paperback, then in hardback. If I ever hit the New York Times list, maybe we'll talk about hardback again but who knows. It doesn't bother me at all, because I am getting to readers where I never could have before, at least not as well as I am now.
Rob Holden: It is now time time to discuss your split personality – and discuss Natalie M. Roberts, who ALSO has a book due out! Can you tell us a bit about her -- and it?
Natalie R. Collins: Ah, yes, let me put on that other hat....
Natalie R. Collins: My first book with Berkley Prime Crime, Tutu Deadly, comes out in April. Jenny T. Partridge is a dance teacher in Ogden, Utah, who is barely scraping by every day as she teaches young prima -- and not-so-prima--ballerinas to dance. Jenny is a fun, eccentric, crazy character, and this series is a cozy mystery. Very different from my books for St. Martin's--er, Natalie R. Collins's books. I have a lot of fuel for the fire, so to speak, because my youngest is a dancer, and she takes ballet three days a week, dances on a jazz/hip hop/lyrical competitive team twice a week, and does solos. She also performed in Ballet West's The Nutcracker this year. So I see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. I also work for the dance teacher, and run the dance store. So this is a world that I am familiar with. And some pretty wacky stuff happens in it. I love writing this series. It's very fun.
Rob Holden: The world of deep deadly secrets that Ms. Collins writes about and the world of phycho dance moms that Ms. Roberts writes about are extremely different. Is it tough for you to make the switch?
Natalie R. Collins: Actually, yes, it was at first. And it still takes me a bit of time in between to the make the switch. Because they are so very, very different. And yet it is so refreshing, too. So even though it's sometimes hard, it's also very energizing.
Rob Holden: So -- two books out inside of three months ... dare I ask what's coming next?
Natalie R. Collins: In October I have two books coming out as well. The second Jenny T. Partridge book, Tapped Out, comes out from Berkley. And Twisted Sister, a sequel to my very, very first book, SisterWife, comes out from Five Star.
Rob Holden: So basically, that is four books out in one year! Tired yet?
Natalie R. Collins: Yes. Actually, I am. But loving every minute of it. I'm currently working on revisions for my next St. Martin's book, A Wife's Secret, and the proposal for the next Jenny book. And of course working to promote Behind Closed Doors.
Rob Holden: How is that going -- the promotion, I mean? Are you doing interviews, booksignings, etc?
Natalie R. Collins: I actually was interviewed for Romantic Times. That was cool. I have an in-studio radio interview on Thursday. 97.1 zht in Utah, if you are in Utah--www.971zht.com if you
want to listen on the Internet. And I am currently setting up booksignings. And a friend just called me to tell me she bought my book today at Costco.
Rob Holden: And to keep up with everything that is going, your readers can find you where on the internet?
Natalie R. Collins: Of course, my Web site, www.nataliercollins.com.
Rob Holden: And on top of ALL this, you are rapidly becoming the Queen of the Blogs! Aside from ReadersRoom, where can people find them?
Natalie R. Collins: www.murdershewrites.com, my group blog with four other suspense authors. And my personal blog, www.nataliercollins.com/weblog, which is called Trapped by the Mormons.
Rob Holden: Anything ELSE we need to know about? I am exhausted just reading about all you are doing!
Natalie R. Collins: No, I think that's probably enough.
Rob Holden: Okay then -- before we wrap up, is there anything you would like to say to your fans who might read this chat at ReadersRoom.com?
Natalie R. Collins: The only reason I have a chance to do this, is because of you. I am very, very grateful for your support, I love hearing from you, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy my writing.
Rob Holden: Natalie and ... er ... Natalie, thanks for being with us here today, and all the best with all your books! See you in a few hours when we get ReadersRoom out!
Natalie R. Collins: Thanks for having me! And see you soon.
Natalie R. Collins: Why, yes, it seems that we have. Usually, I am not the interviewee here.
Rob Holden: Well, you are NOT here because you are my partner at ReadersRoom.com -- you ARE here because you have a new book out – Behind Closed Doors! So -- tell us a bit about it!
