Is reinvention a theme in all your novels?

Yes, though I have to admit my readers were the first to catch onto this. I tend to be so focused on the characters I’m creating that I don’t see the themes -- my version of not seeing the forest for the trees, I guess. But I kept getting emails from women saying that the characters in my novels had not only inspired them, but given them some great ideas for their own lives.

Now I realize it’s the common thread, that the characters in my novels are all looking for their own next chapters, and often there’s an entrepreneurial twist. Travel and cultural coaching and cooking in Seven Year Switch, buyouts and lavender and clotheslines in The Wildwater Walking Club, makeup in Summer Blowout, sea glass jewelry in Life’s a Beach, etc. There’s nothing rarefied about the lives of the women in my novels. They’re trying to find a creative way to make a living during these swiftly changing, crazy times – just like the rest of us! I think Wildwater also has a further message that even big changes happen one step at a time. (I’m sure a reader pointed that one out, too!)

What appeals to you about this theme?

Reinvention is the story of my life! So I think it just naturally found its way into my books.

After a lifetime of fear and procrastination, I wrote my first novel in my minivan outside my daughter's swim practice. It was published when I was 45, and at 50 I walked the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the movie adaptation of my second novel, Must Love Dogs. I'm now 54 and the bestselling author of six novels, with a seventh on the way. Midlife rocks! I love sharing my story, because I think it gives hope to so many women out there with buried dreams of their own. My advice: Dust them off and go for it!

What took you so long?

Ha! I wish I knew, but I’ve met so many other women coming into their own at midlife, that at least now I know I’m not alone! Hindsight 20/20, I guess I knew how to write, but not what to write. I had to live my life so I'd have something to write about, and if I could give my younger self some good advice, it would be not to beat myself up for the next couple of decades. Ironically, almost everything I did while I was procrastinating, from working at a radio station to teaching to having kids to walking the beach, has found its way into my novels. There was plenty of time -- and I think I’m enjoying it all so much more now knowing this is the career I almost didn’t have.

You’ve taught free reinvention workshops across the country. What’s that all about?

Well, as one of my characters says, karma is a boomerang. Teaching reinvention workshops for women, and posting reinvention advice at ClaireCook.com for those who can’t make it to one, has become my way of sharing what I've learned and giving back to my readers for supporting my books. Without them, my own reinvention ride wouldn’t be happening!

Besides reading your novels, what are the top five pieces of advice you would give to women contemplating their own reinventions?

1. Rise above the negativity. Whatever the motive, lots of people will tell you why you can’t or shouldn’t do whatever it is you want to do. You just have to decide to do it anyway. You might want to protect yourself a bit in the beginning, too. I didn’t tell anyone about my first novel until it was finished. You don’t need anyone’s permission – just do it!

2. Be who you really are. The big buzz word these days is branding, but I think of it as authenticity.  This is the first job I’ve ever had where I wasn’t pretending, or at least trying to pretend, to be a slightly different person. Who I am and what I write are totally in synch. There’s tremendous power in that!

3. Confound expectations. If everybody’s doing it, it’s already been done. Put a little surprise in everything you do. Originality counts!

4. Do something nice for someone. It’s easy to get needy when you’re struggling to figure out what’s next, but many of the great things that have happened to me (including a Today Show feature!) were triggered by something nice I did for someone else. People talk; your actions determine what they say. (See karma is a boomerang above!)

5. Make friends with the Internet. Learn everything you can about the world you want to conquer. Get your computer skills up to speed – fast! Research. Network. Create an online presence. The Internet is a great equalizer – and there are so many opportunities out there just waiting for you to take advantage of them!