Ask the Author: Kate Hope Day
Answered Questions (3)
Kate Hope Day
IF, THEN grew out of the life-altering experience of having my first child.
I started writing the book to try to understand the feeling of being split in two when you become a parent. I think of this in terms of time—the person you were before you had a child, the person you are after. But also in terms of space—how as a new mother you always want to be two or more places at once. For me the book started as a kind of postpartum fantasy that if there were two of me I could meet everyone’s needs, including my own.
But once I started writing, the broader theme of the book began to unfold--because everyone has thought about the “what ifs” of their life, how things could have gone a different way if they had made another choice, or if chance events had happened another way.
I started writing the book to try to understand the feeling of being split in two when you become a parent. I think of this in terms of time—the person you were before you had a child, the person you are after. But also in terms of space—how as a new mother you always want to be two or more places at once. For me the book started as a kind of postpartum fantasy that if there were two of me I could meet everyone’s needs, including my own.
But once I started writing, the broader theme of the book began to unfold--because everyone has thought about the “what ifs” of their life, how things could have gone a different way if they had made another choice, or if chance events had happened another way.
Kate Hope Day
My second novel IN THE QUICK, an imaginative retelling of Jane Eyre set in the near future. It will be published by Random House.
Kate Hope Day
When you have two young children, writer's block just can't be a thing. :) I try to treat writing like a faucet...once I sit down at my desk, I turn it on. That said, if I'm stuck on a certain scene or plot question or character motivation, the best remedy is move my body. I take a hike, go for a run, find a yoga class. Usually the answer comes while I'm not actively thinking about it.
Or I reread favorite scenes in novels I love. A few of the books I keep by my desk to open up at random: I Capture the Castle, Jane Eyre, Daniel Deronda, The Age of Innocence, Dubiners, Euphoria by Lily King, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Little Children by Tom Perrotta, The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.
Or I reread favorite scenes in novels I love. A few of the books I keep by my desk to open up at random: I Capture the Castle, Jane Eyre, Daniel Deronda, The Age of Innocence, Dubiners, Euphoria by Lily King, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Little Children by Tom Perrotta, The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more