Authors Answer: K. M. Huber
Interview #536 in the Authors Answer series
Author interviews almost always focus on questions regarding an author’s latest publication (and that’s great because it’s how readers discover new books!) but sometimes it’s fun to ask authors to talk about their lives beyond the book they’ve just written. Authors Answer (started as a blog in 2020, moved onto Substack in 2025), is an attempt to give authors space to wax eloquent about the other influences on their writing. The questions posed here move beyond the formulaic classics like, “What books are on your nightstand?” or “What book inspired you to be a writer?” and even “You’re having a dinner party….which three authors (dead or alive) do you invite?” There are 20 standing questions. Authors pick FIVE that they want to answer.
Are you an author? Visit the Questions page to learn more about participating.
Today’s post features K. M. Huber
K. M. Huber grew up near Seattle, studied theater and history in Portland, OR, and spent 10 years in New York before moving to South America with her Peruvian husband. Her 20 years of living in Peru were punctuated by time in Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Atlanta and a range of jobs from librarian to teaching middle school, working with orphanages, Peace Corps volunteers, and intercultural programs. She and her husband now live in the foothills of the Smoky mountains in East Tennessee. Author of the novel Patya y los Misterios de Nasca, translated by Lucho Zuñiga, La Nave, 2023 Peru, her work has also appeared in Earth Island Journal, Vice-Versa, Post Road, and Crack the Spine among others.
Instagram: katzinstapen
Substack: huberkm.substack.com
Facebook: @kathryn.huber1
BlueSky: @kmhuberwrites.bsky.social
Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?
I like to immerse myself in music that echoes the feel of whatever I’m working on. For Call of the Owl Woman, I listened to a lot of ethereal music by Lulacruza, to traditional Andean flute music, and drumming from around the world, especially trance-type shamanic drumming. For some scenes, I found it helpful to have Mongolian or Inuit throat singing on in the background.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
As long as I can remember, I have collected rocks. As a small child I would accompany my geologist father on field trips. When one of my pretty pebbles on the dashboard climbed up the windshield on the way home, I first learned the difference between a snail and a rock. Since then, I have accumulated rocks from all over the world of all shapes, sizes, and colors—from beaches to mountaintops and everywhere in between. Some to remind me of special places, some because they fit nicely in my hand or pocket, some because they are unique. Once I learned about the spirit of Andean “sacred reciprocity” I began to ask first, and then, if it feels right to take them with me, I gift the earth something in return (such as water, a hair from my head, a song, or a poem).
What’s the difference (at least for you!) between being a writer and an author? How do you shift gears between the two?
I am grappling with that difference right now. My new writing often gets put on hold in order for me to work on book-adjacent writing for the ones that I have already authored. The “author” side feels more like trying to be a responsible parent, helping one’s offspring navigate the world and connect to readers. Deadlines tend to trigger the shifting of gears one way or the other.
If you could create a museum exhibition, what would be the theme?
The World of the Orca (killer whale) Across Time and Cultures – viewed through science, folklore, and art. There is a lot we could learn from them!
Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?
The fact that I speak Spanish has definitely influenced my writing as well as my access to resources in my research. I really appreciated being able to discuss the subtleties and nuances of both languages while working with Lucho Zuñiga on the translation of my earlier book from English into Spanish for publication in Peru. Spanish is much more lyrical and lends itself well to the more poetic elements.
Endnotes!
This newsletter is a passion project started by me, Elizabeth Rynecki, to try to help shine a light on new-to-me authors. I am also an author (and a documentary filmmaker and podcaster) and if you want to learn more about me, you can visit my website or read my personal newsletter, Ink Trails: A Chronicle in Creativity.
I’ve never made Authors Answer specific social media accounts, but you can find me on Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.
Cool! A She Writes Press sister launched her novel CALL OF THE OWL WOMAN!