Kristin Garth On Books And Writing
For my latest author interview, I turned to Kristin Garth.
This interview has been edited lightly.
“Daddy” was released in September. Would you tell me a little bit about it?
Daddy released October 1. It’s a dark story collection (that also includes a novella called “Plaything”) on the theme of dark daddies of all kinds. Some of these daddies are biological ones that have abandoned or abused characters in their past. Some are sexual partners who take roleplaying to sadistic extremes. Some are literal dreams or nightmares. All are ghosts that haunt the female characters in the story as they navigate their lives by giving into the patterns of the past or establishing autonomy.
The stories take place in diverse settings like a kitty-cat-themed coffee shop, a skating rink, a suburban neighborhood where a serial killer lived, a middle school, some strip clubs, a fashion party. Daddy issues follow us to all kinds of places and affect our lives in endless ways. They certainly do for me. Writing this book has allowed me to exorcize some personal demons, for sure.
How long did it take to write? Do you have a writing routine?
The title story of the collection I wrote originally in graduate school, which [was] decades ago. I did substantial rewrites of that story but if you count that I would say that this book began 20-plus years ago. However, the book as an idea for a collection began about a year ago. Most of the stories are newer and were written in anticipation of this theme of dark father figures and their influence.
My writing process requires a lot of room for thought and contemplation. I can’t listen to music with words because they distract me but I do love to write to electronica, witch house particularly or classical music. I can write in public only if I have headphones in because I can’t deal with chatter of people, but I do love coffee so coffeehouses are great, if I’m prepared.
Who is your ideal reader?
My ideal reader is someone who is not afraid to go deep and into darkness but from a vulnerable female point of view. My ideal reader understands the complexity of the human heart and is on a journey to self-awareness. My ideal reader is a lot like me, I believe, broken but bravely still opening their heart to the world.
Do you have any literary influences?
I am influenced by so many writers. Reading is my favorite hobby and always has been. My first favorite book I read over and over in elementary school was “Wuthering Heights.” I went on a long journey with Joyce Carol Oates and her vast oeuvre. My favorite book of hers is called “Beasts.”
I have a story (Mausoleum) in “Daddy” that is definitely inspired by Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.” I am a recluse who lives in the woods, and that’s a book I read only in the last couple of years and I related to so much.
Currently, I’m reading the book “Poor Things” by Alasdair Gray. It’s a Frankensteinesque tale about a girl brought back to life by a doctor who becomes a father figure. It’s not a book that influenced my own because I only happened upon it after I wrote my stories but it underscores the universality of the theme of “Daddy” — the father as a haunting antagonist who has the power to give us life but also may destroy or wound us catastrophically.
