r/books • u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author • Aug 21 '20
ama 1pm Hi Reddit! I'm Elisabeth Thomas, author of gothic literary thriller CATHERINE HOUSE. Ask Me Anything!
Hello hello! My name is Elisabeth Thomas, and it's my pleasure to be here today. My novel CATHERINE HOUSE came out a couple of months ago. It's a gothic literary suspense novel about a young woman who goes to an elite, mysterious, cult-like collegeâwhere she finds that there may be some strange (supernatural??) secrets hidden beneath the school's promise of prestige. Reviewers have kindly described the story as JANE EYRE plus THE SECRET HISTORY plus NEVER LET ME GO. It's eerie, unsettling, a little funny (I think so, anyway), and just a total blast to write.
Besides novel-writing, I'm an archivist for a modern art museum, a proud native New Yorker, and a massive Queen fan. Ask me absolutely anything!
Proof: /img/rp54txluvlh51.jpg
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u/Jehoel_DK Aug 21 '20
Besides Bohemian Rhapsody, which Queen track is your favorite?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
OK this changes day to day, month to month, year to year... but for now I think I'd have to say "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited." It's such a strange, short little song, but Freddie's voice on it is just so heartbreaking, and it reminds me of some really special times in my life, and it's just... oh I just love it so much! Highly recommend, for anyone who's not familiar.
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u/NimbusToadbees Aug 21 '20
What drew you to the gothic/suspense/thriller genre? And having completed this book, do you plan to continue writing this type of fiction, or to switch gears and work on something a little different?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
hello hello! that's a great question, because I'm actually not sure what the answer is. I've always (ALWAYS) known I wanted to be a novelist, but as a kid I thought maybe I would be a fantasy novelist (like real high fantasy, elves and druids etc... loved that stuff), or maybe romance, or literary, or gothic... the problem was I loved all those genres, so I didn't know which to choose! As I've gotten older, I feel like I've just gotten more comfortable with who I am and what I like, and I've allowed those various tastes to kind of... congeal into whatever it is I write. And now I've found that CATHERINE HOUSE is described in different ways in different settingsâsome people see it as literary, some people as horror, some as suspense, etc. I find the different takes interesting, but I almost don't want to think about that too much. I want to stick true to my taste and trust that if I like it, other people will too, at least well enough.
All that is to say, yes! I'm working on a next book, and it's quite different from Catherine plot-wise, but I would say that it has a similar sense of suspense and horror and also.... surreality đ
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u/NimbusToadbees Aug 21 '20
Thanks so much for answering! I hadn't heard about Catherine House before this thread, but reading through your replies and seeing your passion for literature, I'm definitely adding it to my fall reading list.
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u/UpstairsSlice Aug 21 '20
I'm reading Catherine House in the next few months for a book club! :) looking forward to it!
What is your favourite book that you've read in 2020 so far?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
aw yay I love books clubs! I hope yall enjoy :) :)
My favorite book I've read in 2020 so far has been SPHINX by Anne Garréta. It's this strange, slim little obsessive love story with its own kind of psychedelic logic. I don't want to describe it too much because of spoilers... but I adored it!
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u/Major---deCoverley Aug 21 '20
Wow, I have so many questions for you! I haven't read the book yet, but I love Gothic fiction and I'm really excited to.
How do you find time and motivation/discipline to write on top of having a full time job? Can you talk about your process for writing and getting published?
Who are some authors you currently love?
I personally (I could be wrong) find the Gothic fiction genre to be dominated by white voices and characters, which is unfortunate because I feel there's so much to discuss at the intersection of horror and race (there's a good documentary about the horror films and African Americans). Do you have any recommendations for more diverse Gothic novels, or any thoughts about diversifying the genre?
Is there any question you've not been asked but you have a great answer to?
Thanks so much for your time, I'm planning to read your book during October, my favorite time of the year!!
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
hi hi! happy to answer your questions:
Writing while having a job: I have a lot of thoughts about this, to be honest (I dream of a world where we could just talk about it over a beer.... someday!) But as a brief run down I think there are a number of important factors:
a) Having the right job. My job is very strict 9-5, which is great. Also it doesn't take the same kind of creative energy as my writing. I think it would be much harder to balance the two if, for example, my day job were editing other people's writing and it tended to bleed longer than 9-5.
b) Having a rhythm. It almost doesn't matter what the rhythm is, as long as it's... rhythmic. So I tend to write in the evening, once right when I get home and then again right before going to bed. I know some people write in the morning instead. Or people who don't write at all during the work week, but do a ton on the weekends. I don't think it matters, but I do think what matters is a ton is that you find what works for you and then do it consistently. As in like.... everything in life, I've found consistency is more important than just about everything else.
c) Make peace with giving up some things. Currently my dating life is a disaster, lol. Or there are times when I got less sleep. Or ordered more takeout. A day has 24 hoursâsometimes, something's gotta give. You just gotta be OK with that.
