Curling Up With A Good Book: Rockstar Book Tours Blog Tour, Interview, & Giveaway: After The Fall (Kate Hart)

AFTER THE FALL
Author: Kate Hart
Pub. Date: January 24, 2017
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pages: 336
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Seventeen-year-old Raychel is sleeping with two boys: her overachieving best friend Matt…and his slacker brother, Andrew. Raychel sneaks into Matt’s bed after nightmares, but nothing ever happens. He doesn’t even seem to realize she’s a girl, except when he decides she needs rescuing. But Raychel doesn't want to be his girl anyway. She just needs his support as she deals with the classmate who assaulted her, the constant threat of her family’s eviction, and the dream of college slipping quickly out of reach. Matt tries to help, but he doesn’t really get it… and he’d never understand why she’s fallen into a secret relationship with his brother. The friendships are a precarious balance, and when tragedy strikes, everything falls apart. Raychel has to decide which pieces she can pick up – and which ones are worth putting back together.

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After studying Spanish and history at a small liberal arts school, Kate Hart taught young people their ABCs, wrote grants for grownups with disabilities, and now builds treehouses for people of all ages. Her debut YA novel, AFTER THE FALL, is coming January 2017 from FSG. She also contributes to YA Highway, hosts the Badass Ladies You Should Know series, and will soon sell inappropriate handicrafts at The Badasserie.
Kate is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, and owns a treehouse-building business in northwest Arkansas, where she resides with her family.

Which came first, the title or the novel?

The title came about halfway through the writing of the novel. I’d been playing around with various “fall” variations, and when I put Jose Gonzalez’s song “Futures” on my writing playlist, the refrain “after the fall” just stuck.

Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

I’ve learned that being a writer can’t be my whole identity. Other pursuits and interests feed my writing, but they’re also valuable beyond what they contribute to my work. I need a wide variety of pursuits to keep myself balanced.

What do you like most about the cover of the book?

Oh man, everything. Elizabeth Clark knocked it out of the park. I am so grateful to her -- the cover looks like it came straight off my inspiration board.

What was your favorite book in 2016?

I really enjoyed Zan Romanoff’s A Song To Take the World Apart, Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle, Jessica Spotwood’s A Tyranny of Petticoats, and The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore.

What’s up next for you?

I’m working on two manuscripts: one is a YA contemporary set over two summers in Texas, and the other is a historical magical realism based on the history of the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma and some of my own genealogy. I also plan to expand the Etsy shop I just opened (thebadasserie.net) to include jewelry made from our treehouse business’s wood scraps.

Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?

The first assault scene, by far. It required revisiting lots of painful memories, but I also had to balance the trauma of seeing that played out on the page versus the necessity of the reader understanding why Raychel responds the way she does. I hope I found an okay medium.

Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?

Carson. I understand the societal forces that make boys believe they’re entitled to women’s bodies, but it was a different challenge to delve into why this individual couldn’t see the truth of his actions. I didn’t want to sympathize with him, but as the author, I did have to understand his motivations and background in order to write him effectively. The process was valuable for the narrative but extremely uncomfortable for me personally.

Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?

I haaaaaate drafting. Revising is infinitely easier for me.

What would you say is your superpower?

Speedreading. I also have a supersonic sense of smell, but it’s more of a hindrance than a help.

Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

My mother in law founded Life Styles, Inc, a local organization that empowers adults with developmental disabilities to live independently. She built the agency from the ground up, starting with a few rooms in a motel in the 70s, and her example always makes it hard to argue that anything is too difficult.