This month our members are reading The Skeleton House by Katherine Allum.
Get to know the author of the award winning book in this interview. Thank you Katherine for sharing your time with us:
Tell us about your book
Meg is a young mother of two small children, and her husband Kyle is building their “Forever Family Home” in a small Mormon town outside of Las Vegas. The closer the house comes to completion, the more it becomes clear that this is not Meg’s dream, and the more forcefully Kyle asserts his beliefs about what makes a good family and a good wife.
A series of bedtime stories that Meg tells to her son reveal her past and a secret. Featuring a Mormon book club, a high school debate team in need of a leader, and the peculiar rural sport of “mutton bustin’,” The Skeleton House explores resilience, friendship, the fierceness of a mother’s love, and the insidious nature of coercive control.
Which of your characters do you most relate to and why?
I share a lot in common with Meg, my protagonist – she’s someone who would have either been my BFF or arch-nemesis in school! We’re both academically driven and participated in speech and debate. We’re also pretty stubborn when we decide we want something, and share a snarky sense of humour.
However, I make an effort to empathise with all my characters, even when it’s not pleasant. Meg’s husband, Kyle, progressively becomes more controlling throughout the novel. Getting inside his head was uncomfortable, but it was necessary to understand the insecurities and logic behind his behaviour so that I could write him convincingly as a well-rounded character.
What does your schedule look like when writing?
I would love to be able to describe a disciplined schedule, but like most other writers, I’m doing this in pockets of spare time around my day job and casual work as a university tutor. I tend to write in the evenings after work, and on weekends and days off.
When I’m drafting or undertaking a big edit, I’m completely obsessed with my manuscript and every spare second is spent thinking and writing. I enjoy writing at home – I’ll rove from the dining table to the sofa and even propped up with pillows in bed. I also love working in libraries and find it inspiring to be present in these community spaces and surrounded by books.
Are you a plotter or a pantser, and has that changed over the course of your writing career?
I’m currently a “plantser” in the middle of the spectrum, and this has changed over the years. I used to be pure pantser – just a vague idea and I’d jump in. This works for short fiction, but when I found myself attempting to write my first novel draft (an unpublished manuscript – this was before The Skeleton House), I became overwhelmed at the 30k word mark and needed to stop and organise myself.
When I wrote the first draft of The Skeleton House on my MA, I was forced to plan as part of the course requirements, and much to my annoyance, it did help the writing process. But I like to maintain a little mystery when I’m drafting – while I know the direction, I like to keep some plot points open to allow myself the joy of surprise while writing.
When you aren’t researching or writing, what sort of books do you like to read? Do you have any favourite authors?
I gravitate toward books that are similar to what I like to write: contemporary literary fiction, strong writing voice, teasing out details in family dynamics, strong female characters, and a good pinch of snark.
But I enjoy it when something different perches itself on my bedside table and captivates me. I’m part of my work book club, which has exposed me to books I probably wouldn’t have picked up in a bookstore, and my personal and writing lives are both enriched by this. A few of my favourite authors who have multiple books in my personal library include Miriam Toews, Kevin Wilson, Annie Hartnett, and Claire Fuller.
You won the Fogarty Literary Award, how did that help your career? And what’s next?
I’ve spent years trying to find the right home for The Skeleton House, and this included several edits and rewrites. Winning the Fogarty Literary Award meant everything: it gave me a publishing contract, networking opportunities, and an overwhelmingly positive and collaborative editing and publishing experience with Fremantle Press.
Having the support of the Fogarty Foundation and Fremantle Press has been a great honour. Most of all, it was validation that I’m doing something right. Before the award, I had all these new ideas but felt disheartened, and that affected my motivation. Since winning the award, I’ve finished writing my second novel, started a third, and I have the outline for a fourth.
Where can our readers follow you?
I’m on Instagram (@katherine.allum) where I post about books, my watercolour hobby, and writing life. I love interacting with readers and anyone who also loves books, art, and animals!
Hi, I’m Anna the Editor of Beauty and Lace.