Natalie R. Collins: Behind Closed Doors is the story of Jannie Fox, a twenty-something Mormon woman who is tilting at windmills so to speak. She is fighting for other women--their very lives--and yet is not living hers. Trauma in her past has caused her to close off and become less than real. But all this changes when her childhood friend, Melissa, goes missing. In looking for her, Jannie is forced to face demons from her past and deal with them, even though she'd rather wrestle with rattlesnakes. And she learns that the life she thought was ideal, Melissa's life, was not what she'd thought. Hence, no one knows what goes on Behind Closed Doors.
Rob Holden: There are a few things going on in the novel that I would like to talk about, but let's start with Jannie herself. She really is a rather complex character who seems to have spent her life mostly living for others while losing herself. Can you tell us a bit about where she came from?
Natalie R. Collins: Well, Jannie is one of those characters who told me her story, and I had to listen. She is a rape victim and that scars her terribly. She has also been born into a society that praises virtue above all, and a former Mormon prophet even claimed it would be better to have died than to have lost your virtue. In the face of that, it's just easier for Jannie to hide, and yet she wants to make sure that what happened to her won't happen to anyone else. Hence, she fights for others, but has forgotten how to live herself.
Rob Holden: The character that I think I found most fascinating in the novel was Brian Williams. Could you tell us a bit about his evolution?
Natalie R. Collins: Brian is Jannie's former fiancee, and his life has always been a little complicated, because he feels like an outsider. While Jannie's family, and Mike and Melissa's families, all have long legacies of being "born in the church" Mormons, he is a convert. And that has always bothered him. He has spent a lot of his life trying to make up for it, and wanted to do that by having the perfect wife, the perfect job, the perfect Mormon life. He's not happy that Jannie
walked away from him, and did not become his eternal companion. And he can't let that go.
Rob Holden: As with your previous novel, Wives and Sisters, this novel takes a very close look at some of the less savory aspects of Mormonism. With your background, do you find this difficult to write about?
Natalie R. Collins: Actually, I find it endlessly fascinating, and of course the clichéd cathartic. But it really is. There is so much going on in the history of this patriarchal religion, with it's very violent past, that I just never run out of things to write about. And the deeper I delve, the more fascinating it seems. Most of all, I think it's interesting that I get hate-mail, when all one has to do is pick up the newspaper to see that there are good Mormons, and bad Mormons, just like every other group of human beings.
Rob Holden: Which brings me (perfectly I might add), to my next question. While you write about some of the bad things people do as a result of their flawed interpretation of LDS doctrine you never actually attack the Church itself, in effect walking a fine line. Do you find this difficult, and is it something you need to be constantly aware of while writing?
Natalie R. Collins: Not really. I never set out to write about the Mormon Church itself, although certainly doctrines are discussed. This is about the people LIVING in this very interesting culture. It always has been. So it's not hard to keep it about the people, and I think that's what I'm doing. Of course, certain doctrines and the way they affect lives are going to come out in doing this. Like the teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, which had great impact on rape victims. You think once you've lost your virtue, that's it. And if you didn't die trying to protect it, or at least fight, there is so much guilt. Jannie is dealing with that, and she suffers from a phobia as a result of all that happened to her. She can no longer go into a Mormon Church without having a severe panic attack. She has hidden this from her parents for years, and it all comes out with Melissa's disappearance. But Jannie's phobia is a result of the teachings. And I think sometimes people, even people who are "talking to God," don't realize the impact they are going to have.
Rob Holden: Let's skip back a book, to Wives and Sisters -- currently out in paperback. Can you tell us a bit about that novel?
Natalie R. Collins: Wives and Sisters is the story of Allison Jensen. A traumatic childhood comes back to haunt her when she discovers a conspiracy that goes to the very core of her life. A conspiracy that protects an abuser and leaves many victims in its wake. Alli is determined to fight for justice, and against her tyrannical fanatical father, so that she and her brothers and sisters can have a normal life. Unfortunately, after the trauma they suffer, it's questionable if that will ever be possible.
Rob Holden: In both novels, you feature young women who find a kind of inner strength when they need it -- based on terrible circumstances. Is this theme drawn from personal experience?
Natalie R. Collins: Well, of course I am drawing on personal experience to a certain extent. Wives and Sisters, in particular, is loosely based on my life, but let me say very loosely. The things that happen there represent various things that happened to me as a child. And growing up, too. In many ways, Allison is me. But it's very, very fictionalized. I'm no James Frey, although I did have a few agents suggest that I write a memoir, when I was marketing W&S. I wouldn't do it, though. It's fiction.
