INSATIABLE    Interview An Online Washington Post Interview with the Author of INSATIABLE Suspense writer Marne Davis Kellogg ranks along with authors Danielle Steele, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Judith Krantz. In her new novel, INSATIABLE, painter Jacqueline du Fidelio has fame, fortune and independence. However, she is loyal only to her butler and closest friend and holds a dark secret in her past. When it comes to romance, Jacqueline is drawn to the worst kind of men and leaves a path of death and destruction. Kellogg has also written the acclaimed mystery series, "Lilly Bennett." She is also the co-founder of The Kellogg Organization, a leading fund-raising firm in the nation. She has been educated in Paris, Rome and Denver. She was one of the country's top ten debutantes in 1965 and later a military airlift command flight attendant. The transcript follows. Marne Davis Kellogg: Hi. I'm delighted to be here today and be part of the washingtonpost.com author interview series. I'll know we'll have a good time! I'd love to hear your questions and will do my best to answer them. Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.: Hi Marne, I love Lilly Bennett. How much, if at all, does she resemble you in her behavior? And is your new book the start of a new series? Marne Davis Kellogg: I'm delighted you love Lilly Bennett and she is exactly like me with a couple of major exceptions. Her ranch is much bigger and she has much much more money. Other than that, since I've been on the Atkins diet, I might be thinner than she. Her behavior is a great deal like mine except I don't drink quite as much as she does. However, my husband Peter Kellogg is even cooler than Richard Jerome. It's hard for me to imagine INSATIABLE as a start of a new series. Although, I've been asked frequently during my book tour around the country if Nigel or Madam will make a comeback. I don't think so. I'm working on a new book now called BRILLIANT which is about a jewel thief. So I haven't made any decision about bringing back Nigel. Germantown Md.: Hi Marne, What inspired you to start writing suspense novels? And could you talk a bit about INSATIABLE? Thanks for so much reading enjoyment. Marne Davis Kellogg: I think people who write and I'm no exception have storytelling as part of our nature. Ever since I was a child, I have loved to tell stories and write stories. So at some point in everyone's life, you decide this is it and I'm going to jump off the cliff and write the novel. If you are really true to that desire to write. There are other people who talk about writing all the time but never really get it done. But those of us who have the real desire find the time and sit down and really write the book. I started writing fiction in 1991 and "Bad Manners" was published in 1995. And I've published a book a year since then. I've always loved mystery and I think when things start to get boring, it's always fun to throw in a murder or some sort of calamity. I also love puzzles. And like all mystery readers, I like to be able to try and figure things out. Mystery readers are smarter than any other kind of reader. Marne Davis Kellogg: INSATIABLE was a whole different step for me because I write in the first person. There are really two ways to write in the first person. One of them, as in the Lilly Bennett series, is that the main character is the one telling the story, center of the action; she makes things happen. In INSATIABLE, I needed somebody who could narrate the story and be present for all of the action. But really, just tell what was happening and not make anything happen himself. So, the idea of having the butler (Nigel) tell the story was the solution. And I was absolutely delighted with how he turned out. INSATIABLE is a very complicated book. It's fun to read but you need to pay attention. The Denver Post review said that I was the closest thing to Tom Wolfe since Tom Wolfe! Which is a huge compliment obviously, but what it means to me is that even though you are having a good time reading the book, you still have to pay attention. Absolutely nobody has been able to figure out INSATIABLE even though everybody you need to know, you met in the first 50 pages. A fan told me at a book signing a couple of weeks ago that INSATIABLE and the film "Sixth Sense" were the only things that she's never been able to figure out ahead of time. And that just made me feel terrific! Chantilly, Va.: Hi Marne, Where do you draw your plot ideas and characterizations from? Do you base characters on real people? Marne Davis Kellogg: First off, I do not base characters on real people. Even if I might think I'm going to, it never turns out that way. My plot ideas always come from real life. They come from the idea of the fact that there are people that appear to have everything. It's still never enough. No matter how much money, sex, private jets -- you name it, they still want more. And they want power over other people. And this world fascinates me because it absolutely exists. Perkiomenville, Penn.: Marne, I've read all the Lilly Bennett books and look forward to reading the new one. Now I wonder if you are already at work on a new book and what that will be about? Marne Davis Kellogg: My new book BRILLIANT is about a jewel thief who works in an international auction house in London. The possibilities for fraud and grand larceny in the auction business are virtually unlimited and delightful to