Q&A with Kara Thomas

 

 

 

Kara Thomas is the author of the new novel Out of the Ashes. Her other books include the young adult novel That Weekend. She lives on Long Island.

 

Q: You’ve noted that you were inspired to write Out of the Ashes after learning about a mystery that took place in 1945. What about that story compelled you to write your new novel?

 

A: I knew that I wanted to write about a crime in my main character, Samantha’s, past. When I learned about the Sodder family fire and how the remains of several of the children were never recovered, I couldn’t stop thinking about the case.

 

I had written about murders and missing persons before, but the idea of a person—multiple children— being missing after a fire presented this idea of a terrible liminal space for the characters to be trapped in. I wanted my plot to be driven by a character who just needed to know, one way or another, if her sister was dead or alive. 

 

Q: How did you create your character Samantha?

 

A: Samantha came to me before the plot— I always wanted to write about a nurse who worked the night shift because she was unable to sleep during the night due to childhood trauma. 

 

Q: The novel is set in a small town in New York state. How important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: The settings of my books always inform the plot. I am very interested in the politics of crime in small towns, and how that affects how quickly or effectively a case is solved. More attention is being paid to upstate New York in fiction, lately, and I think that’s exciting because these are all places I know and frequented when I was growing up. 

 

Q: Without giving anything away, did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I always knew what I wanted the final scene to be— I had a very specific image in my head of where Sam ended up. Through the editorial process, much of the lead up changed, but the last scene is the one I always envisioned ending the story with. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on another mystery for adults, about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who goes missing in the Hamptons. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: This is my first book for adults, but I’ve also written seven novels for teens! 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb