Tangles is your upcoming debut novel to be released on December 3rd. It’s said to be a suspense-filled 20th-century historical environmental thriller. What sparked the idea for this book? What does the title mean in relation to the novel’s plot and theme?

I had an odd dream, of a mass of red hair floating on a body of water and the sensation of peering down at it and realizing it wasn’t wet. When the dream recurred a second night, I wrote it down in my journal. Within days, I ran into two long-time acquaintances who both had grown up in Eastern Washington near the Hanford Nuclear Plant. They referred to it as “The Area” and down the rabbit hole of research I went. But the idea of the tangled mass of hair begat the title and the intricate web of government and corporate deception in the name of both war and long beyond the Cold War is the through thread of the tale.

The Cold War era often evokes images of secrecy and fear. Tangles touches on government-mandated secrecy and Cold War politics. How much research did you conduct on the Hanford site and its real-world implications for this story?

Eight months of research, including conversations with over 20 experts in the nuclear and history of science fields, created the basis for the novel. Multiple oral histories at both the Hanford History Project and the Atomic Heritage Foundation provided inspiration for many of my characters. Getting the language and the facts right involved a lengthy process of vetting by numerous scientists, historians, nuclear engineers, medical researchers, park rangers, and former Tri-Cities residents that spanned over a year. I was lucky to have a pal in Gerry Pollett, WA State Legislator, who spearheaded the first community advocacy effort in the toxic waste cleanup – which is far from done! He educated me on the risks at the Superfund sites (Hanford includes 3 sites) today. My source list for the plot points includes 13 non-fiction books and multiple other resources, including peer-reviewed papers from various scientific journals.

The story balances a love story with a mystery. How did you approach blending these elements together?

It was oddly organic. Mary developed from listening to oral testimony of Hanford’s former employees and Luke came about in reading about an amazing advocate, Tom Bailie. His persistence, despite all the naysayers in the 60s inspired! The A house – one of the alphabet houses (duplexes) built by DuPont as Richland WA came into being – felt like the right vehicle to create a generational connection between the WWII years and the Cold War. Most of those houses still exist today. The human element is essential to the story and Mary’s disappearance (creating the mystery) tags with multiple accounts I read of folks being summarily dismissed by Dupont and/or the government at all of the Manhattan Project sites. The science demanded a light touch and blending it into the love story sort of found me. Making their mutual love of science the key to Mary and Luke’s relationship helped me build out their characters in a unique way.

The book celebrates the courage of wronged women and fatherless sons. What compelled you to focus on these specific groups?

My writing focuses on debunking a lot of tropes of the mid-20th century. Women were still quite restricted in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s and I hope to educate – in a non-teachy way – young women about how recent our freedoms are. Fathers abandoning their first wives – and their children in the process- is still prevalent in our society, but no one created alternative TV shows to the Ozzie and Harriet series until decades later. Offering up stories of the realities of our culture that counter the ‘male breadwinner’ trope, or the ‘little woman’ trope is an important part of our social history too often ignored in fiction. So many women and children have suffered these narratives and I wanted to honor their stories.

Mary’s disappearance is a key mystery in the book. Can you tell us more about her character and what she represents within the larger narrative?

Mary is an homage to multiple women in my own life who were career women long before it became the norm. Mary’s quiet courage in fighting against the established societal dictates is something I saw in the women who were pivotal in my youth. Teachers, secretaries, business owners and volunteers who inspired me to pursue a career along with several other avenues (fundraiser, public official, and writing). Like Mary, all of these women made a difference in their communities by mentoring others – the way Mary does Luke – and by digging deep to find the strength to weather the obstacles thrown in their path. Mary’s strength, her willingness to sacrifice much for the common good and her children, along with her perpetual optimism, are all qualities of the women who shaped me.

Luke’s father's death and his own cancer diagnosis are pivotal moments in the book. How does that play into the story?

Fatherless sons have a tough row to hoe. So many young men in our society are growing up without fathers or males to help guide them. Luke’s rage at his father’s death set the stage for me to include this theme, and how difficult it is for such boys to find their way as adults without a male figure. I think that is part of the reason Luke loses his father when he does.

How do the relationships between Luke and the people around him shape his journey?

In the original story, I had several professors at the college level mentoring Luke, but in service to the narrative, that part of the tale was cut. Harry became Luke’s sounding board as a doctoral student and Walker, a key friend, opens Luke’s eyes to much social injustice. Helen motherly guidance and Mary’s support of Luke during his adolescent years shaped his outlook on women. Mary and Luke’s relationship allowed Luke, eventually, to understand what love is really about.

Now that your book is done and complete, do you have any advice for aspiring authors who want to publish a book?

Write long and edit like crazy. And always remember, your reader is smarter than you think -don’t underestimate them.

Where can readers find you?

www.KaySmith-Blum.com

Insta @discerningKSB

Facebook @kay.smithblum

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Linkedin @Kay Smith-Blum

TikTok @KSBwritesfiction

You can grab your copy of Tangles on Amazon Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org