Interview: Heather Hach of THE TROUBLE WITH DROWNING

The screenwriter and Broadway book writer turned her considerable writing chops to fiction during Covid when Broadway and Hollywood were both shut down, and found that novel-length fiction was a great outlet that she enjoyed very much. Her work includes screen writing for Freaky Friday and What to Expect When You're Expecting, and she was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk Award for her work on Legally Blonde: The Musical. She has professional improv comedy experience and her screen-stealing humor was on display as a fan-favorite judge on MTV's reality show "The Search for the Next Elle Woods."

We chat with Heather Hach about her new book The Trouble with Drowning. 

What inspired this story?

I thought of The Trouble With Drowning three decades ago at the University of Arizona when I was a creative writing student there. The concept has whispered to me over the years but remained in my mind and not on the page. Then Covid hit and I started inhaling books whole again, much like I had when I was a little girl. I’ve always been a huge reader but during the pandemic, I became obsessive… and then I became obsessed with the idea of writing a novel about obsession. Turns out writing about someone else’s mental health was a great way to keep mine in check!  The story is about Kat who’s an MFA grad student at Arizona  writing a memoir about her troubled childhood in the foster system. She meets Jacob and falls madly in love for the first time, and she’s over the moon to find out his mother is a literary hero of hers. It’s basically the life she’s always wanted. But when the relationship craters, so does Kat’s mental health. Then Jacob starts dating someone new — the nightmare of a dream you do NOT want your ex to start dating — and Kat wants to not only push her off her pedestal but replace her completely.   

What do you hope readers take away from this story? 

I hope first and foremost, readers are entertained and swept away by the story! I find psychological thrillers so compulsively readable, and I wanted to create the same tension and pleasure within my book. I also hope the novel inspires a good look at all the corrosive comparisons we make in life and especially online. The novel is also a dive into the duplicity we all feel as humans, battling our impulses between light and dark. Another aspect is an exploration on mental health and the necessity of getting help should the need arise. No one should be a hero and manage their symptoms on their own; we’d never do the same if we were battling, say, a broken leg. The brain is just another organ (however mysterious it may be) and we often need support to help ourselves function better. I know I lean into professional help to process this confusing world and I’m not ashamed to admit that.

Have you been to Minnesota before, any favorite places here or places you would like to check out?

I have been to Minnesota and love the state! I’m originally from Iowa, so I’m a Midwesterner at heart. I included one of my favorite songs of all time in my novel —"I Wanna Be Your Lover" by Prince — and obsessed with anything related to his genius. I’d LOVE to go to Paisley Park (I went to a Prince exhibit when I visited Amsterdam and could not believe how TINY his clothes were). I think Prince is one of the greatest American originals of all time, and I was dazzled by his allegiance to the city.

Thank you Heather for your time!

For more information on the book, please click here

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