Q&A with Katherine Heiny

 

 

Katherine Heiny is the author of the story collection Games and Rituals, which is now available in paperback. Her other books include the novel Early Morning Riser. She is based in the Washington, D.C., area.

 

Q: Over how long a period did you write the stories in Games and Rituals?

 

A: I wrote one of the stories a long time ago (see below) and I wrote about half of them right before 2020 and half of them after. I only wrote one story in 2020—I found it hard to write with any fluency during the pandemic.

 

But I get frequent migraines and during lockdown I began receiving monthly injections as a preventative. It’s hard to inject yourself so I had my husband do it but I wondered what I would have done if I lived alone, or with a roommate.

 

This idea eventually became “Pandemic Behavior” and while I loved writing every story in this collection, Lohania’s speech about bikini waxes was probably the most fun.

 

Q: The Guardian's review of the book says, in part, “The deadpan delivery, the bittersweet wisdom, the sublime farce – it’s all here.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was incredibly flattered by that review. I think one of the hardest parts of writing is that you have to juggle so much at once.

 

You’re always wondering as you write: are your characters interesting? Is the plot believable? Is the language fresh? And then you’re like, “Whoa, wait, it’s been three pages since any character spoke and now they’re all at a barbecue! This is getting away from me.”

 

For a reviewer to think I accomplished any of my goals is a great compliment.

Q: How was the book's title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I wrote “Games and Rituals” when I was in graduate school and I found a copy of it when we were moving. My husband read it and said right away that I should include it in the collection as the title story. He gives good advice; my editor loved the title.

 

I updated the story to present day because all the characters were using speaker phones and VCRs. It’s amazing how antique that seems today. But the idea of the story—a girl dealing with of a breakup by developing games and rituals to make it less painful—is, I hope, timeless.

 

Q: How did you decide on the order in which the stories would appear in the collection?

 

A: I changed my mind a million times but in the end, I decided to lead with “Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented” which takes place at the DMV.

 

I had taken my son to get his driver’s license and one of the driving examiners was a woman and I suddenly realized (because a part of my brain is always thinking about true crime) that Ted Bundy had a driver’s license and therefore had taken a road test with some unsuspecting driving examiner, and maybe that driving examiner had been a woman.

 

It seemed like a good opener and after that, the rest of the stories seemed to fall in place.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on a novel and when it was in the planning stages, I had a sudden insight on the way to the dentist and pulled over to call my husband and tell him that in this new novel, something exciting was going to happen in every chapter!

 

I know that’s called a plot but it seemed really breathtaking to me that day. Actually, it still does.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Well, once, in my 20s, due to laundry crisis and hangover error, I wore a bridesmaid’s dress to an office temp job and then spent the whole day calling people to tell them how embarrassing it was and my friend Mary took the subway over 20 stops to see it in person.

 

I'm not a fan of the aging process in general but it did make me happy to put that story to good use in “Bridesmaid, Revisited.” If it helps you picture it: the dress was shiny lavender with puffed sleeves.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Katherine Heiny.