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DeansPlanet.Com <--- The Greatest Website Of All Time ---> Dean S. Planet Interviews Author Colette Shaw
 

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Colette Shaw

Author
 
Recently, I was able to catch up with up and coming novelist and college dean, Colette Shaw at one of my favorite watering holes in town called Stubby's Bar & Grill. After several Captain & diet doubles, I found out that while balancing a seemingly "normal" life as an administrator at a top-tier college and a once-secret passion for the mystery of heavy metal, she launched her first novel, "Won't Get Fooled Again". Elusive about her personal life, but enthusiatic about her work, I find out about her new project and secret fantasies (which I was certain involved me, a jar of Jif peanut butter & a Luther Vandross CD)...
Dean S. Planet: So...for people who don’t know about author, college administrator and closet rock n roll fiend, tell us about Colette Shaw?
Colette: Until recently, I was a dean at a top college, but I was also a huge KISS fan, spending my time and money on KISS conventions and concerts, and hoping my bosses and students wouldn’t find out that I glorified a rock group. I wrote the book "Won’t Get Fooled Again" to try to make sense of my secret identity.
Dean S. Planet: This is your first novel....what is the gist of the story’?
Colette: It’s about an executive living a double life of business ambition and rock & roll fantasy until she’s blackmailed and forced to come to terms with who she really is. It’s suspenseful, but there’s a romantic subplot that I love.
Dean S. Planet: What or who was the inspiration for “Won’t Get Fooled Again”?
Colette: At its roots is the struggle we all have with our passions. For me, I love the scholarly world, but at the end of the day, I just want rock & roll to release me from the routine and rules. My romantic life was equally dualistic, and made no rational sense to me. Then, of course, there is KISS. For me KISS’s music has always been the ultimate rock & roll release. Rather than just being an escape from reality, KISS seems to influence listeners to create better realities.
Dean S. Planet: What do you mean “better realities”?
Colette: The message in KISS’s music is that life is something to celebrate, and that dreams can come true. The four guys in the band dreamed of being rock stars, and they used their savvy and work ethic to catapult themselves into the upper stratospheres of their industry. My ambition and smarts helped me get where I am in life, but a dose of heavy metal helped me persevere when I was tempted to doubt myself.
 
Dean S. Planet: Have you ever met KISS and are they aware of "Won’t Get Fooled Again"?
Colette: I met KISS two years ago at a concert, and I told Gene Simmons about my book. For a brief period, I hoped that he would produce "Won’t Get Fooled Again" through his publishing company.
Dean S. Planet: Did meeting the band influence the content of "Won’t Get Fooled Again"?
Colette: No. At that point, I’d already written the book, including a cameo appearance by one of one of the members. I have to tell you, though–I was more than turned on when I realized how closely the characterization I wrote of one of my idols came to reality.
Dean S. Planet: Have KISS and or members of KISS been supportive of your venture?
Colette: I kept Gene Simmons and the band’s attorney updated about my progress throughout the publication process. We worked with KISS’s music publishers to clear copyrights, and to make sure the brief cameo appearance of one of the members was not a secret from the group.
Dean S. Planet: Do you hope to meet KISS again someday?
Colette: Under the right circumstances. My role as a fan is sacred, and if I never have the opportunity to meet them again, that’s perfectly fine with me. Given the choice of members, I’d prefer to spend time with Mr. Simmons. His public and private personas seem to be the most similar to each other. I wouldn’t have to sacrifice my fantasies by seeing that he’s a completely different person from the Demon who haunts my daydreams.
Dean S. Planet: How do you juggle your vocation and your passion?
Colette: Overwhelmingly, people have supported my double life, but there will always be people who don’t want to understand the dichotomy. I’ve had close colleagues who will change the subject as soon as someone mentions my rock & roll interests, and some who kept quite a distance until the book came out, although then they wanted to buddy up with the project. I have no patience for that kind of pretense, particularly from other educators. They give lip service to students about exploring their passions, but they fear anything that doesn’t fit into a nice little box with a vanilla label.
Dean S. Planet: Now that the book is written, the hard part is selling the book. What are your promotional plans?
Colette: To give this book the life it deserves, I have to give it my full-time attention. I’ve decided to take some time away from my college job to be an author. It feels very much like a maternity leave. The KISS fans have been incredibly supportive, but to hit the mainstream market is a big mountain to climb. Luckily, I think the theme of making peace with the different parts of yourself is universal. I’ll be out on the speaking circuit encouraging others to take a leap of faith with their passions, and offering "Won’t Get Fooled Again" as fuel for their personal fires.

Dean S. Planet: Is this story a bit a wee bit autobiographical?

Colette: More than I would have ever predicted, but readers have been telling me that they really get inside the head of lead character Suzanne Curtis and start trying to figure out how they would react as her life spins out of control. In that way, any reader with a secret passion could say that this book is about them.
Dean S. Planet: We all know Gene Simmons and KISS have the ‘copyright police’ everywhere. Recently some U.S. KISS expos were raided for selling bootleg videos, etc. Did you run into any of these legal hurdles in publishing Won’t Get Fooled Again?
Colette: Whew. They’re not kidding about that stuff. I’ve watched up close when some salespeople were raided and hauled out of a venue by the police. If anything, I’ve been overly careful in taking all the steps necessary to act in good faith with KISS. To be honest, negotiating the legal stuff was one of the more fun parts of this process. I had a great lawyer, but on a shoestring budget, I had to do most of the legwork myself. As Mr. Simmons often says, it’s show BUSINESS, and if you want to be a financially successful as a writer, rocker or whatever, you’d better not forget it.
Dean S. Planet: What is your ultimate KISS fantasy?
Colette: Me with Paul Stanley–in full makeup–in the sleeper car of a train. It’s like a rock & roll James Bond film.
Dean S. Planet: There are a lot of credible KISS tribute bands performing. Have you ever tried fulfilling one of your KISS fantasies with one of the fakes?
Colette: Oh, man. That’s an interesting world. I used to go to the trib shows and flirt furiously with the guys on stage, but as soon as the show was over, I’d make a quick escape. I didn’t want to meet the guys and find out they were just a bunch of fans like me – or morons. I’ll admit, it’s tempting, though. A lot of these guys look like KISS did back in their mean and lean days, and they’ve really got the musical chops. I got entangled with one of the best trib guys I’d ever seen once, but it was just too messy. I felt guilty– like I was using him to fulfill some sophomoric dream, even though he had obviously used someone else’s persona to meet me, too.
Dean S. Planet: What is your ultimate "Won’t Get Fooled Again" fantasy?
Colette: I’m sitting on an airplane and I look up to see the person next to me pulling a copy of "Won’t Get Fooled Again" out of her bag.
Dean S. Planet: Enquiring minds want to know....which member of KISS are you the hottest for!?
Colette: Did I mention the sleeper car?

Dean S. Planet: Thanks Colette for giving me a reason to come out and drink and for the lovely interview.

Colette Shaw's book "Won't Get Fooled Again" has been the #1 best seller on the publisher website www.overlookedbooks.com. Colette is also the subject of a 2003 documentary, Living the Fantasy. Contact Colette Shaw at www.kissfiction.com.