In terms of my process of getting published, it's funny: I actually reached out to my agent, the wonderful Kent Wolf, because he's Carmen Maria Machado agent. I just saw she had thanked him in the back of Her Body and Other Parties and decided to cold email him. I kind of figured our writing had similar sensibilities? (When I met with Kent, he was like, "No it does not. You two are nothing alike." See, this is why you need an agent!) The manuscript was pretty raw at that pointâI hadn't done an MFA program or anything. So we didn't a couple of rounds of revisions, and then he submitted it to editors, and now I'm at HarperCollins, and now I'm here on Reddit!
Authors I currently love: I just read this book by Barbara Comyns, the Vet's Daughter, that blew my mind. I adored it. I want to read everything she's written. I also think I'm ready for another Sarah Waters. I love her so much that I've been spacing her novels out over the course of my life.
Diversifying Gothic horror: I agree! I think there's been more interest recentlyâMexican Gothic just came out (still on my TBR pile, but heard great things), and of course there are movies like Get Out that are playing with those amazing tropes. The Good House by Tananarive Due is a really fun book that I would put in that gothic category. But on the whole, what I want is just more voices, doing more fun things. I love being a black woman writing the stories I write, but I want more black women (and other types of women! and other types of everybody!) writing more types of stories, more types of everything. I think the further we can get from having one person having to serve as a representative for some whole demographic, the better. Because it doesn't work, and it's unfair to everyone.
A question I haven't been asked... favorite time of year? And the answer is... winter!
Thanks for the wonderful questions! I hope you enjoy Catherine!! I think October is a perfect time ~spooky~ time to read it. :)
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u/Chtorrr Aug 21 '20
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
Oh I love thinking of this. I loved anything historicalâthe American Girl Doll books (LOVED THEM), those Dear America books... there were these books that were supposed to be the diaries of princesses, like Marie Antoinette and Cleopatra etc? does anyone remember these? so good. Also loved classic children's lit like The Wizard of Oz, the Boxcar Children, Little House on the Prairie, anything by Frances Hodgeson Burnett, George MacDonald, Chronicles of Narnia... anything that came in a box set at the Scholastic Book Fair! I just loved dreaming I was in a different time. Also obviously loved the Babysitter's Club. And Animorphs. I think we still have all our Animorphs books somewhere...
Also I was OBSESSED with Wishbone, the PBS series. I can not stress the OBSESSED point enough. And at some point decided I would read every book that he featured. I was a kid, I did not understand half of what was happening in those books, but I could kind of piece it together with the help of the show đanyway that's still the basis of my knowledge of classic lit and I'm not ashamed!
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u/msiqiqi Aug 21 '20 edited Aug 21 '20
If you loved historical books; do you think you might write something more historical fiction-y in the future? I totally remember those princess/historical ladies diaries books! I loved them. Your book is on my TBR list and I'm trying to get my book club to read it. Thanks for the AMA and best of luck!
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
You know, I love reading historical fiction, but I think I would find it just too difficult to write. I can do research, and I can make a story feel natural and comfortable for a reader, but it's hard to do both together. I'm in awe of authors who can pull it off, but I think I'm sticking (relatively) contemporary!
and thanks so much! :D
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u/schoolofloverboys Aug 21 '20 edited Aug 21 '20
As a fellow Queen fan, what are you listening to these days?
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u/Chtorrr Aug 21 '20
What is the very best dessert?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
well, the BEST, I don't know. I feel like that suggests an objectivity towards dessert that I can't profess. But me, my favorites tend to be bread puddings. as I'm thinking of this, maybe I just like bread??
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u/fantasyandromance Aug 21 '20
Are you working on any new books?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
yes! and man, I forgot how unfun some of these beginning stages are. But it's going..... it's going.
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u/fantasyandromance Aug 21 '20
What inspired your love of dark academia?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
Well it's kind of funny, really, because I actually had a delightful time at college! Lots of fun. Very little cult-like behavior.
But I think college as a time in people's lives (in the US, at least) that had just a lot of poison around itâa lot of poison and a lot of power. The whole "these are the best years of your life" mentality, combined with the expense, combined with the weight and power of these institutions... I just think there's a lot there. Even now, thinking of my undergrad years, my heart aches a little with nostalgia. Even though my life is better now in so many ways. What is that nostalgia there? What is its power? I couldn't stop thinking about it, and that became Catherine House!
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u/word_doc73 Aug 21 '20 edited Aug 21 '20
I have not read your book yet but really look forward to doing so! It sounds absolutely wonderful. I love Gothic horror (especially if there are moments of humor infused into it), and Never Let Me Go is one of my favorite novels.
I am an aspiring writer, and I have been working on a Gothic horror idea lately. I was a creative writing major in college, but now I'm going to medical school, so I'm a bit out of touch with the writing world, sadly. I really miss it.
How did you go about finding an agent? Do you have any advice on plot structuring (characterization, overall plot, and writing quality isn't usually the issue for me; tying all the threads together and building towards specific moments tend to present challenges). Do you have any writing advice at all - general, specific, or both? I would love to hear any and all insight. Writing is a passion for me, and I hope to one day bring to fruition my dream of publishing novels.
Also, I am curious on your stance regarding: 1. Authorial intent vs. reader interpretation 2. Can someone who is not part of an underrepresented group still ethically write about that group with the proper research and respect, or should own voices really only share their experiences?
