Author Interview: Kimberly Lee on Creativity, the Unexpected, and Her Thriller "Have You Seen Him"

Sunday greetings, Creatives!

Today I’m thrilled to welcome novelist Kimberly Lee to the blog to talk all things creative!

Kimberly is the author of Have You Seen Him, a suspenseful thriller that begins with an unforgettable question: what would you do if you spotted your own face in a missing child ad?

When I reviewed the book last week, I explored how it captures the creativity in the unexpected—taking something as ordinary as junk mail and transforming it into the spark of a full-blown mystery. That blend of the everyday and the extraordinary is at the heart of the creative life, no matter what art form we pursue.

In this conversation, Kimberly shares insights about the inspiration behind her story, the process of writing and publishing, and the role creativity plays in her work.

At the end of the post, I'll share more about Kimberly, where you can find her online, and how to purchase your own copy of Have You Seen Him.

Whether you’re a writer, a poet, or simply curious about the writing life, I think you’ll find her answers inspiring and encouraging.

Let's dive in!

---

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: On Creativity, the Unexpected, and Lee's thriller, Have You Seen Him

Kaecey: Kimberly, thank you so much for joining us today! I’m so excited to share your work with my readers. Let’s start at the beginning—Have You Seen Him has such a striking premise. Where did the initial idea come from, and what inspired you to develop it into a full novel?

Kimberly: Soon after we meet the book’s main character, David, he’s sifting through his mail and sees the missing child ad with his own face. The inspiration for the book is a scenario kind of similar to that—I was sorting my mail and saw an ad for a child who went missing when he was 10. The computer-progressed image showed him at 40 years old. I thought about how this boy’s family had been searching for over three decades and had never given up hope. The faces haunted me. I tore it out and carried it around in my bag for a while, then sat down to write a story.

"I thought about how this boy’s family had been searching for over three decades and had never given up hope. The faces haunted me. I tore it out and carried it around in my bag for a while, then sat down to write a story."

Kaecey: That’s such a powerful starting point—and I love how you carried that real-life spark into fiction. Once you had that spark, how did you build the story? Did the plot and characters unfold as you expected, or did surprises come along the way?

Kimberly: I wrote the opening chapters and knew how I wanted it to end, but I wasn’t sure how to get there. I decided to go ahead and write those final scenes. Doing that gave me a glimpse of how I’d feel when the book was complete, and it motivated me to get the characters from Point A to Point Z. Sometimes I imagined them standing in a semi-circle, swaying lightly back and forth, waiting for their next move. I’d start writing and let the story go where it wanted to. As Robert Frost says, “No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”

Kaecey: I like how you describe the characters almost waiting for their turn—that’s such a good metaphor for much of the writing process, including allowing room for observation. In your book, an ordinary piece of junk mail opens the door to an extraordinary mystery. How do you approach noticing and using those everyday details as creative inspiration?

Kimberly: A magnet on my refrigerator reads “Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel.” If I see or hear something—an interesting visual, a tiny detail—that stays with me long after it occurred, I jot it down. When someone irritates me, I take the behavior, change the context a bit, and give it to a character. I use observations about myself as well, adding thoughts and experiences of my own. As writers, our observations, frustrations, and memorable moments become source material, enriching both character and plot, making them original and distinct.

"As writers, our observations, frustrations, and memorable moments become source material, enriching both character and plot, making them original and distinct."

Kaecey: I love how you describe pulling from both observation and personal experience—that really resonates with many writers. Let’s shift gears to process: every book takes a different path from idea to completion. What was your writing process like while working on Have You Seen Him? Did you follow a set routine, write in bursts, or find your own rhythm?

Kimberly: I began this story when one of my sons was five and off to kindergarten. I completed it when he was fifteen, and then took more time to revise it, workshop it, and have it professionally edited. He’s now a junior in college! I had many starts and stops, and went a few years without working on it at all.

The underlying themes of belonging and knowing the truth always brought me back to it. One reader said she had to know why the main character was missing, and as a writer, so did I. I had to finish the story. A fair amount of the chapters were written behind the wheel of my car while waiting for my kids at activities and lessons. Sometimes the words flowed more easily in that environment than during designated writing times at my desk.

Kaecey: Hearing how the book developed alongside your family life really emphasizes how writing often weaves itself into the rhythms of everyday living. But every project comes with its own hurdles, too. What was the hardest part of writing this book, and what did you learn about yourself as a writer during the adventure?

