To me, what is most “adult” about Under the Poppy is not the sexy brothel bits or even the cruelty of the war scenes (both on and off the battlefield), but its inherent theme, which is faithfulness: how do we stay true to a person, a profession, an art how do we keep our love and commitment strong even through disappointment and loss, and the painful passing of time? Do you ever worry that young readers will stumble upon your adult work before they’re ready for it? Q: You may be best known for your young adult novels, all of which are considerably tamer than Under the Poppy, even if they deal with potentially controversial topics. If I get very, very brave I might try to write text for a picture book for very young readers, the most difficult discipline of all, I think, next to haiku. And theatre is a collaborative art, completely unlike sitting here alone at my keyboard. I recently adapted Under the Poppy for the stage: my first try as a playwright! Completely different than writing a novel or piece of short fiction: these words are meant to be SAID. I never thought I’d write a historical novel, just like I never thought I’d write YA (and ended up writing seven YA novels). Although there have been blind alleys along the way, and a couple of dead ends, it’s tremendous fun and always a challenge to work in a new genre, learning its contours and figuring out where the boundaries are.
I never really know what I’m going to write next-one of the great joys of doing this work is just following the path, seeing where the work leads. Is there anything you haven’t tried that you’d like to write in the future? Q: You’ve written all over the map in terms of length and style, from short stories to novels, in horror, fantasy, mainstream literary and now historical fiction. To be compared with Sarah Waters’ work is a pleasure and a compliment. I stay away from fiction in general when I’m writing any novel-but since then I’ve read all three and adore them all, though Fingersmith is probably my favorite. Had you read any of those books before you wrote yours, and what do you think of the comparison? Q: With a well-researched 1870s setting and a queer love story at its heart, it’s understandable that some people compare Under the Poppy to Sarah Waters’ Victorian lesbian novels. Puppets make wonderful fictional characters because they are themselves fictional from the get-go, but unbound from all the constraints a “real” character must obey. What a rockin’ question to lead off with! Yes, in fact I do-the antic, slippery, completely untrustworthy Pan Loudermilk, who scares the hell out of one of the poor working girls in the book’s opening scene, and wreaks havoc every time he takes the stage. Q: Under the Poppy has a very colorful cast and some of the most colorful characters are the puppets (or mecs). Kathe has also adapted the story into an immersive stage show, to debut in 2011. Most recently, Kathe has returned to writing for adults with her new novel, Under the Poppy, set in war-torn 19th century Europe, and it includes a few very naughty puppets. She began writing after she attended the Clarion workshop, and her first novel, The Cipher, won the Bram Stoker and Locus Award.įollowing that success, she went on to write several novels for adults before turning a short story for younger readers into her first YA novel, straydog, followed by Talk, a story about a closeted teenager, which was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. Kathe is a straight ally whose short stories and novels feature a diverse range of characters in a variety of genres.