Kris Calvin is the author of the thriller novel, ALL THAT FALL (April 13, 2021; Crooked Lane Books). She served for more than 20 years as the CEO of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and was honored for her leadership in advocacy for children by the California Legislature and Governor’s office. You can visit Kris online at kriscalvin.com.
Hi, Kris! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure. I’m a reader first. A writer second. A “child-health policy-advocate-economist-teacher” third. Oh, and a single mom of three. Maybe I should have put that first?
How is your 2021 going in comparison to that other year?
I lost my day job January 6th of this year, pandemic-related, at the nonprofit where I’d been CEO for years. Feels weird. I’ve always worked at least one job—the single parent thing—and have never been without a paycheck. But I’ve accepted my fate, and have declared myself a full-time thriller/mystery writer! Feels good so far.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
I read 2-3 fiction books a week, always have. Which puts me at roughly 5,000 books, lifetime tally. I can’t remember the first, or a book that made me want to write. But one that is on my mind a lot is A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. Super cool story about a member of the Russian aristocracy, the young Count Rostov, who after the revolution is sentenced to life in a luxury hotel in Moscow—if he steps outside he will be shot. The way Rostov copes, the characters he meets, the dramatic and thrilling aspects of the story are so good. I was a little unsettled to hear it’s soon to be a TV series. I hope the magic survives.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I had a difficult childhood. I’m not unique in that, but one way I dealt with it was to keep a tight rein on my imagination, since otherwise scary things might have bubbled to the surface. I also doubled down on using my analytical side, studying economics and policy. But reading as many novels as I did, a lot of it in crime fiction, mystery and thriller genres, an idea for a mystery occurred to me that I just couldn’t shake. I started writing it down, no outline, just telling the story to get it out of my head. After three months I had a manuscript. I thought I’d done a pretty good job on it. But when a friend told me to send it to a developmental editor, her verdict was “it was terrible.” She said while I wrote clearly from my years as an advocate and analyst, my characters only “saw things”—they didn’t hear, smell or touch them. I went back to the drawing board, attended a few writing conferences, read a few books on writing, and after a year had what turned out to be a real book. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with writing. Now I need it. Every day. I’m all in.
Your debut novel, All That Fall, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
48-hour, twisty, heart-filled, thriller!
What can readers expect?
At age 32, Emma Lawson is the youngest government ethics investigator in California’s capital of Sacramento. She’s addicted to her job, but takes a rare day off to help her best friend, Kate, open a preschool. Things take a shocking turn when the governor’s 3-year-old daughter is kidnapped from the school, and Kate’s 15-year- old son goes missing the same day. Emma has 48 hours to find them before a killer implements his diabolical plans to upend California’s government. Readers should expect a fast pace, a diverse cast of characters, intrigue and suspense, all in the name of enjoying a high-stakes adventure. There is violence, fictional adults may be injured or die, even beloved ones. It is a thriller, after all! But the violence is brief and not particularly graphic, and (spoiler alert), while a fictional child may be in jeapordy, no child is killed or abused. I think the book is appropriate for ages 14 to 104. Maybe 105.
Where did the inspiration for All That Fall come from?
My youngest son had his cell phone stolen while he was at summer camp. The weird things that followed inspired me to begin writing All That Fall, centered on a teen named Luke who had the same experience with his cell phone. But several drafts in, I cut the cell phone angle entirely, though I might use it in Emma Book 2, which is why I remain vague about it here.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Years spent at an ergonomically incorrect laptop set-up means I have neck pain with any use of a keyboard/typing. So I dictate, which is an imperfect method of getting words on a page. But I’ve gotten used to it, including allowing more time for revisions since Siri does things like writes “errors” instead of “Eros,” inserting an unexpected plot twist.
If it’s not too spoilery, were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I’m enjoying getting to know Emma, the protagonist. This is her series. She’s been without parents since age 11, raised by a grandmother ill-suited for the role. At 32, Emma has no children, and, with big-time abandonment issues, is distrustful of all relationships. Kind of the opposite of me. I had my first two kids with my college sweetheart, and then after a divorce had my third, out of wedlock. I’ve been raising kids nearly all my adult life. And I’m always opening the door to love, with varying success. It’s fun writing a woman who takes another path, where independence makes her feel safe, and is, therefore, her primary goal.
What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
My first book came out with a kickstarter-type publisher, Inkshares, Inc. The goal was to get enough pre-orders by putting the work up on their site to cover the cost of publication. I was one of their first books, and it was a good experience on a small scale. Now I have an agent and am working with a New York publisher on a two-book contract. All That Fall, available now, is Emma #1, and Under A Broken Sky, Emma #2, will come out in 2022. I accepted a first-look exclusive deal on these books that made me very happy, so I didn’t have to shop the manuscript around or wait for a response. My experiences with indie versus traditional publishing haven’t been as different as I thought they would be. I know I’m fortunate that I’ve only ever written two manuscripts and both were published. But I also think that’s the beauty of being a writer now.
If you’ve created something you like, don’t wait around for a gatekeeper to give you permission to share it! If it doesn’t get picked up fairly quickly by an agent and publisher, you can do it yourself, and then write the next book.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Best advice? I took a workshop from Lee Child of Jack Reacher fame. I’m paraphrasing, but he advised that if someone tells you to change something in your manuscript, perhaps an editor or a fellow writer you shared it with, be open-minded. If it resonates with you, make the change. If it does not, leave your work as is. Don’t ever assume someone knows better than you about your writing. Worst advice? That’s hard. Most has been worth listening to, so long as I follow the Lee Child rule and make my own decisions. One early reader of All That Fall told me cops don’t take yoga classes, and that I should cut that from the story. I can’t prove it, but that seemed like bad advice. I didn’t do it.
What’s next for you?
UNDER A BROKEN SKY, Emma Lawson Thriller Series Book #2. I’m writing it as we speak—as soon as we’re done here, I’m back on it. It’s due to the publisher in August of this year. Yikes!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I just finished Sarah M. Chen’s novella, Cleaning Up Finn, about a restaurant manager who parties hard and loses a woman he seduced. As in physically loses her, “Where is she?” Chaos ensues. It has a noir feel, and is both intelligent and entertaining.
