Advice on reinventing yourself from Kate White... who ought to know

HALLIE EPHRON: Kate White is smart. She's gorgeous and gutsy (no coincidence, she wrote The Gutsy Girl's Handbook.) She writes fabulous suspense novels while doling out brilliant career advice.

Once upon a time, Kate was editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine. And yesterday her eighth Bailey Weggins suspense novel hit the shelves.

I am  thrilled to welcome Kate White to Jungle Reds to talk about transforming yourself.
KATE WHITE: Almost seven years ago, I left my job as the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine (yes, I’m the woman who used to write those crazy Cosmo coverlines, like “Mattress Moves So Hot His Thighs Will Go Up in Flames”) to become a full-time author of mysteries and psychological thrillers.

By this point I’d been writing suspense on the side for ten years, and though my magazine career had been enormously rewarding, I found myself longing for the opportunity to step away from corporate life and give my all to being an author. So, if you’ll forgive the mixing of metaphors, one day I got my ducks in a row and pulled the trigger.

I’ve loved my new life. It’s been great to be out of heels (and a bra) every day, to be my own boss and create my own schedule, to spend chunks of a given morning in my neighborhood Le Pain Quotidien, dreamily scribbling ideas in a notebook.

Perhaps you’ve been stirred lately by the idea of reimagining your own life. You may be where you once wanted to be, but it doesn’t feel like a good fit anymore. Or perhaps a need for change has been foisted upon you.

Regardless of your reason, let me start by saying “Congratulations.” Because on the other side of restlessness, dissatisfaction, an unexpected necessity for change, or even failure is opportunity, newness, excitement, and, very possibly, a freaking fabulous adventure.

I wish I had concrete advice to offer. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure there aren’t any easy hacks for reinvention, like those for tidying up or looking slimmer in clothes. And though starting over can be wonderful, there are bound to be scary moments. Even if it’s your choice.

That was certainly true for me. In the beginning I wasn’t sure how my new career would unfold or what the next steps should be. It was unsettling.

But there was one thing that ended up helping me, and it might be useful to you, book lover. It sounds crazy, but I started approaching my reinvention as if I was reading a mystery or psychological thriller.

When you start a mystery, you accept the fact that for much of the journey, you’re going to be in the dark. The plot, if it’s a good one, is going to be twisty and unexpected, and though you may guess who the killer is, you won’t know for sure until the end. And that’s what you actually LOVE, right?

It pays, I think, to have the same attitude to your reinvention. Try viewing all the “What ifs” and unknowns as part of the excitement and fun rather than something to be afraid of. Embrace the mystery. Know it will take time and effort, but eventually answers will emerge.

Reinvention actually gives you the chance to be the spunky, clever sleuth of your own life, though hopefully without anyone being bludgeoned or stabbed. As Sherlock Holmes said, “Watson, the game’s afoot.” Set out, be bold, ask plenty of probing questions, and relish the amazing discovery process. 

HALLIE: And, by the way, SUCH A PERFECT WIFE, Kate's brand new suspense novel featuring true-crime writer Bailey Weggins, is literally hot off the presses. (I know you won't be surprised to learn that Bailey reinvented herself: a one-time writer for a major women's magazine turned true-crime journalist.) I'm in the middle of reading it now and all I can say is, don't start it if you have get up early the next morning...

Here's the tag line:

Blonde. Beautiful. A loving mother. And missing since Monday.

I know the Reds and so many of our readers have reinvented (or are reinventing) themselves. Please, share!  What WERE you and what ARE you? Are you still chasing red herrings, or have you found the transformation satisfying, like the outcome of a really good mystery?

About SUCH A PERFECT WIFE by Kate White

    On a sunny morning in late September, Shannon Blaine sets off for a jog along the rural roads near her home in Lake George, New York. It's her usual routine, her "me time" after dropping the kids off at school...except on this day she never returns.
   Is her husband lying when he says he as no clue where she is? Could Shannon have split on her own, overwhelmed by the pressures of her life? Or is she the victim of a sexual predator who had been prowling the area and snatched her before she knew what was happening?
    True-crime writer Bailey Weggins, on assignment for the website Crime Beat, heads north from New York City to report on the mysterious disappearance. An anonymous tip soon leads Bailey to a grisly, bone-chilling discovery. Every town has its secrets, Bailey reminds herself, and nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. She keeps digging for answers until--when it's almost too late--she undearths the terrifying truth.