Character Coffee Chat with Kathleen “Kat” Myers

Readers immerse themselves in books they enjoy, especially when they can relate to the characters as if they are real people. Friends you can turn to, family you spend special moments with and even those characters you love to hate. Character Coffee Chats offer a little extra time with some of the characters readers have enjoyed meeting or getting to know in the Jorja Matthew mystery series. For those who haven’t yet read the series, be warned some coffee chats might offer spoilers.

For those who have kept up with the series since the beginning, here’s your chance to spend extra time with each character, gain insight about recent events in the novels and learn more details about their backstory.

Now it’s time to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Today’s coffee chat will be with Kathleen Myers from the Jorja Matthews mystery series.

Let’s begin with Kathleen introducing herself and how she knows Jorja Matthews.

Hi! My name is Kathleen Myers, but everyone calls me Kat. I live in Tenino with my Aunt Lydia, but I’m currently going to college in Seattle to become a forensic investigator so I live up there right now and I come home when I can. I know Jorja because I worked for her at the bookstore during my senior year in high school and before I left to go to college. But I first met her when she helped me solve the mystery about my mom, who disappeared when I was five years old.

So you hired Jorja as a private investigator to work on your mom’s case?

No. Jorja wasn’t a P.I. when I met her. She had just moved to Tenino and opened her bookstore with her friend, Taylor. Someone told me Jorja used to be a legal assistant at a law firm—it might have been my aunt, because they went to high school together. Anyway, after my dad passed away, I thought more and more about my mom and where she might be. I’d always been told she left me and my dad and she even left a note saying she didn’t want to be with us anymore. But with my dad gone, I decided I really wanted to try to reach out to my mom. Figure out why she left us. Maybe even form a new relationship with her, if that was possible. So when I heard about Jorja I thought, why not ask her to help me? I figured she might know enough from working as a legal assistant to know where to start on how to locate my mom. I was scared about finding my mom because I didn’t know how she would react to me trying to find her, but Jorja discovered what really happened to her and the truth was so much worse than I imagined.

Are you glad you glad you found out the truth about your mom, even if it wasn’t what you were expecting?

I feel sad when I think about what my mom went through but at least Jorja helped me realize my mom didn’t abandon me or my dad. I can’t explain how I felt always thinking she abandoned us. My dad would never talk about her and when I asked him about trying to find her, he’d brush me off. He never wanted to talk about even trying to find her. I know he was hurt because he thought that she left us. I only wish I met Jorja sooner because I think, even though my dad would have been sad to know what happened, he would have at least learned the truth about why she left and that she didn’t abandon us. I’m glad I met Jorja because she helped me learn the truth about my mom, she gave me a job at the bookstore and I was able to figure out what I wanted to study at school.

And you want to become a forensic investigator?

Definitely. I want to help solve crimes, current cases and even cold case crimes so maybe I can help someone else like Jorja helped me. I want to help families find answers when something happens to someone they love. And I want to help put the criminals behind bars where they belong. The man responsible for what happened to my mom got away with it for a long time, and he even committed other crimes he thought he was going to get away with! He might have gotten away with it if Jorja hadn’t helped me. She’s great at what she does and I want to be like her. I want to become one of the best crime scene investigators in the state in memory of my mom.

Do you plan to work in Seattle or closer to home once you graduate?

Oh, I’ll probably have to take whatever job I can find one, but I hope I can find a job close to home. If I don’t end up living with her, I’d like to at least live closer to my aunt. And Jorja and Taylor, because they are like big sisters to me. But I love Jorja’s parents and since I’m in Seattle, I get to visit them where they live in Edmonds so it kind of feels like I have family near me while I’m at school. That’s going to be nice the next couple of years because I can’t always drive down to Tenino that easily, but I can at least drive the short distance up to see Rick and Helen for a visit and a homemade meal.

I was a little worried about being so far away from my aunt. I’ll admit I feel like I need to be home to watch over her because—well, she got into a little trouble recently at a previous job and I wasn’t sure if she would be able to get another good job to help pay the bills. I felt bad because I asked Jorja to give my aunt a job, my position at the bookstore, when I knew I was leaving to go to school. The reason I felt bad is because Aunt Lydia can be a little…snippy with Jorja. I haven’t heard the whole story, but they have a history with each other, I guess when they were in high school together, and they don’t always see eye-to-eye. But, I asked Jorja to give Lydia a job and I’m grateful she decided to give my aunt a chance. I imagine it’s not easy for them to work together but honestly, and I wouldn’t admit this to either of them, I kind of hoped that if they spent more time together by working together, they might learn to like each other.

Has that worked? Do you think they like each other better?

Well, it hasn’t been that long since Aunt Lydia began working at the store. I think they’re going to need more time so maybe I can answer that better in a few more months, hopefully. Even then, I might not really ever know. I think they both make a point of putting on their best behavior when I’m around.

Did you enjoy growing up in Tenino? Would you mind living in a small town after you graduate?

Until I moved to Seattle for school, I didn’t know what living in the city would be like compared to a small town. I really like my school and I enjoy Seattle, but I’m not sure I’d like to live there after school. I enjoyed growing up in Tenino, even if I didn’t have anything to compare it to. I had my dad and I had some really good friends who I grew up with and graduated with. Until I learned about what happened to my mom, I always felt safe in Tenino. I mean, I still feel safe in Tenino. Bad stuff happens anywhere, not just in the big cities. If living in Tenino again was an option after I find a job, I would definitely live there. The other idea I have is that I can maybe live and work in Olympia so I can still be close to Aunt Lydia and have the option of driving north or south for work if I have to.

Is there anything about small towns that you don’t like?

Well, like I said until I moved to Seattle I didn’t have anything to compare it to. Now that I do, I can say the one big difference I see is that in a small town, everyone pretty much knows everyone and, maybe because there isn’t a whole lot to do, they also seem to know what everyone else is up to. Where I live now, it’s kind of nice how much I can just blend in with everyone else. I don’t stand out because everyone knows my mom left when I was little. No one knows the terrible thing that happened to her. No one even knows my dad passed away unless I tell them. So people don’t immediately show me pity just because I’m an orphan. And, don’t repeat this to my aunt, but no one automatically judges because of what she did at one of her last jobs that got her into legal trouble. I’m just another student working a part-time job trying to get through school at the top of the class. It’s nice that I can blend in with everyone else and not stand out for reasons that are beyond my control. Does that make sense?

That makes complete sense. And with that bit of insight, it’s a good place to end the chat. Kat may come back another time, but it could be awhile so if you have a question specifically for her, please note it down in the comments and she’ll reply to best of her ability.

I hope you enjoyed this Character Coffee Chat and that you’ll check back next month for the next chat with another character from the Jorja Matthew mystery series!