>>>
>>> DURAN
>>> DURAN DURAN ENCOURAGED OUR NEXT GUEST.
NEXT GUEST. IN 6TH GRADE SHE WROTE A NOVEL
ABOUT THE GROUP.
FROM THEN ON KATHERINE SKINNER
WAS HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF.
HER LATEST BOOK IS HOW TO WALK
AWAY.
AWAY.
AWAY. ONE
AWAY. ONE OF HER OTHER NOVELS IS
ABOUT TO BECOME A MOVIE.
WELCOME.
WELCOME.
WELCOME. I GET ASKED THIS QUESTION ABOUT
AS MUCH AS OTHER POPULAR
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. THAT IS I HAVE A BOOK IN ME.
HOW DO I GET A BOOK WRITTEN?
YOU DON'T GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE
AND BECOME A NOVELIST.
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. YOU HAVE TO SUFFER FOR A LONG
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> READING WAS THE THING THAT
YOU LOVED THE MOST.
THAT NATURALLY LEAD TO YOU
WANTING TO WRITE.
READING IS IN YOUR BLOOD.
>> STARTING WITH THAT NOVEL
THAT I WROTE AND CAST MYSELF AS
THE MAIN CHARACTER.
IN THIS HORRIBLE BOOK, WHICH I
WROTE AT 12, WHICH MY SISTER
HAD INSTRUCTIONS TO BURN.
I FILLED A WHOLE NOTEBOOK.
THAT IS NOT NOTHING.
IT IS A TERRIBLE STORY.
BUT I FOUND IT GRIPPING.
I WAS IN IT.
IN MY DURAN DURAN NOVEL ALL
FIVE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP FELL
IN LOVE WITH ME.
IT WAS THE GREATEST NOVEL EVER
WRITTEN.
WRITTEN.
WRITTEN. >> ON A SIDE NOTE, WHAT IS COOL
ABOUT THAT IS THAT IS WHY
WRITING CAN BE THERAPEUTIC.
YOU CAN CREATE HOPE FOR
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF. WHEN YOU ARE FEELING REALLY
HOPELESS AND I WAS SUPER
AWKWARD IN 6TH GRADE.
JUST HAVING SOMETHING TO LOOK
FORWARD TO.
FORWARD TO. THIS IMAGINARY WORLD WHERE
THESE WORLD FAMOUS ROCKERS WERE
IN LOVE WITH ME.
THEY COULD SEE ME INNER,
WHATEVER IT WAS I HAD TO OFFER.
THEY COULD SEE SOMETHING.
IT WAS INSPIRING TO ME.
IT HELPED ME GET THROUGH THE
MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS.
>> YOUR UNCLE HAD A BOOKSTORE.
>> YES, IN HOUSTON FOR 25
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. IT
YEARS. IT WAS USED RARE OUT-OF-PRINT
BOOKS.
BOOKS.
BOOKS. IT
BOOKS. IT WAS IN ON OLD HOUSE ON
BISSONNET.
BISSONNET. HE FIXED IT UP.
HE BOUGHT IT AND FILLED WITH
BOOK SHELVES IN THE ROOMS.
HE PUT SECRET PASSAGEWAYS WHERE
YOU COULD PRESS ON A BOOK SHELF
AND IT WOULD OPEN TO ANOTHER
PART OF THE STORE.
>> THE BOOKS ARE RARE.
YOU ARE A FIFTH GENERATION
TEXAN.
TEXAN.
TEXAN. >>
TEXAN. >> MY MOM'S FARMER CAME FROM
GERMANY WHEN GALVESTON WAS THE
ELLIS ISLAND FOR HOUSTON.
>> YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A
WRITER.
WRITER.
WRITER. YOU MAJORED IN CREATIVE
WRITING.
WRITING.
WRITING. ANY SECOND THOUGHTS WHEN YOU
DID THAT?
DID THAT?
DID THAT? YOU WENT TO GRAD SCHOOL AT U OF
H, CREATING WRITING PROGRAM.
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE
EASIER THAN IT WAS.
I THOUGHT I'LL BE A WRITER.
LIKE THAT IS JUST A JOB YOU CAN
PICK.
PICK.
