What happens when a career spent helping tell other people’s stories eventually inspires you to tell your own?

In Episode 15 of Beyond the Page, I sit down with award-winning author Kay A. Oliver for a conversation about her journey from nearly three decades working behind the scenes in Hollywood to becoming a prolific novelist.

Today, Kay has written 18 novels, but becoming an author wasn’t necessarily where she expected her career to lead.

From Hollywood to the Written Page

Kay’s years in the entertainment industry gave her a unique perspective on storytelling. During our conversation, we talk about what working in Hollywood taught her about creativity, collaboration, and the work that happens behind the scenes to bring stories to life.

Eventually, however, Kay found herself moving from helping create other people’s projects to developing stories of her own.

That transition led to an entirely new chapter in her creative life.

Writing Strong Female Characters

One of the recurring themes in Kay’s work is her desire to create strong, intelligent female protagonists with depth and complexity.

We talk about where those characters come from, the importance of allowing women to have multiple layers on the page, and how Kay’s own experiences have influenced the kinds of stories she wants to tell.

Her growing catalog includes the Kutter Murder Mystery series and Fear Struck, a mystery that showcases the kind of character driven storytelling she has developed throughout her career.

Finding the Right Creative Process

Kay and I discuss her approach to writing, how her process has evolved across 18 books, and some of the lessons she’s learned along the way.

We also get into something that can make an enormous difference for any writer: finding the right editor.

Writing may begin as a solitary process, but bringing a book to its final form often means finding people who understand what you’re trying to accomplish without taking away the qualities that make the story yours.

Creativity in the Age of AI

What role should AI have in creative work? What happens to originality when technology can generate content almost instantly? And what remains uniquely human about storytelling?

For someone who has experienced major changes in both Hollywood and publishing, Kay brings an interesting perspective to the conversation about where creativity may be headed next.

Reinventing Yourself

Perhaps the part of Kay’s story that stayed with me most wasn’t simply that she left Hollywood and became an author.

It’s that she kept going.

Eighteen novels later, Kay’s career is a reminder that our creative lives don’t have to follow a straight line. Experience from one chapter of our lives can unexpectedly become the beginning for another.

In Beyond the Page #15, Kay A. Oliver and I talk about writing, Hollywood, resilience, strong female characters, AI, creativity, and what it means to continue following your own path.

🎙️ Listen to Beyond the Page #15: From Hollywood to Novelist with Kay A. Oliver wherever you get your podcasts.