DEBUT SPOTLIGHT: CARLY HEATH

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Carly Heath, author of THE RECKLESS KIND, a queer YA historical debut that defies genre classification and centers a wild and reckless trio who fly in the face of small town tradition—full of compassion, love, and determination to live the lives of their choosing, coming November 2nd, 2021 from Soho Teen

The Full Synopsis

It's Norway 1904, and Asta Hedstrom doesn't want to marry her odious betrothed, Nils—even though a domestic future is all her mother believes she's suited for, on account of her single-sided deafness, unconventional appearance, and even stranger notions. Asta would rather spend her life performing in the village theater with her friends and fellow outcasts: her best friend Gunnar Fuglestad and his secret boyfriend, wealthy Erlend Fournier.
But the situation takes a dire turn when Nils lashes out in jealousy—gravely injuring Gunnar. Shunning marriage for good, Asta moves with Gunnar and Erlend to their secluded cabin above town. With few ties left with their families, they have one shot at gaining enough kroner to secure their way of life: win the village's annual horse race.

“Carly Heath's writing jumps off the page to create an immersive world with lovable, queer characters who will steal your heart. A gorgeous tale of love and friendship, The Reckless Kind will utterly transport you.”

—ROSIEE THOR, AUTHOR OF TARNISHED ARE THE STARS

I have had this brilliant book on my Goodreads TBR ever since Carly and I first met on Twitter this past spring. I can’t wait to have The Reckless Kind on my shelves and learn more about Asta, Carly’s heroine, a headstrong young woman who isn’t afraid to push against the conventions of her day and blaze her own path. Carly has so much positive energy and I know you’ll enjoy our interview. So without further ado, here it is:

Paulette: It’s so nice to talk with you, Carly! You and I share a release week this November and a passion for historical fiction. I think diversity and representation are so important with historical fiction, and I love all the representation mentioned in your synopsis. What inspired you to write The Reckless Kind?

Carly: I was inspired to write The Reckless Kind during a period in my life where I kept experiencing horse-related injuries. The central family in the book—the Fuglestads—are known in their town for taking in the horses no one else wants and are said to be cursed with perpetual bad luck. I was also researching the vegetarian movement in Europe that began in 1847 and was fascinated by that and early gay activists like Edward Carpenter. He, in particular, was vegetarian, socialist, animal rights activist, and just awesome in every way. So, this idea of the Fuglestads being this progressive but also very imperfect family was at the heart of the book. I was also reading Kristin Lavransdatter at the time and thinking a lot about making something that gave me the feeling of Kristin Lavransdatter, but feminist.

Paulette: I’m so intrigued by your premise! I’m not familiar with Kristin Lavransdatter, but you’ve inspired me to check it out. I also studied Edward Carpenter for my debut. The early 20th century was definitely a time of immense social change and progressive activism. It sounds like a lot of well-rounded and intense research went into crafting The Reckless Kind. Can you tell us what your writing process looks like?

Carly: I have no process. It’s all chaos. I randomly look at stuff on Pinterest. I search through historical books on google, scrolling through topics that randomly inspire my interest. I get inspiration for random scenes. My first draft is unrecognizable from the finished book. 99% of the work is in revising and streamlining it into a plot.

If it weren’t for capitalism (I’m a millennial, so I have several day jobs to survive) I would definitely write everyday. But as it is now, I write/revise when I can… mostly in the morning.

Paulette: It can be so difficult to juggle everything, especially with the kind of year we’ve just had. I admire your tenacity and determination to carve out time for your writing with such a busy schedule. Writers are some of the hardest working people I know. I think it’s so important to reward ourselves for our efforts. How do you celebrate your successes and milestones as a writer?

Carly: I was doing a thing where I’d buy myself a bracelet every time I reached 10,000 words. Honestly, I need to start doing that again because it’s motivating.

Paulette: I love that. It’s such a tangible way to see your goals manifesting—and a special keepsake you can look at through the years and remember how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished. Because of social media, we often only see the positive things happening in an author’s life, but publishing can be stressful. What have been the biggest challenges of your debut year?

Carly: Not limited to debut year, but, again, capitalism. If I didn’t need to work to survive I could read and promote everyone’s arcs, work on my book 2, reach out to all the bloggers and do everything I could to hype my book as well as other 21der books I love.

Paulette: It’s a lot to balance. Having it all and doing it all is something that many people—women especially—struggle with, and at the end of the day, we can only do what we have the time and energy to do. All my admiration goes to you for handling everything so well! You do a lot of wonderful outreach to other writers on your YouTube channel, you’ve been a mentor for Author Mentor Match, and you’ve helped connect me to fellow authors personally, as well.

I also enjoy all of your fun photos on Instagram and Twitter, especially your ARCs of The Reckless Kind with farm animals. The goats! So with all of that said, do you have any advice for aspiring writers, especially those in their debut year?

Carly: Start making a list early of everyone who helped you because writing the acknowledgements is the most stressful part of the debut process and I keep being terrified of forgetting someone.

Paulette: That’s such a great tip. I had the same worry, so I had lists everywhere. So many people have helped me on my journey, and I’m grateful to all of them. Thanks again for being so gracious with your time, Carly. I’m looking forward to reading The Reckless Kind and I’m looking forward to connecting with you even more as our November release dates near!

Photo By Brandy Yi

Carly Heath earned her BA from San Francisco State University and her MFA from Chapman University. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Carly teaches design, art, theater, and writing for various colleges and universities. She spends all her time and most her money tending to a menagerie of rescued farm animals.

The Reckless Kind is her first novel. You can connect with Carly on: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and her Website

You can request The Reckless Kind anywhere books are sold or pre-order from Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Amazon, or IndieBound