5 questions with Hoosier horror book author Kathleen Palm

Northeast-Indiana-based horror book author Kathleen Palm takes readers on journeys that explore the multi-faceted human experience — with a spooky twist. From homemaker to full-time author, Palm shares how passion, hard work and enthusiasm have all intersected and have contributed to her career success. 

Kathleen PalmJust in time for Halloween, Input Fort Wayne sat down with Palm to meet the woman behind stories that will make the hairs on your neck stand up. 

1. How did you become a published writer? 
KP: I'm not one of those people who knew they wanted to write when they were a child. I started writing about 20 years ago when I was 31.

I started with drawings. I have an art degree, and I like to draw. At one time, I thought I wanted to be an illustrator. Now, when I look back at it, I drew bits of a story I had in my head.  I’d draw a world that I made up, a creature I made up, or a character, and I used to write out who they were and where they lived, etc. 

So when I look back at it, maybe I was always supposed to be a writer. I just didn't know it until I hit 31. It was then the story I had in my head for a while finally fully formed in my head. 

My husband bought me a laptop. When the kids slept at night, I wrote a book. Then it was a matter of just trying to figure out what to do with that and what that meant and where that took me. 

I wrote a book, but I had no idea what to do after that. I had been in art classes. I hadn't taken any writing classes. I had no idea about how publishing worked. Someone suggested I try a short story because those are easier to get published and then you can say you have a writing credit– when you want to do a book, that could help. 

I entered a short story contest and got an honorable mention the first time I entered. That was the case the second time I entered. And then the third time I got ninth place. It was at that point I thought, “Maybe I'm doing something, right?”

2. It’s not every day you meet a horror book author. What attracted you to this genre and what keeps you invested?
KP: It started with my dad. When I was a child, he would watch the strangest things on TV. He wasn't a parent that would shut it off if a kid came in. He decided that if you came in, this is what he was watching— if you wanted to watch it, you could or you could go. So I constantly would walk in, and he would be watching some strange things. I would sit down and watch. Those shows always intrigued me. 

I like creepy and weird things. I like looking into the darkness and seeing what's there. I think that can help you see the light better. I also think when we can take our fears and our traumas and make them into a physical monster, that's something we can fight. Or if we can't fight it, we can at least acknowledge it. I think that helps a lot.

Kathleen Palm speaks with students at Woodland Junior High School.3. Why do you like to write for middle-grade audiences?
KP: Kids feel all the things all the time. They just don't have the life experience to know what to do about it or how to deal with situations. I think horror is a great way to give them a character who is dealing with the same things and help them cope. 

For instance, in one of my middle-grade books, one of the character’s parents has depression. Kids need books that can help them maybe see themselves and see bigger things through the characters. I also think some kids just honestly like monsters and like to be scared and that's okay, too. 

4. What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of your work?
KP: The writing itself presents its own challenges. I didn't take classes in it. I didn't know what I was doing, but I did read books.

Staring at those blank pages is really hard for me because I'm slightly a perfectionist. I stare at that blank page and think I can't make it what I want it to be. It can't be perfect, so it's very hard for me to start because that first draft is never perfect, and sometimes it's not good at all, but I can't fix it until I write it. So my biggest hurdle is putting it on the page. 

Then after that, living in the publishing world is hard in and of itself. Unless you're Stephen King, you don't just get book deals coming at you from all over. Querying is a process that’s not fun. It's always hard to send them out and wait for them to come back. But every once in a while, you get that yes that helps you keep going. That little bit of hope stays with you, even more so when you send out the next ones.

5. What’s it like to connect with other horror writers?
Kathleen Palm at Author Con 2024KP: Just this year, I've started going to book events because I decided I really needed to connect better and get out there. So I signed up. I did one and that led to more. Hanging out with other horror authors is always really fun. We all have the same kind of humor. You can talk about the strange things in your head without shocking someone. 

I love brainstorming with other authors. We'll talk about all sorts of stuff and you get inspired. It's always a good time. Horror authors are some of the nicest people. That might surprise some people but we’re really nice, and we're really accepting of everybody. It’s super fun to hang out in a place where there's really no judgment because people judge us for the weird things we write all the time. 

To learn more about Kathleen Palm’s work, visit kathleenpalm.wordpress.com.