Interview with Kim McCollum

I reviewed Kim McCollum's second novel Harriet Hates Lemonade last week. Check it out HERE. But Kim is back this week for a fun interview so we can all learn more about the woman behind the words. You can also check out her WOW blog tour with plenty of book excerpts, guest posts, interviews, reviews and more HERE.

Jodi: Harriet Hates Lemonade and your debut novel What Happens in Montana are

similar because they both portray female friendships but in so many ways they

are very different. What was it like writing in a different style for Harriet Hates Lemonade?

Kim: It was both challenging and inspiring. Of course, I love friendship and found family

stories, so both of these novels are fundamentally about those topics, but I’ve always been drawn to quirky characters - Maude filled that role in What Happens in Montana - but I really leaned into that quirkiness with Harriet. I was specifically aiming for an Eleanor Oliphant or Olive Kitteridge vibe, as those are two of my favorite literary figures, and I've been absolutely thrilled that reviewers have picked up on that influence.

Beyond the quirkiness, as you point out, the two novels are quite different. What

Happens is more of a Big Little Lies type mystery where someone dies, and the story

revolves around the friendships of girlfriends on a retreat at a haunted hot springs.

Harriet, on the other hand, is a story about found family and an exploration of how

outside influences and emotional abuse can unwittingly shape your entire identity.

Honestly, I tend to be someone who gets bored easily, and repetition is my worst

nightmare as a writer. I love the challenge of tackling entirely different types of

characters and stories with every project.

Jodi: I’ve been open that I initially turned down Harriet Hates Lemonade because of

the topic. Did you ever worry that people might pass up your book because it

deals with abusive relationships?

Kim: I did, but that worry was actually what fueled the writing. We often turn away from

stories of abuse because they make us uncomfortable, or because we have a

preconceived notion that abuse has to be loud or physical to be real. But the most

dangerous kind of abuse is often the most quiet. It’s the insidious, emotional

manipulation that makes a woman believe she is the problem. I felt that if people were

hesitant because of the topic, it was a sign that we aren't talking about this specific type

of domestic reality enough. I wanted to write a book that felt safe to pick up because of

the humor and the Bozeman setting, but honest enough to make the reader realize how

easily these patterns can hide in plain sight.

Jodi: I found that the realization of what Harriet's marriage was really like snuck up on me gradually, not unlike the domestic abuse you wrote about. Harriet Hates Lemonade is equal parts humor and drama. Is it difficult to write humor when also dealing with a serious topic?

Kim: In many ways, the humor is what makes the serious topics accessible. I often feel that

people are at their most funny when they are trying their hardest to be serious. Harriet’s

rigid rules for neighborhood conduct are her survival mechanism, but they lead to these

wonderfully awkward social interactions, like her ill-fated apple pie delivery, or her off-

leash-dog-man missing poster. If I can make a reader laugh with Harriet, they’ll trust me

enough to follow her into the darker memories of her marriage to Les. I don’t believe the

humor distracts from the drama. Rather, it’s there to humanize it.

Jodi: And I did laugh with Harriet. Sometimes she was so ridiculous but you couldn't dislike her. I just wanted to hug her. Tell us how you create your characters. They are so real! Do you spy on people at the grocery store, are they based on friends or do they come strictly from your imagination?

Kim: Ha! I don’t think I’d call it spying, at least I hope it isn't, but I am definitely a chronic

people-watcher. As a child, I remember watching people and wondering what their

house looked like or if they had siblings or pets, that type of thing. I thought everyone

did that and was surprised when friends questioned my interest. I’m still always

wondering about the secret lives of the people I observe. But for Harriet, the world she

lives in was specifically inspired by a neighborhood I once lived in that looked like

Mayberry from the outside, but underneath, I felt many of the neighbors were exactly

like Harriet. I remember once our garbage stunk, so we pulled it out of the garage and

put it on the side of our house—nearly hidden from view—just one day early, and we

actually got a formal letter about it from the HOA. Even the idea in the novel about using

DNA testing for dog poop in the yard was an actual suggestion from someone in that

neighborhood! Of course, I met many wonderful people there too, but it was just a bit

too uptight for me in the long run.

As for Harriet’s emotional core, I am a survivor of abuse myself, so much of Harriet's

experience in that regard was drawn directly from my own life. I wanted to use this novel

as a way to highlight how that kind of behavior sneaks up on you and how tough it is to

recognize. Though I certainly hope I’m not, or wasn't, quite as cranky as Harriet is at the

beginning of the novel!

Jodi: How long did it take you to write Harriet Hates Lemonade?

Kim: In terms of timing, I actually wrote Harriet faster than my debut. I think it took a little over

a year to write my messy first draft. Having one book out that people already enjoyed

definitely helped quiet my imposter syndrome. However, the manuscript itself was much

more complex because the pacing had to be so deliberate. I needed the reader to settle

into Harriet’s quirks and her world before slowly pulling back the curtain on the shadows

Les had left behind.

Jodi: If you could give writers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Kim: Write the thing that makes you a little bit afraid. If you’re writing a scene and you think,

"I'm not sure if I should go this deep" that’s usually exactly where the heart of the story

lives. Don't worry about making your protagonist likable. Focus on making them real.

Jodi: What are you reading right now?

Kim: I’ve actually been doing quite a bit of research for my third novel, so I’ve been exploring

the "frontier noir" genre and gold rush novels like Where the Lost Wander by Amy

Harmon as I look for comps for my upcoming work. It’s completely new territory for me,

but I am absolutely loving it! My brand as an author is centered on strong and quirky

Montana women, so I’m really enjoying digging into the state’s past to find the

incredible, resilient women who paved the way.

Jodi: I can't wait to read your next story of strong and quirky Montana women!