Writing, regrets, and ambition after 70
A Q&A with K.R. Dodd on new possibilities and how her writing has changed.
This post has been added to the new [B]old Women section on my Substack. - Debbie
Old age is hard to imagine when you’re young, and by the time you’re officially “old,” it’s hard to articulate what it’s really like. The goal of this newsletter is to dive deep, even when it’s uncomfortable, and to talk about the things we often associate with old age: disability, disease, cognitive decline, and, of course, the hard stop of death. But I also want to talk about the things that come up much less frequently, like how hard it is to slow down, continuing to seek acceptance and approval, taking great pleasure in small things, and feeling called to creative endeavors.
And now for today’s Q&A with a [b]old woman
“I don’t feel like I have to prove myself anymore. If I compete at all, it’s with myself, striving to make my next novel or article better than the last.” -
Today I’m bringing you a Q&A with a [b]old woman writer. I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know this remarkable woman as much as I did.
is the author of crime and political thrillers, has done a variety of things throughout a long career, including teaching, coaching small business owners, and starting a catering company. She published her first crime thriller at 58. Like me, she makes her home in a tiny coastal village on what I call the opposite coast, Canada’s British Columbia. I live in Stonington, ME on the East coast of the U.S., in a small fishing village.I invited K.R. to do a Q&A because she is the kind of Substacker who comments and “likes” a lot (which I so appreciate, as do others) and because I loved the symmetry of our coastal villages. I also wondered what else we might have in common as writers and as women in our 70s. A fair amount, as it turns out. One difference is that K.R. is extremely courageous in the face of her current life circumstances. But like many of the older women writing on Substack (over 60 or 70 or 80), she is willing to experiment, to take risks, and to explore new topics, however difficult.
At 70, she is not done yet.
DW: You live in a small coastal village1 like I do. What is your life like?
KRD: I live in a tiny seaside village (population 1,500) in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by mountains. It’s a tight community, which I’ve always felt, but never more so than when my husband was diagnosed with a rare and inoperable cancer. I’ve never been a city girl but we wanted to be close to a city (Vancouver) for the culture, and yet live in a rural area. My front yard is Howe Sound that changes daily and is my grounding force. My backyard is the mountains. Living here, I’ve learned how connected we all are, and it’s certainly taught me to be a warmer, kinder person. As an only child of staunch British parents, I think I was meant to learn those lessons as an adult.
DW: You don’t say much about this in your newsletter, but your husband’s cancer diagnosis must be very challenging. And I know you are taking care of him and accompanying him for treatments. How is this impacting the rest of your life, and your writing?
KRD: You’re right. While I don’t keep it a secret on Substack, I know that so many others have similar issues (or worse) and I don’t want to bring others down. That’s probably not why they read my work. It’s challenging for sure, but we’re fortunate that at this moment, my husband has regular chemo treatments and other than crashing fatigue and a few visits to the ER, he’s holding his own. Now, juggling the care and walking of our 6-month-old white Golden Retriever is another story! I now know why mothers eat their young. Kidding! I love her even when I don’t 💗 🐾 .
DW: You’ve told me that K. stands for Karen. I’m curious; why do you call yourself K.R. in your writing and on Substack?
KRD: Haha! That’s so funny you would ask that. Here’s the skinny. Yes, my name is Karen but I’m building a new website at krdodd.com to showcase and sell my books directly to readers, rather than via Amazon and other online retailers. My thrillers are about international intrigue (think Dan Brown) and with my most recent one, Everybody Knows, I noticed a slight uptick in male readers. So, I thought hmmm, maybe it’s time to just go with my initials to appeal to both genders. It means a bit of rebranding on my current covers, but I’m doing that and we’ll see where it goes. Ultimately, I will be defined by my writing, not my name… I suspected you might not like this answer, given how proud you and I both are about our ages and the demographic we write to on Substack. But in the suspense/thriller realm I think it's still a thing (using initials). Thankfully, not as much as it once was, but it's still there. My name (and yours) tend to peg us for a certain age and at this moment in time, I'd like to be more gender and age neutral. There are a lot--probably the most we've ever had--of women thriller writers. And they are highly respected. But with a few exceptions, their readership (especially in the domestic suspense arena) tends to be almost all women. Because I write international intrigue and suspense, I want to put as few obstacles in the way of a reader picking up my book.
“I don’t feel like I have to prove myself anymore.”
DW: What does [b]old age mean to you?
KRD: For me, it’s staying true to how I look, feel, and show up in the world without thinking, “Is this age-appropriate?” At 70, I do feel [b]old! But when we’re getting beaten up by this awful disease called cancer, I also sometimes feel old. But it’s temporary, and it passes. I recover my equilibrium and then I move forward again. It’s a cycle, isn’t it? If we’re not moving, we’re dying, so I keep paddling. For me, that’s really where my tight support network of women comes in. We all go through so many challenges in life, often including divorce or widowhood, that I’ve really learned the power of the strength of those relationships.
DW: Has your writing life (the process, the topics) changed as you’ve moved into [b]old age?
KRD: One hundred percent yes! While I intend to keep writing thrillers, my age, combined with a move to Substack, has lit a fire under me to return to nonfiction. I love the freedom to write about being an author of a “certain age,” and the joys and challenges that brings. I can’t necessarily do that in my monthly newsletter for my readers, and I definitely can’t do it in my thrillers. Although, I’m certainly considering an older cast of characters in my current WIP. I’m finding it challenging to get my fourth thriller finished while I’m going through a difficult time personally. But yes, starting Words, Wisdom & Conversation on Substack has given me a much-needed outlet to write in a different way. It’s been a lovely distraction and I really enjoy writing for my subscribers and the connection I’ve fostered with them and fellow writers.