Kimberly: I felt the story called for a high-energy chase, but I hadn’t written one before. I really wanted my words to paint a detailed picture that readers could visualize and feel invested in. I chose to place the scene aboard the Queen Mary, a historic ship permanently docked in Long Beach, California. I’d toured the ship several times before, but before writing the chapter I went on a Julia Cameron-inspired “artist’s date” to visit it again. I dined at the restaurant, saw the exhibit, and wandered around taking notes about the layout. The excursion gave me both the confidence and the details to make the chase scene feel real. It stretched me and reminded me to resist labels and restrictions in my own mind about the types of things I can write.

"I really wanted my words to paint a detailed picture that readers could visualize and feel invested in. "

Kaecey: That chase scene was really intense, and writing it sounds incredibly challenging—what a creative way to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and write a successful scene! Once the writing was complete, though, the journey wasn’t over. After finishing the manuscript, what was your path to publication like? Was anything about that process particularly unexpected or eye-opening?

Kimberly: My early drafts were workshopped, revised, and workshopped again, and edited twice. The original manuscript was twice as long! I entered it into two contests and it made it to the semi-finals. I later sent the first 20 pages to 10 agents. One requested the full manuscript and eventually passed on it, saying she really liked it but wasn’t in love with it as she needed to be. That phrasing stuck with me–that I was waiting for someone to be “in love with it as they needed to be.”

I decided not to wait for that, and placing well in the two contests gave me enough validation that the book was ready. I was in love with my book as much as I needed to be, and that was enough to go forward. I decided to independently publish it under my own imprint, Butterfly Effect Press, with the help of the wonderful team at AuthorImprints. As a result, I maintained control over cover design and many aspects of production.

"I was in love with my book as much as I needed to be, and that was enough to go forward."

Kaecey: I admire how you trusted your instincts and chose the publishing route that felt right for you—that’s inspiring. To close, I’d love to broaden the lens a bit. What advice would you give to other writers—or creatives of any kind—about trusting their ideas, embracing the unexpected, and carrying a project through to completion?

Kimberly: In 100 words—Try to recapture that childlike state, when you created just for the sake of it, without concern for whether anyone outside of yourself will like it, publish it, or favorably review it. Write down every little idea that comes to you, no matter how silly it may seem, even if you don’t know what you will do with it. Release the sense that a story or work of art must hit the page in a fully-formed, ready-to-go condition. Focus on the simple joy of creating. Remember educator Pat Schneider’s simple words: “A writer is someone who writes.”

Kaecey: Thank you so much, Kimberly, for sharing your journey and your insights with us!

And to my readers—stay tuned. Next week, I’ll be sharing a creative writing exercise inspired by Kimberly’s novel that will invite you to play with your own “what if” moment, just like the one at the heart of Have You Seen Him.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Lee, JD is the author of the riveting thriller Have You Seen Him. A versatile writer, editor, and creativity coach, she has a passion for nurturing the imaginative spirit and helping others reveal their own inner wisdom.

Kimberly is an Amherst Writers & Artists affiliate and serves on its board. She is a certified facilitator of SoulCollage®, Journal to the Self, and Guided Autobiography, as well as a joyful meditation teacher and Groove Method provider.

A teaching artist with Hugo House, Women On Writing, The Writing Salon, and Loft Literary, Kimberly has led events at numerous retreats and conferences. Recent collaborations include Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, Arts & Healing Initiative, the Expressive Therapies Summit, and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center.

Kimberly’s writing has appeared in a variety of publications and anthologies, and she has served on the staffs of Literary Mama, F(r)iction, and Carve Magazines. Kimberly trusts in the magic and mystery of miracles and synchronicity, and believes everyone is creative and has unique gifts to share.

Connect with Kimberly on Instagram @klcreatrix or at KimberlyLee.me.

ABOUT THE BOOK

For David Byrdsong, life is a series of daily obligations. An attorney, he lacks both ambition and the ability to commit to a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Gayle. Abandoned by his family at an airport when he was eleven, he learned to blunt his feelings, despite his subsequent adoption by a loving couple.

Until one day, when David discovers his own face in a missing child ad. Suddenly driven to uncover the truth about his past, he is forced to tap into his inner strength as he encounters corporate conspiracies, murdered bystanders, and distressing suspicions about the only family he’s ever really trusted.

David enlists Gayle's help—and the help of an unlikely stranger with secrets of his own—as he attempts to find his true family, whoever they are.

Thrilling, exploratory, and propulsive, Have You Seen Him is a story of lost identity, dangerous secrets, and a deeply personal pursuit of the truth.

• PUBLISHER: Butterfly Effect Press

• ASIN: B0F9TJYN8V

• ISBN-13  979-8991867207

• Print Length: 268 pages

You can grab your copy of Have You Seen Him at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org, and don’t forget to add it to your GoodReads shelf.

Do you have something to add to our conversation? Let us know by commenting on the post or send me a message!

Happy reading and happy writing!