Kimberly Willis Holt is the author of many awardwinning novels, including When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, My Louisiana Sky, Keeper of the Night, Part of Me, The Water Seeker, and the Piper Reed series.

Having lived all over the world, including Guam, Ms. Holt now resides in Texas with her family.

GO FISH

GO FISH

questions for the author

KIMBERLY WILLIS HOLT

You spent time in Guam as a child. What was the inspiration for this particular story?

When I returned as an adult to visit the schools on Guam, I learned that a former classmate had committed suicide the prior year. A mutual friend told me that she’d died praying on her knees. I couldn’t shake that image. And it was that image that led me to Isabel’s story. At first, I thought her story was going to be one among several in a short-story collection. But as I wrote I had to know that she would be okay. That required the space of a novel.

Why did you decide to tell this story through short passages?

I’ve always loved the idea of writing a book with short chapters. However, in the past when I’ve tried to do so, it seemed forced. With Keeper of the Night, the spare form came naturally. It was a refreshing departure for me, and that in itself was rewarding. Part of the satisfaction I get as a writer is knowing I can explore different ways to tell a story. As far as difficulties are concerned, I encountered the same challenges I do when I write in a more traditional form. Did I tell the story well enough? Do the characters have depth?

Do you have a favorite passage?

Usually my favorite passages are not my readers’ favorites. In Keeper there is a chapter where Isabel’s father takes her to the diving team tryouts. Later he tells her about her uncle who was a great diver. Isabel thinks that is her father’s way of telling her she wasn’t that great. Then her father says, “You must have gotten your talent from him.” That part still chokes me up, because no matter how old I am, I want my parents to be proud of me. It’s funny, one of my sisters said that’s the part that got to her the most.

I was most intimidated to write about Frank being found after he cut himself. I dreaded writing that scene. I didn’t want it to be melodramatic. So I chose to write it in short clips, like a photographer taking fast snapshots of an event. Originally, I did it that way just to get some words down, thinking that I’d go back to it. Ultimately, I chose to leave it as it was.

Many of the scenes and people in the book feel very detailed and authentic. Do you write from real-life observations?