Heather Hach interviews Kat Lamb of THE TROUBLE WITH DROWNING
Heather Hach is a screenwriter (FREAKY FRIDAY, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING) and Tony-nominated Broadway librettist (LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL) who has always had her nose in a book. She co-wrote the YA novel FREAKY MONDAY with Mary Rodger, but THE TROUBLE WITH DROWNING is her adult novel debut.
Heather Hach interviews Kat Lamb of THE TROUBLE WITH DROWNING
Kat Lamb has craved steadiness all her life. A foster kid who was was shuffled from home to home, Kat survived her adolescence with the dream that books would someday be her salvation. A grad student at the University of Arizona on a writing scholarship, now Kat is crafting her memoir about her brutal childhood in an attempt to find peace. Along the way, she also finds love. Overwhelming, intoxicating first love—with a man who also happens to be the son of one of her literary heroes, Carol Walsh. Basking in this new reality, Kat finally has the sort of existence she always dreamt about. She clings to her life’s new halcyon glow with a white-knuckled intensity that forecasts one reality—tragedy.
THE TROUBLE WITH DROWNING will lead readers down a breathless trail as Kat loses her grip with her wavering mental health, fighting for relevance and attempting to reclaim what was lost.
HEATHER HACH interviews KAT LAMB
I noticed Kat on the Sabino Canyon trail in Tucson up ahead, she had on her unmistakable flowy sweater replete with felt stars sewn across her back.
Heather: Excuse me, Kat. Kat Lamb, is it you, isn’t it?
Kat: What? Yes. How did you know?
Heather: The sweater. I remember you beaming with pride over it, showing me this gift from the great Carol Walsh. You hoped her old sweater would contain some of her literary genius and spill onto you…
Kat: Yes, well… still waiting some days. You know how that goes. Anyway, I never knew you’d need a sweater in Tucson, but it does get chilly in February, even in the desert.
Heather: True. So are you in touch with Carol these days?
Kat: We text. It’s infrequent, but I always love to hear from her. She’s very busy.
Heather: And you’re not?
Kat: Of course. I’m working on a new book. It’s taken over my entire life, once again.
Heather: Oh, care to share what it’s about? A little sneak peek, if you will?
Kat: I can’t say too much, I’m holding it fairly close to my chest. I’d love to say more, but now’s not the time. This new novel is a true labor of love, intense and raw. After a big writing day, I have to clear my head and walk in the desert. I wrote for three hours today, and I’m beat. But being outside amongst the cacti and stark sky always refuels me.
Heather: You love it here, don’t you? The desert?
Kat: I do. It’s mysterious. Everything can be so withholding, and I can be that way, too. Did you know that cactus breath at night? And that it was so hot a few months ago the cactus started to collapse? Just literally fall over, decimated by the world. They couldn’t breath. It was all so heartbreaking to see those fallen cactus.
Heather: Do you relate to this?
Kat: Sadly, more than you’ll ever know.
Heather: I know you’ve struggled with your mental health, and always been candid about your battles. How are you now?
Kat: To be honest, I’m still struggling. But mostly, I am proud of where I’m at. Just trying to be diligent with my medication which makes a huge difference, as does therapy. We all need support.
Heather: We sure do. I hope you find your way, Kat.
Kat: Thank you so much. May we all.
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Heather Hach is a screenwriter (FREAKY FRIDAY, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING) and Tony-nominated Broadway librettist (LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL) who has always had her nose in a book. She co-wrote the YA novel FREAKY MONDAY with Mary Rodger, but THE TROUBLE WITH DROWNING is her adult novel debut.
In her prior life, Hach worked as a journalist at the New York Times Denver Bureau and was an editor at Sports and Fitness Publishing in Boulder. She also joined Comedy Sports, an improv troupe that performed every weekend in Denver’s Wynkoop Brewery. Hach moved to Los Angeles to pursue a screenwriting career and won the Walt Disney Screenwriting Fellowship in 1999, and she’s been writing ever since.
Heather lives in Manhattan Beach, California, with her two children, a husband, a charming golden doodle and a weird pug.
Instagram: heatherhachhearne
Category: On Writing
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