Meet Kathleen Reid

My second novel, A Page Out of Life, revolves around the powerful exchange of ideas that happens when a group of women get together. I drew upon a wealth of experience in this area thanks to my mother, three sisters, two daughters and good friends. I’m always seeking their opinions on my characters, plot lines or something mundane like ‘How do I find cute clothes for my twelve year old that she’ll actually wear?’ However, you won’t find me talking about the great dinners I prepare. My cooking or lack thereof has provided these same women endless hours of jokes at my expense—the story about how I cooked a turkey upside down has been told no less than a million times.

Courtesy of
Julie Lavin Fine
Art, LLC

I live in Richmond, Virginia, and having spent five years as a guide for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, I developed a real love of fine art. One of my favorite paintings is by Mary Cassatt and features, of course, a mother and her daughter. In wanting to teach children about fine art in a fun and creative way, I wrote a story about a rooster and hen that magically come to life in a museum. This idea turned into my first children’s book called Magical Mondays At the Art Museum—a book that was enthusiastically endorsed by the former First Lady of Virginia. The project was great fun and I met so many terrific young kids around the state of Virginia who wanted to know how they could find their own magic.

The success of my children’s book gave me the courage to pursue my dream of publishing a novel. After nearly a decade as the Marketing Director for a financial company, I had published articles on financial planning, hazardous waste cleanup, healthcare and tort reform for National Trial Lawyer and Waste Age Magazine. I also wrote for Southern Living and Richmond Surroundings. Although I knew how to write non-fiction, it was a long process learning the skills necessary for a fiction novel. I spent years taking courses and attending writers’ conferences in order to learn more about the craft. My hard work finally paid off when I received an award at a writer’s conference given by the National League of American Pen Women.

Soon after, I landed an agent and a contract for my first book, Paris Match—the story of a mother’s search for her runaway adopted daughter. This book was endorsed by best-selling author Adriana Trigiani and nominated for a Library of Virginia Literary Award. My main character, Lauren Wright, appears to be a suburban housewife, but she’s really a gifted painter who studied in Paris. There are numerous references to contemporary art and painting style based on my years at the Virginia Museum.

Scrapbooking is also an art form, which is why it was a natural choice for the theme of my second novel. I interviewed numerous women for the project who shared their passion with me. The idea of capturing life’s precious moments on individual pages of an album fascinated me. Now, thanks to this novel, I really try hard not to forget my camera so that I can always remember those important moments in life.