Kaira Rouda is a USA Today best selling author as well as a successful entrepreneur who is a marketing and branding expert. Kaira launched the first female branded real estate company, Real Living, which she has since sold, and has won numerous awards including Entrepreneur Magazines Fifty Fastest Growing Women -Led Businesses and was named one of Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Business to follow on Twitter.
Her first book, Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs provides insights on how to discover your brand and bring it to market as a business. Her other books are novels that have won several USA Book awards and Reader’s Choice awards among others. Kaira also happens to be a good friend and neighbor whom I’ve enjoyed getting to know the last couple of years.
I was surprised to find out that Kaira’s favorite way to write is on her treadmill! She walks and writes, with her sweet puppy Tucker by her side. It’s actually quite genius…
I was also impressed that while doing all of this, that she is the mother of four grown children and wife to businessman Harley Rouda, who also happens to be running for Congress in our district. This is a family that goes for it!
She has just launched her latest book, Best Day Ever , and it is a darker, domestic suspense and deception novel in the vein of Gone Girl. It is about what happens behind the closed doors of seemingly perfect lives. So apropos for these times, right?
When did you start writing, and why?
I’ve been writing since I was a child. I knew in third grade what I wanted to be when I grew up and I’ve been doing it all my life. It took me until 2011 to publish my first novel, though. I think the ability to have confidence in yourself and your talents, to go for your true dream, hits people at different stages. I’m so glad I am living the life of my dreams and enjoying the career I always wanted.
How did you find a publisher, and was that process difficult?
Ah, the publishing process. It’s so fun today because there are so many options. Fun, and scary, and still quite frustrating. The publisher of BEST DAY EVER, my latest domestic suspense novel, is Graydon House, a new imprint of HarperCollins. It has been the best experience working with them. I pinch myself and know I’m lucky. Up until this point, my novels have been small press and self-published. I enjoy that, too, but must admit the reach of a traditional publisher is very nice. The first step in the process is finding an agent and sometimes, that can be the toughest part. But I tell everybody the secret: Don’t give up. If you do, you’re guaranteed never to find a publisher. Oh, and the step before that one: Finish writing your book.
What type of books do you write, and how many have you written?
I write contemporary fiction. I like to write stories about what happens behind closed doors of seemingly perfect lives. My novels span the genres of women’s fiction (Here, Home, Hope; The Goodbye Year; and In the Mirror), romance (The Indigo Island Series and the Laguna Beach Series) and psychological/domestic suspense (Best Day Ever; All the Difference). I’ve written five novels, and two romance series so far. And, I have a short story, too, that is close to my heart. It’s called A Mother’s Day.
What’s your discipline for writing/ what is a typical work day like?
I am not a morning person. So I reserve the morning for working out, marketing activities and other business. The afternoon and evening are for writing. I must admit, though, I don’t have a strict schedule.
Have you ever had writers block, and what do you do for it?
Yes, of course. The best cure is stepping away from the computer and getting some sunshine. Another great way to avoid it is to meet your deadlines, either self-imposed or the ones from your publisher.
How long does it take you on average to write a book?
That is a tough one. But the real answer is that each novel embodies a lifetime of experiences. So, a lifetime. And for a direct answer, each novel is a different flow and process based on a number of factors. BEST DAY EVER flowed quickly which was a really fun process.
How did you come up with story for Best Day Ever?
Paul, the first-person narrator of the novel, popped into my head one day fully formed and demanded to tell his story. So I obliged.
You now have a book to film agent with CAA. When Best Day Ever is made into a movie, who do you imagine would be perfect to play the leads?
I’m just so excited that CAA is behind the book. To be honest, I’m terrible at imagining particular actors but I will say the male lead needs to be someone we all trust, a guy who has played the good guy but who’s willing to go a little darker (a lot darker). As for the female lead, she needs to exude quiet confidence. Like Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies.
What authors inspire you?
So many I could go on and on, but speaking of Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite contemporary writer, as is B.A. Paris and Susan Isaacs. Classic loves include Flannery O’Conner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Walker Percy, Shirley Jackson, Edgar Alan Poe, Eudora Welty. Southern Literature holds a special place in my heart.
What are your top three books of all time?
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. (And as a writing guide: On Writing by Eudora Welty)
You also wrote a book for female entrepreneurs. What is your best tip for women starting a business?
Yes, ironically, I never dreamed of publishing a business book, but based on my experience marketing to women and building national consumer brands, I wrote REAL YOU INCORPORATED: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs. The book is filled with tips for women entrepreneurs, of course, including an 8-step process to put your real you into your business. My best tip: start now. Don’t put off putting your passion into action.
You are married with 4 children. Can you tell us about your family? How do you juggle it all?
I believe balance is something you just move through. The perfect life is the perfect illusion but you can have it all when you are the one who is defining what it is you want. It’s up to you to create the life of your dreams.
Your husband, Harley Rouda is a successful businessman who recently decided to run for Congress. Can you tell us about Harley and why you think he would be a great Representative?
Harley will make a great congressman because he’s honest, smart, thoughtful and cares about making where we live, California’s 48th District, and the world a better place. He believes in common sense for common ground. He isn’t in it because of ego, or for self-serving purposes. Harley knows we all need to be the change we want to see in this world. I’m so proud for taking this on and stepping up.
You have a lot on your plate. What do you do for yourself to get away from it all and recharge?
My favorite thing is to go on vacation with my four kids. Those moments are getting fewer, the times when we can all get away at the same time, so I suppose I treasure the time even more. I’m so proud of my kids and the young adults they’ve become. I love the holidays for just this reason.
All of us moms and working women are always looking for advice on how not to put too much on our plate and overload ourselves. Do you have any advice for those of us who can’t say no, or do too much?
Women are community builders, we always have been, so it’s a common problem for all of us. There’s work, and then family, and then community obligations. But if you’ve said yes too often, you need to step back and ask yourself why you’re overcommitting. Is it fear of missing out or is it something you really care about. Commit to those things that make your heart sing, that are important to your kids, and let go of the rest. We only have so much energy to devote to others each day. It’s so important, especially for moms, to remember the number one thing all kids want: A happy mom. If you’re stressed, taxed and overwhelmed, you’re not just letting yourself down. Taking care of you first isn’t selfish, it’s critical.
