"How would you describe your career path?" the Register asked author Kathleen Collins in a recent phone interview about "Study in Hysteria," her fourth book and first work of fiction, published last week.

"It's the path of a seeker," she answered.

Collins explained she always wanted to be a writer and created stories even as a child in Rochester, New York. A degree in psychology from Bates College in Lewiston led to a master's degree in psychological counseling from Lesley College but she realized her experience was limited and she "...wasn't at the right point in my life," to offer counseling.

Writing still beckoned her and she enrolled in a journalism program at New York University. She found she enjoyed research so much she looked for interesting jobs requiring it, working as a freelance researcher, research editor at Working Woman magazine and deputy research editor for the Ladies’ Home Journal. In 2006, she received a master's degree in library and information science.

The list of her contributions to book chapters, journal and encyclopedia articles and digital media is extensive and impressive. Since 2007 Collins has been reference librarian and a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

"Being an academic librarian captures all the parts of me that make me happy," she said.

Collins' newest book follows three earlier non-fiction works which involve the medium of television but through different lenses. They are "Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows," "Dr. Joyce Brothers: The Founding Mother of TV Psychology," and her memoir"From Rabbit Ears to the Rabbit Hole: A Life with Television."

Asked about the transition from writing non-fiction to fiction, she explained, "My other books are all very research intensive and I brought my love of research with me for ‘Study in Hysteria.’" The story is set in 1974 and based on her maternal grandmother and she wanted it to be historically accurate.

Collins describes the book as a nuanced "character portrait" based on placing interesting characters in certain situations. "I wrote the kind of book I like to read," she said. Asked why she waited to create a work of fiction, Collins explained, she was ready to try a different form of writing.

As a child she wanted to write fiction. Now, in her 50s, "The evolution of my life will let me do this."

Most of the book was written at night during the pandemic lockdown in New York City. "I would write in the stillness when the world quiets down and no one will call and no email needs to be answered, when my mind is the quietest," she said.

Noting the difference between writing non-fiction and fictional books, she added, "It was just the keyboard and my brain, not dealing with an external body of information so I could relax and say whatever I wanted. I had no idea what the story would be, the characters told me what to do."

The daughter of Ocean Point resident Judy DeGraw, Collins and her husband Gerard Trimarco have visited the area so frequently, "It feels like a second home. We know it well and appreciate it."  During school vacations, they offer pet sitting services allowing them to travel within and outside the U.S. She is grateful to her mother and father, Jim Collins, who is a resident of Wiscasset, for introducing her to the joys of travel at a young age.

Does the combination of interesting life experience and academic achievement make for a good read?  

According to early reviews of "Study in Hysteria," it does and author Sandra A. Miller called Collins’ latest work, "Compelling, surprising, and witty...heartbreakingly beautiful."

"Study in Hysteria" by Kathleen Collins is published by Vine Leaves Press and is available for purchase online from Amazon, bookshop.org and other sellers.