Rob Holden: Now Behind Closed Doors came out directly in paperback with a much larger print run than the hardcover of Wives and Sisters. This seems to be a growing trend in the publishing industry these days. How did you feel about it?
Natalie R. Collins: Well, while I am happy to have had a book in hardback, Wives and Sisters, it's very hard to sell, especially as an unknown author. I was lucky enough to get the support of my publisher and a big distributor, and when W&S went to the paperback printing, it was a substantial print run. At this time, my publisher realized that I had more potential in paperback, then in hardback. If I ever hit the New York Times list, maybe we'll talk about hardback again but who knows. It doesn't bother me at all, because I am getting to readers where I never could have before, at least not as well as I am now.
Rob Holden: It is now time time to discuss your split personality – and discuss Natalie M. Roberts, who ALSO has a book due out! Can you tell us a bit about her -- and it?
Natalie R. Collins: Ah, yes, let me put on that other hat....
Natalie R. Collins: My first book with Berkley Prime Crime, Tutu Deadly, comes out in April. Jenny T. Partridge is a dance teacher in Ogden, Utah, who is barely scraping by every day as she teaches young prima -- and not-so-prima--ballerinas to dance. Jenny is a fun, eccentric, crazy character, and this series is a cozy mystery. Very different from my books for St. Martin's--er, Natalie R. Collins's books. I have a lot of fuel for the fire, so to speak, because my youngest is a dancer, and she takes ballet three days a week, dances on a jazz/hip hop/lyrical competitive team twice a week, and does solos. She also performed in Ballet West's The Nutcracker this year. So I see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. I also work for the dance teacher, and run the dance store. So this is a world that I am familiar with. And some pretty wacky stuff happens in it. I love writing this series. It's very fun.
Rob Holden: The world of deep deadly secrets that Ms. Collins writes about and the world of phycho dance moms that Ms. Roberts writes about are extremely different. Is it tough for you to make the switch?
Natalie R. Collins: Actually, yes, it was at first. And it still takes me a bit of time in between to the make the switch. Because they are so very, very different. And yet it is so refreshing, too. So even though it's sometimes hard, it's also very energizing.
Rob Holden: So -- two books out inside of three months ... dare I ask what's coming next?
Natalie R. Collins: In October I have two books coming out as well. The second Jenny T. Partridge book, Tapped Out, comes out from Berkley. And Twisted Sister, a sequel to my very, very first book, SisterWife, comes out from Five Star.
Rob Holden: So basically, that is four books out in one year! Tired yet?
Natalie R. Collins: Yes. Actually, I am. But loving every minute of it. I'm currently working on revisions for my next St. Martin's book, A Wife's Secret, and the proposal for the next Jenny book. And of course working to promote Behind Closed Doors.
Rob Holden: How is that going -- the promotion, I mean? Are you doing interviews, booksignings, etc?
Natalie R. Collins: I actually was interviewed for Romantic Times. That was cool. I have an in-studio radio interview on Thursday. 97.1 zht in Utah, if you are in Utah--www.971zht.com if you
want to listen on the Internet. And I am currently setting up booksignings. And a friend just called me to tell me she bought my book today at Costco.
Rob Holden: And to keep up with everything that is going, your readers can find you where on the internet?
Natalie R. Collins: Of course, my Web site, www.nataliercollins.com.
Rob Holden: And on top of ALL this, you are rapidly becoming the Queen of the Blogs! Aside from ReadersRoom, where can people find them?
Natalie R. Collins: www.murdershewrites.com, my group blog with four other suspense authors. And my personal blog, www.nataliercollins.com/weblog, which is called Trapped by the Mormons.
Rob Holden: Anything ELSE we need to know about? I am exhausted just reading about all you are doing!
Natalie R. Collins: No, I think that's probably enough.
Rob Holden: Okay then -- before we wrap up, is there anything you would like to say to your fans who might read this chat at ReadersRoom.com?
Natalie R. Collins: The only reason I have a chance to do this, is because of you. I am very, very grateful for your support, I love hearing from you, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy my writing.
Rob Holden: Natalie and ... er ... Natalie, thanks for being with us here today, and all the best with all your books! See you in a few hours when we get ReadersRoom out!
Natalie R. Collins: Thanks for having me! And see you soon.
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