Meet our latest debut author, Katie Munnik, whose novel was released in April this year.
Tell us a little about your book and how you came to write it.
The Heart Beats In Secret is the story of a woman who inherits her grandmother’s house only to find a wild goose stalking the kitchen. Set between Canada and Scotland, my book explores the lives of three generations of women and the choices, secrets and bonds that have defined them.
It was sparked by a road sign I saw while driving in Scotland. The place name intrigued me, and I started collecting stories and characters that felt intertwined with the place. A few months later, I moved with my family and found myself in a new city with time on my hands and none of my familiar local distractions on hand. It seemed a perfect opportunity to dedicate some time to exploring these stories.
What makes your book unique?
Likely the goose. She’s a bit of an impossible character.
I also hope that my writing feels new to readers. My work often bridges the space between prose and poetry, and I hope readers will find this story is an experience in crafted language as well as in thoughtful, layered history.
Your book is now in readers’ hands. Which part of being published have you found most exciting?
It has been wonderful hearing directly from readers. I think I didn’t expect that. Of course, I hoped for public feedback and braced myself for reviews, but it’s the quiet, personal notes via email and social media that have surprised and delighted me. Writing is such an individual act, and to read now how my words have connected with readers has been very special.
What has been the most challenging part of your journey to publication?
Learning patience. There is so much waiting involved. From each submission through to the pauses between rounds of editing and the decisions about cover images and copy, I had to learn to take deep, patient breaths So much of the journey seemed to happen far away and over a very stretched-out period of time. But the silver lining is that I found time to focus on the next project.
Do you have a writing mentor, or someone who has influenced your work?
While writing the first draft of this novel, I worked with Canadian novelist Joan Barfoot. She was brilliant. Blunt and encouraging in equal measure and very wise about process. I felt lucky to have her as an early reader.
If there was one book that you could have written, other than your own, what would it be and why?
I’m going to cheat and say Alice Munro’s Miles City, Montana. It’s a short story but feels like a whole life. For me, it is what fiction is about. Munro gracefully, flawlessly moves through time, reveals depth of character and explores our deepest fears without flinching. It is magic.
What advice would you give to other writers hoping to publish a novel?
Keep going. It’s easy to say and so very hard to do.
Is there a debut novel you’re particularly looking forward to reading in 2019?
I’m looking forward to Rebecca Pert’s Goodbye Horses, coming out in August from The Borough Press. Pert won the Cheltenham Literature Festival First Novel Competition with this story about a daughter of a Thalidomide survivor growing up in the Shetland Islands. It’s describes as dark and clever, and I’m keen to see how the story unfolds. There’s also Little Scratch by Rebecca Watson. It’s coming out with Faber and Faber and the stream of consciousness style looks really fresh and interesting.
About the author
Katie Munnik was born in Canada and lives in Cardiff. Her collection of short fiction, The Pieces We Keep, was published by Wild Goose Publications and her prose, poetry, and creative non-fiction have appeared in several magazines and anthologies. She is a graduate of the University of St Andrews and the Humber School for Writers in Toronto, Canada.
The Heart Beats In Secret was published 4th April, 2019 by The Borough Press (HarperCollins).
You can visit her website or follow her on Twitter.