Catriona McPherson's newest suspense novel is House. Tree. Person. From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:Q: How did you come up with the idea for your new novel, House. Tree. Person., and your character Ali?Visit Catriona McPherson's website.
A: I can half-answer this. I went to the Writers Police Academy in Wisconsin in 2015 and, in a workshop on sociopaths (presented by the wonderful Dr. Katherine Ramsland), the subject came up of the "house-tree-person test" for personality disorder. It's diagnostically discredited and not much used in clinical settings these days, although I believe it's still applied to children in Waldorf education.
Anyway, as I sat there, the idea came to me of a silent individual who only ever drew a tiny square with a cross through it, a symbol none of her carers could interpret. And a big chunk of the plot of this book just slotted into my head. It was wonderful.
As to Ali: Much more typically, I started with a little pip of an impression - I think it was her Juicy velour sweatsuit - and just wrote and wrote until she came into focus. By the end of the first draft, she seemed like herself. Then I went back to the start and changed everything in...[read on]
Writers Read: Catriona McPherson (September 2015).
--Marshal Zeringue