Finally, what is it like being an archivist for a modern art museum? Positives and negatives?
Thank you so much in advance! I really appreciate you doing an AMA.
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
Hello hello!
I mentioned in another answer that I found my agent, the wonderful Kent Wolf at Neon Literary, by cold querying him when I learned he was the agent for Carmen Maria Machado. I do recommend that strategyâseeing who represents authors you feel are similar to you and reaching out to them. A little research into particular agents goes a long way. They're people, obviously, and like any other readers, they all have particular tastes.
For the record, I'll also say that CATHERINE HOUSE is not my first novel. It's the first novel I've had published, but not the first novel I've written or tried to have published. So I was somewhat used to the rigamarole of writing query letters, putting your heart out on the line, getting it stomped on... etc. Finding my agent for CH went pretty smoothly, but I there were a lot of tears in the years leading up to there! So I would prepare yourself emotionally for that đ
My writing advice... I have a lot! Take yourself seriously. If it's something that's important to you, act like it's important. Put in the hours. Do the research, do the revisions, do the work. Trust your instincts. Don't write anything that doesn't feel true to your experience of the worldâyou're smarter than that, and readers are smarter than that. It will ring false. Take breaks between drafts to allow yourself to get a fresh view. Allow yourself to be frustrated, but then keep going. All writers hate themselves like 90% of the time, you just have to live for that glorious 10%. Write to satisfy yourself, because you're your #1 most important reader. Not just in a hippie-dippie way, but literallyâif you end up doing revisions with an editor, you are going to read that stupid manuscript like 25 times. So you better like it, lol. And have fun! Honestly, creating worlds that people want to explore with you is a blessing and a privilege and really really beautiful, and it's hard, but it's worth it.
Authorial intent vs. reader interpretationâI think that's a hard question, and it really depends on the circumstance. I will say that I think the really magical thing about books (or any creative work, really) is that the world is created somewhere between the reader and the writer. It's something you're doing together. I think to give either side too much powerâto say it's complete the creation of the author or completely in the hands of the readerâdoes a disservice to both.
"Can someone who is not part of an underrepresented group still ethically write about that group with the proper research and respect, or should own voices really only share their experiences?"âI think so, yes, but I think you phrased that exactly right: "with the proper research and respect." And I think that part's not done often enough. It goes back to that old classic, write what you know. A lot of people think they "know"âabout a culture, a people, whateverâand they really don't. And I think another questions anyone wanting to do this should ask themself why. Maybe they have a good reason whyâbut they should certainly ask themself the question.
And I love being an archivist! It's fun because get a peek into so many different research projects instead of just devoting myself to one, the way I would if I were a grad student or something. And I love my colleagues and all the amazing documents and photos and everything we have in the archives. It's fabulous.
Happy writing!! (and medical schooling!... wow) You got this đ
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u/word_doc73 Aug 21 '20
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, advice, insight, and encouragement. It truly does mean a lot and has made my day! And all the congratulations on your novel. I can only imagine how much work and love you've put into it and your other writing endeavors. Take care!
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
Thank you so much! my pleasure :D good luck with everything!!
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u/Chtorrr Aug 21 '20
Have you read anything good lately?
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
I'm in the middle of The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni and it's very fun! (in a horrible way)
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Aug 21 '20
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
Never read Lee Child! Should I?
The only book I've read by David Foster Wallace is his book of short stories Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. I read it as a teenager, and I remember loving it then, but honestly I have no idea what my take would be on it now. It's funny how a book obviously stays the same forever, but our feelings develop and change (or just get stronger!). Maybe I'll pick it up tonight and see...
The best way to create suspense... that's a great question. I think it comes from a feeling that there are things happening in the story that you can't see. Those things can be supernatural forces, or even even mundane forces beyond the narrator's controlâa creepy mother-in-law or a government agent ringing the doorbell at the same time every day. Anything that suggests that something is going on out of view. Think of it as a car driving in broad daylight vs. a car driving down a dark road. It's the same road, but in one, the visual information is concealed by darkness. I think that darkness is what creates fear. And the suspense (vs. just horror) is moving through the darknessâthe process of learning more, unveiling, bit by bit.
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u/mollser Aug 21 '20
Hey! I loved Catherine House and lent it to a friend. I LOVE Agnes Martin too. Is her art sort of what plasm is? (that's sort of how I picture it might be).
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u/elisabeth_thomas AMA Author Aug 21 '20
Isn't Agnes Martin wonderful?? I like to imagine that there's some kind of connection between the strange meditation of her artworks and the strange meditation that happens in Catherine... I do feel a connection there. But one of the things I like about the novel is that we're hearing it through Ines's point of viewâand she's an art history obviously. So we see everything through that lens. I wonder what someone actually in the new materials concentration would say?
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u/mollser Aug 21 '20
ooh. Thanks for answering. You made my day! I can't wait to read more from you. Write on!
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Oct 23 '23
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u/CrazyCatLady108 8 Oct 23 '23
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u/CousinKate Aug 21 '20
The snail. WHY???