Meet the Creator: Kiah Thomas

"Storytelling was my way of connecting – with the world when I felt lost and alone, with my kids... and with myself, finding my way back to this thing that I loved."

Kiah Thomas writes wildly original stories for all ages, from one-of-a-kind picture books (TWO TURTLES), to wry and witty junior fiction (her LONE WOLF series has been described as ‘Roy Kent on the set of Bluey’), to mind-blowing middle grade fantasy (THE CALLERS). If her stories have a common thread, it’s that they’re all filled with humour and heart. Kiah’s books have been published internationally, made bestseller and CBCA Notable lists and been studied as part of the Australian school curriculum. Now she has turned her considerable talents to writing for adults – her debut rom com LOVE ON A BOOKSHELF (perfect for fans of Nina Kenwood) is out this month – one of SIX BOOKS she has out this year! On top of all of this, Kiah is a gifted story doctor who has rescued many manuscripts (including my own) from mediocrity. I’m so grateful for our bookish meet cute (at Sarah Armstrong’s Melbourne book launch back when we lived in different cities) and even more grateful she decided to move here, because now we can hang out regularly – drinking coffee, talking books and putting the world to rights.

Q&A WITH KIAH THOMAS

Can you remember the kid’s book/s that made you want to be an author?
I’ve always loved reading and telling stories, but I think the book that first made me dream of writing one myself was Rowan of Rin. Even now, reading it out loud makes me cry, which really confuses my kids (‘it’s not sad, Mum!’) But there’s something about an ordinary character having extraordinary character – and that being the thing that makes the difference – that really gets me. And I like how simply told the story is. It was also a great introduction to fantasy, a genre that has very much had my heart ever since.

When did you decide you wanted to be an author? How did you go about it?
When I was 10, being an author was my dream. Then I think I wanted to be a CEO for a while (the company was irrelevant – I just liked the idea of being in charge), then when I had kids of my own (and was not in any in any way, shape, or form a CEO) storytelling was my way of connecting – with the world, when I felt a bit lost and alone; with my kids, when I was pretending to be a bee, or a princess, or a rock; and with myself, finding my way back to this thing that I loved. It was my cousin who suggested I should write a kids’ book – and after a couple of not-great attempts, I eventually submitted a few manuscripts to Little Hare. My editor, Aly, read them and liked them, and the rest kind of unfolded from there!

Your books are all so wildly original, and each one very different from the last. How do you decide which idea to follow?
That is very lovely, thank you! The children’s books I’m most interested in reading are books that surprise me, or are beautifully told, or are doing something different. My hope is that I’ll be able to create books like that, too. But basically, when it comes to choosing what to write – I try to follow the joy. It’s not possible at all stages of the process (I do sometimes just have to persist when something is hard) but I find that especially at the beginning, if I’m not interested in or excited by an idea, it just won’t get off the ground. I have a lot of bad ideas still flailing around on the ground.

Do you think your stories have a common thread?
I was thinking the other day that the things I write never turn out the way I expect them to… which is maybe not a great thing to admit? But overall, there’s a tone running through them all that is probably quite similar – I think my voice inevitably comes through in anything I write. I’ve also noticed that my writing is much more influenced by my location and what I’m doing than I think it’s going to be. I’ve been writing on the train a bit lately, and in two different projects I’m working on the characters have ended up on the train …

Was there anything that surprised you about the publishing process?
How long everything takes! I’m not sure why I was surprised by it – it makes sense! But in the lulls, it can be hard to stay motivated. On the positive side, I was also surprised to discover that one of my favourite parts of the process is the editing. I really love working with someone to make a book the best possible version of itself.

Australian (top) and US (bottom) covers of the Lone Wolf series.

You’ve just been hit by a new idea in the middle of work/life/a shower/the night. What’s next? How do you record it and how/when do you tackle it?
It’s funny, because there’s literally a voice memo on my husband’s phone from yesterday when I was in the shower and suddenly had an idea about a picture book I’ve been working on. Making the voice memo was his idea; my plan was just to yell my thoughts at him in the hope that one of us would remember it later. I have also woken in the middle of the night with brilliant ideas and written them down only to discover the next morning that what I wrote makes absolutely zero sense. Middle of the night ideas notwithstanding, I do find that if I’m inspired to write something it’s best if I write it immediately. It doesn’t have to be perfect – but it’s often the most dynamic version of an idea, and my future self is always very grateful to have something to work with.

Do you jump between projects or follow one through til the end?
It really varies! Generally speaking, I love working on more than one thing at once – there’s something about having the option to choose what to work on that day that I find freeing. When I’m in the middle of a longer project though, I tend to be more single-focused. I find I’ll take any excuse to avoid having to solve a tricky plot problem, and sometimes the only way is through!

Huge congrats on your brand new rom com, Love On A Bookshelf! How did the experience of writing and publishing an adult novel differ from your kids books?
Thank you!!! Okay, so this maybe flies in the face of what I just said, but I totally wrote it as a procrastination project. I was working on something that I was finding really draining – not so much the book itself, but the circumstances around it – and I was really resentful of the work every time I sat down at the computer. I’d always wanted to write a rom com, and starting Love on a Bookshelf felt like this spark of joy. It made sitting down to write fun again, and even though the two projects were so different, working on it in the cracks really felt like it brought life to the other book as well. As far as the difference between publishing this and a kids’ book, it’s been pretty similar so far! Although the timeframes have been shorter with adult publishing – at least, with this book.

Can we expect to see more books for adults from you? More rom coms?
I hope so! I have a couple of ideas for rom coms that I’m playing with at the moment, so will see where they go!

What do you enjoy most about writing for kids, and is it different from what you enjoy about writing for adults?
I really, really love writing for kids. On the whole, I feel like there’s this incredible sense of wonder in it. Kids have this inherent ability to roll with whatever a story throws at them; to come without preconceived ideas about what a story should be. Which is not to say they’re not discerning – they’re just more open. I also love the sense of hope in most kids’ books. I tried to retain that sense of hope in Love on a Bookshelf, although I do think that the voice is probably slightly more cynical. Also, I really, really love writing dialogue, and being able to do that over a longer word count was so much fun.

What’s still on your writing/creative bucket list?
I would really like to write a YA fantasy novel at some point! Ultimately, though, my goal is just to make whatever I can, for as long as I can.

Find out more about Kiah at kiahthomas.com or follow her at @kiahthomas