I understand that there are two more Bailey Weggins books in the pipeline? I'm eagerly awaiting book six in the series.

The sixth Bailey Weggins book is with my publisher but will probably not come out until after my next thriller, which is almost done. I am just mulling over ideas for another Bailey now.

Lake Warren, the heroine of Hush, is 11 years older than Bailey Weggins. Are they similar?

They are pretty different in most respects. Bailey is irreverent, flip, spunky. Lake is cerebral, somewhat introverted. But in the end she's pretty spunky in her own way because she must figure out who the killer is and confront that person--to save her own life.

Your books have wonderful, intricate plots. I assume you're a "plotter" and not a "pantser."

You made me laugh out loud with that question. Yes, I plot. I keep a notebook for each book and I always know who will die and why. I just find that helps me lay down both clues and red herrings throughout the book, which readers seem to like. That said, things often occur to me as I'm writing, which I know is true for most writers. It's such a fun, magical experience. I was writing a chapter of my new thriller lately and realized, "Oh no, he's gonna die!"

As a psychologist, I've often recommended your non-fiction titles to my clients. Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do, Nine Secrets of Women Who Get Everything and more recently, You on Top. Any more non-fiction titles in the works?

I feel I've learned a lot in my jobs, often the hard way, and I love giving career guidance to younger women. I am working on another career book now; it focuses on getting control of your time.

I read somewhere that "Go big, or go home" is your mantra. Care to comment?

I heard someone young on my staff say that a few years ago and I loved it and made it my new mantra. It means that as long as you're going to invest the time, invest as much energy and excitement as possible.

Mary Kennedy is a clinical psychologist in private practice and the author of The Talk Radio Mysteries. She lives on the east coast with her husband and eight neurotic cats. The cats have resisted all her efforts to psychoanalyze them, but she remains optimistic.