contemplate. My heroine, Kick Keswick, is initially motivated by self protection but ultimately ends up seeking revenge. I think revenge is just as fascinating as fraud, poisoning, grand larceny --which incidentally are more generally used crimes by women. To pull off one of these crimes, which are extremely premeditated to do them properly, you have to be very patient and determined and keep your eye on the long range target. Elgin, Illinois: Hi Marne, I love your books. On average, how long does it take to finish writing one, from the time you get the idea to the finished manuscript? Marne Davis Kellogg: For my Lilly Bennett books, it takes about six months to do a complete book. And I love writing them. They are like eating a whole box of chocolate. My bigger books, INSATIABLE and BRILLIANT, have each taken about a year to write. The fun thing about writing a series is that all of the groundwork has been set and the main characters have been created. So just as when you read a series it is like going to visit good friends and relaxing into the comfort of their world even though a couple of murders have taken place, it's just as much fun to write those books. You get to go back to visit a place you enjoy just as much as your readers do. With the bigger books, everything has to be created from scratch. But one very fun thing I discovered writing INSATIABLE was the difference between Lilly Bennett and Nigel, the butler. Lilly is just like me in that we're both westerners, independent, forthright, straight ahead tough kinds of women. Nigel, on the other hand, is a complete hypochondriac spineless wreck. And I discovered in developing that character that I might have a few of those qualities myself, especially the hypochondriac part. Peppermint Beach, Calif.: How do you research the locale for the settings of your stories? Marne Davis Kellogg: With only one exception, I have visited all the locales extensively. The exception of course is Nepal. And I wouldn't go there for anything. I have spent weeks talking to people who visited and lived there. And I really admire people who can put aside their personal comfort for the sake of the adventure. You have to be very tough. The Nepal section of INSATIABLE is so accurate nobody can believe I haven't been there (except the people who know me). Sommerfield, N.J.: Hello Marne, I would like to write books someday. Can you give a beginning writer some advice? Did you write for your school paper, which is what I am doing now. Many thank yous! - Donna Marne Davis Kellogg: Donna, I am so happy that this is a goal in your life. And as a writer, you will find that writing comes naturally to you. The biggest advice that I can offer is to have the fullest possible life you can and as many experiences as you can pack into it. At some point, the stories will start to happen because you will have accomplished a number of exciting and interesting things and you'll have the background necessary to make the stories full and rich as a reflection of your life. Even though you know one of these days you're going to be an author, you need to think of all of the other things that you would like to do as well. Good luck and keep me posted! Vienna, Va.: Why did you decide to write such a horrible ending for Junior? Wasn't Madam put in a violent situation? Marne Davis Kellogg: There's a lot of violence in real life and in a lot of homes. Junior was an incredibly loathsome, dissipated and vulgar man. That he died in a vulgar way shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody. Washington, D.C.: Ms. Kellogg, You are one of my most favorite mystery writers and Lilly and her family are very real to me. Thank you. I was disappointed to see that your new novel was not a Lilly mystery but was that intrigued when I picked up INSATIABLE. Since I consider you an author to not only read but to "collect," I will purchase INSATIABLE. It looks like an intelligent "Jane Heller" who is another favorite but her books, unlike yours, read too quick. Thanks for not writing down to your audience. We truly appreciate it. Sincerely, Kimberly Marne Davis Kellogg: Kimberly, thank you very much for your kind words. The biggest reason I took a break from Lilly Bennett was because the five Lilly Bennett books covered only a year and a quarter in time. And nobody, even Lilly and Richard, can withstand that kind of scrutiny indefinitely. If I had continued with another Lilly Bennett, I would have to have made changes in scene and/or family. Those were changes I didn't want to make. So by giving Lilly a rest for a couple of years, I'll be able to go back and have let time pass so that we'll be able to meet her again and she will have had a whole bunch of new things happen. As soon as I finish BRILLIANT, I plan on writing another Lilly Bennett. I would never write down to my readers because you are all very sophisticated, savvy, and hip individuals. We all just want a great escape from reality and to have a good time. I'd much rather in my writing and reading worry about what to wear when my helicopter breaks down than what to do when my tire goes flat on the freeway in July. And I know you would too! Marne Davis Kellogg: Hopefully, you all have enjoyed INSATIABLE as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I'd love to hear from you through my website: www.marnedaviskellogg.com. Although you aren't obliged to read my books with a pitcher of martinis handy, it makes them even more fun.