Today on The Premise, Jeniffer and Chad Thompson welcome bestselling author Caitlin Rother back to the podcast to celebrate the release of Staged, the highly anticipated second installment in her Katrina and Goode thriller series.

Picking up immediately after the events of Hooked, Staged dives deeper into corruption, suspicious deaths, investigative journalism, and the growing tension between reporter Katrina Sullivan and detective Ken Goode.

Caitlin discusses her transition from award-winning investigative reporter to thriller writer, how real-life corruption cases inspire her fiction, the importance of journalistic ethics, and what readers can expect from future books in the series.

In This Episode

• Why Staged can be enjoyed as a standalone novel despite being Book 2
• The challenge of balancing action and backstory in thriller writing
• How modern publishing relies heavily on reader reviews, sales, and data
• Caitlin's experience writing Books 3 and 4 before publication decisions are finalized
• The fascinating true story behind her bestselling memoir My Life Deleted
• Why even accomplished authors continue learning through workshops, webinars, and beta readers
• How experts—including prosecutors, detectives, and therapists—help ensure realism in her novels
• The real-world science behind genetic genealogy and DNA databases
• The influence of the Golden State Killer Investigation on the series
• San Diego legends, including the famous "Munchkin Houses" of La Jolla
• The ethical dilemma at the heart of Katrina and Goode's relationship
• Journalism ethics: why reporters don't date sources or assist investigations
• Lessons from Caitlin's years covering government, crime, and corruption
• The real San Diego political scandal known as "Strippergate" and how it inspired elements of the series
• Why corruption is often harder to write than readers might expect
• Hints about the escalating stakes in Books 3 and 4