DW: Do you consider yourself ambitious?
KRD: In my 20s, 30s, and 40s, I was fiercely ambitious. I started in the corporate world very young and quickly realized that I was too entrepreneurial to stick that out for what was in those days, a pension and a gold watch. I was asked to write and teach communications/customer relations programs at B.C.I.T. (British Columbia Institute of Technology), which I did for 13 years. I started several businesses of my own, including coaching other small business owners, a personal insurance practice, and a catering company. I was always writing through those times—either articles on natural health or marketing and entrepreneurship. I loved that. Believe me, I can’t write a short story to save my life, but I can still knock out an 850-word article that needs very little editing. I wrote and published my first suspense novel in my late 50s, so I’d say that was the beginning of who I was to develop into by my 60s, and now my 70s.
Now, having just turned 70, I’m definitely less ambitious. Part of that has been out of necessity because of caring for my husband. I also don’t feel like I have to prove myself anymore. If I compete at all, it’s with myself, striving to make my next novel or article better than the last. I find such joy and fulfillment in my relationships with other women.
DW: What is your biggest regret when it comes to life or writing?
KRD: Not starting sooner. Looking in the rearview mirror, it’s stunningly obvious to me I should have been a writer. A journalist or an editor. Or an agent—anything to do with writing. But I may not have had the experience to tell the stories when I was in my younger years. Who knows? And like most people, I had to work to pay the bills. But I wish I’d been more self-directed in my early career choices rather than allowing myself to be pushed into things that others thought I’d be good at.
DW: Looking back, what’s one thing that you are especially proud of?
KRD: I’m proud to have financed the building of my first home myself, as a single woman back in the 80s. Having children would be an obvious point of pride, but as I didn’t do that, I’m very proud of my first book, Deadly Switch. Do you know how many people actually finish writing a book? I know you do; it’s not very many. And then to get it published, either traditionally or independently. I went the indie route because at 58, I thought I could either spend three to five years collecting rejection letters or spend that same time publishing three to five books. I chose the latter, but I recently wrote a Substack article about women writers being traditionally published in their 60s, 70s and even 80s. So, if a debut novelist wants to go the traditional route, I say go for it!
I’m also very proud of the Creative Coven that I brought together. It’s a kind of mastermind of six women authors who write in three different genres; some trad published, some indie and one who is hybrid. As I also wrote on Substack, we’ve seen each other through thick and thin. I believe we’re going into our sixth year together. Those women are my lifeblood.
DW: Do you journal?
KRD: I absolutely do! I always have (off and on) from the time I was a young girl. In fact, you asked about regrets. I really regret that I no longer have those diaries from the age of 10 and up. Besides writing my Morning Pages, I love the One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book that you introduced me to (thank you!). I wish I’d had that when I was on an eight-country tour in 2018. I obviously made some notes then, but that little book would have been invaluable. You think you’ll remember things, but I recently forgot I’d even visited the country of Oman. Yikes!
DW: I love your books. Why Italy as a setting? And do you have a model for Nicólo Moretti, your protagonist?
KRD: I set all three of my suspense novels in Italy; the last one, also in Malta. Every summer, our lawyer went to a little town in Calabria called Tropea. I became fascinated with his stories and photos and thought, what a cool setting for my first novel, Deadly Switch. The story starts in Vancouver, British Columbia and takes my protagonist to Tropea to solve a crime in which she herself becomes a target. While Calabria is beautiful, it still has a significant criminal underbelly, so it seemed perfect. The irony was that readers’ reviews said they could tell I’d lived there because they could taste, smell, and feel the town. In truth, I wasn’t able to go to Tropea until a year after the book came out! Since then, I’ve been to Italy five times to research my subsequent books. The closest (atypical) model for Nico would be actor Stanley Tucci. I greatly admire him--I love his culinary show Finding Italy--and I wanted Nico to not be the cliched Italian male
DW: What is your morning routine, and do you have a writing ritual to get started?
KRD: Well, God bless him, my husband still brings me a latte in bed at 6:15 a.m. and I spend the first hour of my day writing Morning Pages (Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way) and only after I’ve written three pages, will I check emails on my iPad and deal with anything else before I start my writing day. That includes walking our puppy, Gracie, as soon as day breaks. I usually write from 9 until about 1 p.m., have lunch and go for another walk. Sometimes, I’ll come back and do another stint of writing or switch to marketing stuff in the afternoon. The reality of being an indie author is that there is always the business side to contend with. But I like the balance.
To start writing I just put my butt in the chair, open my Scrivener project and write. Something; anything! Oh, and I have a second coffee.
Thank you
for the time and thought you put into these responses. I loved working with you! - DWA question for readers
If you like this Q&A format and/or if you have questions or comments for K.R., please tell us in the comments!
The population of Stonington, ME is about 1,000.
Such good practices for this "dog mom", no questions just a thank you...just what I needed to read!
Hello. I have just been having a clean-out of oldish emails and note that you asked about doing a Q&A with me. I would be delighted to do that if you wish. You can contact me directly at ar@annrichardson.co.uk.