PICK. IT
PICK. IT IS DECIDING TO WANT TO BE A
WRITER IS LIKE DECIDING TO WANT
TO WIN THE LOTTERY.
YOU HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH A LOT
OF HOOPS.
OF HOOPS.
OF HOOPS. YOU HAVE TO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE
TO BELIEVE IN YOU.
YOU HAVE TO TRY FOR A LONG TIME
AND GET REJECTED.
>> THAT'S THE TOUGHEST PART.
TODAY, I THINK IT IS EASIER TO
GET A BOOK WRITTEN AND
PUBLISHED TODAY THAN EVER
BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT
WAYS OF DOING IT.
HOWEVER, THEN YOU HAVE TO SELL
IT.
IT.
IT. YOU
IT. YOU HAVE TO HOPE SOMEBODY LOOKS
AT IT AND SAYS WE'LL HELP YOU
WITH THE SELLING PORTION.
>> YOU THINK WHEN YOU GET A
BOOK PUBLISHED, THAT THAT'S
YOUR HAPPY ENDING.
>> EVEN IF EVERY RELATIVE IN
YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY BUYS YOUR
BOOK, IT IS NOT GOING TO BE
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH. >> I WOULD SENT MY STORIES TO
THE NEW YORKER.
I WOULD GET REJECTED.
THEN I WOULD DECIDE I DON'T
LIKE BEING REJECTED.
THIS IS NOT FUN.
MAYBE I SHOULD FIND A BETTER
JOB.
JOB.
JOB. >>
JOB. >> YOU SAID ONE DAY YOU TRIED
TO QUIT.
TO QUIT.
TO QUIT. >> FOR YEARS OVER AND OVER AND
OVER.
OVER.
OVER. I
OVER. I WOULD BE LIKE I'M DONE.
I'M OUT.
I'M OUT.
I'M OUT. I QUIT FOREVER.
THEN TWO WEEKS LATER I WOULD
GET ANOTHER IDEA FOR A STORY
AND I WOULD START UP AGAIN.
>> THE GREAT POINT IS YOU PUT
IT IN ITS PLACE.
IT IS YOUR PASSION.
YOU DO YOUR PASSION WHETHER THE
END GAME IS THERE OR NOT.
>> I AGREE.
YOU HAVE TO TEACH YOURSELF THAT
IT IS NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT THE
PRODUCT.
PRODUCT.
PRODUCT. IT IS MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS.
IF IT IS JOYFUL AND NOURISHING
FOR YOU TO WRITE STORIES --
WHICH IS FOR ME -- THEN IT IS
WORTH IT.
WORTH IT.
WORTH IT. >> YOU GET IDEAS FROM EVERYONE
WHERE.
WHERE.
WHERE. YOUR SISTER DARED YOU TO WRITE
A FUNNY NOVEL ABOUT PARENTHOOD.
AFTER YOUR DAUGHTER WAS BORN
YOU NEVER WROTE FOR A YEAR.
>> I CARRIED THE BABY AND WROTE
NOTHING.
NOTHING.
NOTHING. >> THE BRIGHT SIDE OF DISASTER
WAS MY FIRST NOVEL.
IT IS ABOUT A WOMAN WHO HAS A
BABY.
BABY.
BABY. I
BABY. I KNEW A LOT AT THAT POINT.
SIX WEEKS IS FAST FOR A NOVEL.
I WAS NERVOUS.
I HAD NEVER WRITTEN ANYTHING
LONGER THAN SHORT STORY.
I PUT IT IN THE LARGEST FONT TO
BUILD UP PAGES QUICK.
I MADE THE MARGINS HUGE.
ONCE I STARTED WRITING, IT WAS
LIKE THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN
YOU ARE READING A NOVEL THAT
YOU ARE HOOKED ON AND YOU
SHOULD GO TO BED BUT YOU DON'T
WANT TO GO TO BED, YOU WANT TO
KEEP READING.
KEEP READING. >> THAT WAS 50 SHADES OF GRAY
FOR ME.
FOR ME.
FOR ME. I
FOR ME. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF BUYING
THE FIRST ONE AND NOT THE OTHER
TWO.
TWO.
