VanBaale\u2019s dairy farming roots were the basis for her second novel, The Good Divide<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n

UP: Where did your inspiration come from for your first novel? <\/b><\/p>\n

KV: <\/span>The Space Between<\/span><\/i> was inspired by the tragic events of the Columbine shootings in 1999. I was pregnant with my first child at the time and it was a scary event to watch unfold while staring over the cliff of parenthood. While my heart broke for the victims\u2019 families, I couldn\u2019t stop thinking about the parents of the two boys who committed the massacre. I became obsessed about what the inner workings of their families might look like, and soon after, I started writing <\/span>The Space Between<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

UP: What about your second book? <\/b><\/p>\n

KV: My second novel, <\/span>The Good Divide<\/span><\/i>, was wholly inspired by my childhood on my family\u2019s dairy farm and the complicated nature of farm life, but particularly of farm wives. While the story is fiction, I did draw heavily on actual details and events from my life.<\/span><\/p>\n

UP: How so? <\/b>
\n<\/b>KV: I recently discovered that every book I\u2019ve written has been my version of a love letter to something. My first book was my letter to motherhood. My second book was my letter to my family\u2019s dairy farm. My third book (<\/span>The Cure for Hopeless Causes, <\/span><\/i>publication pending) is my letter to small, rural Midwestern towns and my fourth novel-in-progress is my letter to my 80s childhood in the Midwest. I think the reason I write to such personal themes is because, like most writers, I write to understand life\u2014my own life, the lives of others. Really, to just understand the world around me.<\/span><\/p>\n

UP: Is that hard, though, when so much of the publishing world is focused on New York, the coasts\u2014basically everywhere but the world around you? <\/b><\/p>\n

VB: It does feel like there\u2019s a challenge to get published as a Midwestern author living in and writing about the Midwest. Aside from simply being cut off geographically to the East Coast\u2014the epicenter of publishing\u2014the Midwest is also often regarded as a \u201cflyover state\u201d with this peaceful, pastoral reputation, even though it\u2019s a total stereotype. Midwesterners are certainly complex creatures with dark sides. We\u2019re just as capable of being terrible people. We can be addicts, tell lies, make huge mistakes and hurt the ones we love. It\u2019s just that we generally do it under the guise of politeness and manners. <\/span><\/p>\n

UP:<\/b> Is there any way to get away from that \u201cIowa nice\u201d stereotype in the publishing world? <\/b><\/p>\n

KV: There is a small movement embracing the grittier stories of the Midwest. The publisher of <\/span>The Good Divide<\/span><\/i>, Midwestern Gothic Press, is Midwest-based and specifically publishes dark Midwestern stories by Midwestern authors. There are also literary journals, like <\/span>Midwestern Gothic<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Storm Cellar<\/span><\/i> for example, that embrace this aesthetic and have a rapidly growing readership.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s probably the greatest personality trait the Midwest has given me: grit.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

– Kali VanBaale<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

UP: How would your work be different if you had chosen different locations for the settings<\/b>? <\/span><\/p>\n

KV: I think I wouldn\u2019t have as much self-confidence in my stories and my writing if I chose non-Midwestern locations or settings. When I write about Midwestern settings\u2014whether rural or city\u2014I feel it in my bones that I know these places and these people. I understand on a cellular level their strengths and weaknesses, their loves and traditions, their quirks and annoyances, what they say, and more importantly, how they say it. If I moved my stories to another geographical location I don\u2019t understand as well as I do the Midwest, I think I would lose that intimate knowledge and confidence in my storytelling. Maybe someday I\u2019ll tire of writing about the Midwest and try writing about somewhere else, but for now, I still have a full well to draw from.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iowan VanBaale talks pulling inspiration from your roots, the Midwest publishing industry and her upcoming novels. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n