Best-selling crime writers at Katz JCC arts and book festival

Their life together reads much like fiction, but of a different genre from their page-turning crime novels that frequent the New York Times best sellers list.

"I think we have one of the great romances of all time," said Jonathan Kellerman, speaking candidly about his wife of 43 years, Faye, during a recent phone interview from their Beverly Hills home.

The duo, who met and fell in love when Faye was a teenager, have become something of a royal family of mystery writers, with their son, Jesse, also an award-winning novelist and playwright.

All three will appear Tuesday at the 26th Bank of America Festival of Arts, Books, and Culture at the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill to discuss their latest books and their writerly family: Jonathan, 66, has published 39 novels; Faye, 63, counts 30 to her name; and Jesse, 37, of Berkeley, their eldest, is fast following suit, with seven published novels as well as a handful of plays. Of their three daughters, Aliza, 23, is writing an adult suspense novel. She also coauthored a young-adult novel - at 15 - with Faye.

"We love the Kellermans," said Sabrina Spector, the JCC's cultural director, who helped choose the festival's lineup. "When we found out they were touring, we jumped at the opportunity to host this family dynasty who truly embody Jewish traditions and values."

What's the best part of being a best-selling novelist?

Jonathan:  I love the actual work. I love to write; I've been writing since childhood. . . . So being a best-seller enables me economically to do it full-time. . . . (Jonathan had a large private psychology practice before transitioning in 1990 to full-time novelist. He says it was those years of experience that gave him an intricate understanding of the psychology behind personalities.) There's a Jewish adage from Ethics of the Fathers [a compilation of the Torah's views on ethics and interpersonal relationships]: "He who is rich is he who is satisfied with what he has." I try to follow that. I try to really appreciate what I have. I've been very, very lucky.

What will interest readers about "The Golem of Paris," a sequel to "The Golem of Hollywood" and a collaboration with Jesse?

Jonathan: If you like page-turning suspense, this is it. This is a fast-moving book with lots of shock, lots of surprise . . . and a great deal of ambience because a lot of it takes place in Paris, which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. . . . It ventures a little bit into supernatural territory.

Why crime writing?

Jonathan: I like to write about important issues, and what's more important than life and death?

Faye: I always liked crime because it matters to people. It is also a great impetus to propel a plot forward.

How and when did you meet?

Jonathan:  Faye was 18; I was 21. We were kids. We met at a sports night, which was thrown by a Jewish college group at a Jewish community center in Los Angeles. I fell in love immediately and have remained in love ever since. I think we really got lucky; we love each other and we're very, very close friends.

Faye: I feel the same way. Jon is my best friend and he's also - no offense to my editor, whom I love dearly - my best editor.

Do you think there's a connection between your continued success and this romance that you have?

Faye:  Definitely. When you're calmer in your personal life, you can put more drama and be more outrageous in your writing life. Yes, there has to be a connection because it allows me to be creatively wild. I don't have to live out that wildness; I can live it out in my imagination.

How did a mathematician with a doctorate in dentistry transform into a crime-fiction writer?

Faye: Because of the dyslexia [as a child], I had trouble reading and organizing my thoughts into the written word. But I was always good at math, so I majored in it because it was a simple thing to do. As I got older and allowed my imagination to become fertile and I saw Jonathan writing, I decided to give it a whirl. I never thought I'd get published, but it was fun for me.

Do all of your books have Jewish content and characters?

Faye: All of my books except Moon Music have some kind of Jewish content. Sometimes it's very much in the background; sometimes it's very much in the foreground. . . .

I developed Jewish characters because it is something that is near and dear to my heart and I thought I could do an accurate job of portraying the kind of Jew I wanted to portray.

How did having parents who were best-selling novelists impact your childhood?

Jesse:  Minimally. My parents were parents first and writers a very distant second. To be frank, as a child, I was, like most children, self-involved. I'm not even sure I was truly aware of the extent of their success until I was in my late teens, by which point I had been writing for a number of years.

Do you think there's a secret to your success?

Jesse: Ninety-seven percent luck and hard work; a very small amount of talent and predisposition.

Why do you think your children are talented writers?

Jonathan: I think it's genetic. I'll tell you why. I wasn't a published novelist until 1985. Jesse was born in 1978. . . . When he was 3, he used to come up to me and dictate stories. . . . My dad was an engineer who had 18 patents. He was a brilliant guy and a very good writer. When he came back from World War II, as a war hero, he published some poetry.

Jonathan, Faye, and Jesse Kellerman appear at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of the Bank of America Festival of Arts, Books, and Culture, Nov. 7-15, at the Katz Jewish Community Center, 1301 Springdale Rd., Cherry Hill.

Tickets: $15 members,

$18 nonmembers.

Information: 856-424-4444, Ext. 1226 or www.katzjcc.org/abcfest