TWO. I
TWO. I THOUGHT I'M NOT GOING TO GET
HOOKED.
HOOKED.
HOOKED. I
HOOKED. I SHOWED UP AT BARNES AND NOBLE
AND NEEDED THE OTHER TWO
VERSIONS.
VERSIONS.
VERSIONS. IF YOU JUST START READING AND
IT IS GOOD, YOU'LL GET HOOKED
INTO IT.
INTO IT.
INTO IT. YOUR NEW BOOK IS THE FIRST TO
REACH THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST
SELLERS LIST.
SELLERS LIST. >> I HAVE BEEN WRITING OVER A
DECADE.
DECADE.
DECADE. THIS IS THE FIRST ONE TO
PUBLISH.
PUBLISH.
PUBLISH. >> HOW DID YOU FIND OUT?
>> I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM MY
TEAM AT THE PUBLISHING HOUSE.
THEY SENT ME A BOTTLE OF
CHAMPAGNE.
CHAMPAGNE. WE WENT TO GALVESTON AND RAISED
A TOAST TO EVERY SINGLE HUMAN
BEING ON THE PLANET TO BE
GRATEFUL.
GRATEFUL.
GRATEFUL. >> HOW TO WALK AWAY.
WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?
>> IT IS ABOUT A WOMAN IN A
PLANE CRASH ON THE DAY THAT SHE
GETS ENGAGED.
GETS ENGAGED. THAT IS A SPOILER BUT IT
HAPPENS IN THE FIRST CHAPTER.
IT BLOWS HER LIFE APART.
THEN THE WHOLE REST OF THE BOOK
IS HOW SHE PUTS HER LIFE BACK
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. SHE HAS TO REDEFINE EVERYTHING
THAT MATTERS TO HER.
SHE HAS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
MAKES LIFE WORTH LIVING.
THAT'S THE KIND OF BOOK I
WRITE.
WRITE.
WRITE. WE
WRITE. WE CALL THEM BITTERSWEET
COMEDIES.
COMEDIES.
COMEDIES. PEOPLE HAVE TO STRUGGLE WITH
HARD THINGS IN THE BOOKS THAT I
WRITE ALWAYS.
WRITE ALWAYS. BUT THEY DO IT BY CRACKING A
LOT OF JOKES.
I HAVE COMEDY AND HEART BREAK
NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
THAT'S HOW LIFE REALLY IS.
WE USE COMEDY TO SOOTHE ALL THE
HARDSHIP IN LIFE.
>> PEOPLE CAN RIDE ALONG WITH
THE CHARACTER IN THE BOOK WITH
SITUATIONS THEY MAY HAVE DEALT
WITH.
WITH.
WITH. THAT MAKES IS IT A BONDING
EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOOK.
IS THIS BECOMING A MOVIE?
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. IT
>> NO. IT IS CALLED THE LOST HUSBAND.
IT WAS MY FOURTH NOVEL.
IT IS SET IN TEXAS IN THE HILL
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. IT IS ABOUT A WOMAN WHO
ACCIDENTALLY WINDS UP BECOMING
A GOAT FARMER.
SHE HAD SOME SUFFERING SHE HAS
TO GET THROUGH.
>> WHO YOU LIKE TO PLAY THE
GOAT FARMER?
GOAT FARMER? >> I AM NOT PICKY.
I'M TAKE ANYBODY CUTE.
>> ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT YOU
IS THAT YOU LOVE YOUR CRAFT SO
MUCH IS THAT YOU ENCOURAGE KIDS
TO READ AND WRITE.
YOU KEEP STRUGGLING WRITERS TO
KEEP WRITING.
KEEP WRITING. YOU MAY GET TO THE NEW YORK
TIMES BEST SELLER LIST.
IT MAY HAPPEN.
YOU NEVER KNOW.
ALL KATHERINE'S BOOKS ARE
AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND
ONLINE INCLUDING HER BEST-
SELLER, HOW TO WALK AWAY.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD DO THAT
MOVE INDUSTRY.
MOVE INDUSTRY. >>> COMING UP, A FILM WITH
TEXAS TIES.
TEXAS TIES. I SIT DOWN WITH THE PRODUCER OF