Ten questions for Kate Brody
Kate Brody’s literary thriller Rabbit Hole debuts on January 2 and has been praised by Kirkus Reviews as “[a] timely rumination on true crime, internet obsession, and paranoia.” I can’t wait to read it and you can pre-order it now. Thanks Kate!
1. Please tell us about your debut novel.
Rabbit Hole is a literary thriller about a young teacher, Teddy Angstrom, whose father dies by suicide on the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance. His death sets off a chain of events that leads Teddy down a Reddit rabbit hole, re-investigating what happened to her sister, Angie. She is joined in her quest by a mysterious local teenager and a new love interest. The book is an exploration of grief, family, and growing up.
2. I’ve read that only 4% of the people who start a novel, finish writing it. Why do you think you beat the odds?
You have to be a little bit crazy to write a novel. No one is ever asking for it–everyone writes their first book on spec. So you need to believe in the project in a sustained way that will allow you to spend your free time doing unpaid labor. You have to love the process. Which I do.
3. Was your debut novel the first book you wrote? (Any prior efforts hiding on your hard drive?)
Rabbit Hole is not the first book I wrote. I wrote a book in my MFA program, when I was about 22-23 years old. That book was a sweeping family epic, spanning thirty years or so. It was not a thriller. I called it Never Be Alone, the title taken from the Rolling Stones’s song “Dead Flowers.” I couldn’t find an agent for it in the end, so I started over with Rabbit Hole, which is much tighter and more propulsive but shares some of the same DNA (obsession, sisterhood, loss).
4. What helped you become a better writer? Any books or resources you found helpful?
I’ve always been a big reader. Reading widely is the key to improving your writing. I think every writer would tell you that. I also had a wonderful college teacher, David Ebenbach, who introduced me to a lot of craft concepts that helped me understand what I was doing. He used Janet Burroway’s books in class, and those are the texts that I use when I’m teaching creative writing (which is infrequently). Besides that… I’ve read all the classic craft books, and my favorite is probably Bird by Bird. Mostly, I think you become a better writer by writing. You have to write a lot, throw a lot of stuff out, and learn to detach a little bit from each and every word. You need to get to a place where your choices serve the work rather than your own ego.
5. What was your process like getting an agent?
When I finished Rabbit Hole in the spring of 2020, I sent the book out to agents that represented books I loved. My top choice was Hillary Jacobson, because I knew she repped My Dark Vanessa, which I had just read. I thought it was brilliant and a comp for Rabbit Hole. I thought if she understood that complicated book–how to get it to market and help it find its audience–she could help me. I’m very lucky that Hillary is a quick reader, so it only took her a couple days to get back to me. I ended up with a few offers, but from our conversations, I felt she was the best fit. She was harder on the book than the other agents in the running, and she had a vision for how we could make it better. That was what I wanted–someone who wouldn’t settle for just okay.
6. How did you celebrate when you learned your book would be published?
I was about 20 hours into labor when I found out that we received two offers on the book. So I guess I celebrated by chomping on some delicious ice chips and then popping out a baby. When I sold the book in the UK, I had a proper celebration. I bought myself a piece of art with part of my advance. It was a large format photograph called “Marigold in the Kitchen” by the artist Lisa Sorgini, whose work I had fallen in love with when she was profiled in The New Yorker. It sits above my kitchen table.
7. What was the most exciting moment involving the publication of your debut novel? (The moment you first saw the cover? The call when you learned when it was being published? When you cashed your advance check?)
“Signing” with my agent was very exciting. (There’s no actual signing.) I had failed to reach that step with Never Be Alone, so that felt like new territory. Receiving galley copies and then hardcovers of the book was also very cool. But so far, my favorite has probably been hearing from total strangers who have read and loved the book. It just feels like the greatest honor to be read.
8. What’s your best advice for someone who wants to be published?
Focus on the work first. Don’t worry about publication or the market until after the draft is done. Then, when it’s time, be smart. Be strategic. Educate yourself as best you can. Ask for help.
9. What are you currently reading? Or, what's one of the best novels you've read lately?
I am yelling from the rooftops about Swanna in Love to anyone who will listen. It’s Jennifer Belle’s latest book, and it comes out in January. It was marketed as a kind of “inverse Lolita,” and the premise definitely reminded me of My Dark Vanessa, but it is also SO funny. It’s just a brilliant book that’s working on every possible level.
10. What are you working on now? Any projects coming out soon?
I am editing a second novel right now, and I am also working on a lot of personal essays and listicles and all that good stuff that is part of the publicity circuit. You can keep up with anything new by visiting katebrodyauthor.com or following me on Instagram or Twitter @katebrodyauthor.