Kate Helm

Kate Helm is a pseudonym for author Kate Harrison. She was born in Lancashire and worked as a journalist covering courts and crime before becoming a BBC reporter and producer in current affairs. Kate has written in both Fiction and Non-Fiction genres with great success. Her first psychological thriller The Secrets You Hide was published in 2019. Her latest book is The House Share which was published by Zaffre on 14th May in paperback, eBook and audio.

Who were your literary heroes as you were growing up and when did you first realise you wanted to write?

I adored Noel Streatfeild – all her books with their brilliant young heroines doing exciting things really captivated me. I also read loads of adult books, my mum was a big reader which meant I would often get hold of her Jean Plaidy and her Ruth Rendell paperbacks. I always loved writing stories too but no one in my family had any literary connections or even went to university so I couldn’t imagine becoming a writer. I became a journalist instead which was actually the ideal job for a shy teenager as it forced me to be braver!

Before you took up writing you worked as a TV producer and reporter. How does the buzz of writing compare to what must have been a very pressured environment?

I think I am still that shy teenager at heart in some ways so being on my own at my desk is ideal for me. But I do miss that buzz and especially the teamwork – my last job before becoming a full-time author was coming up with new documentary ideas and I loved brainstorming on beanbags, it was great fun. Luckily, publishing a book is a real team effort and so I get to chat with my lovely publisher Sophie and the team, and my agent, about new ideas and how to publicise the books. It’s not quite as pressured as live TV, but that time provided me with so many stories and so much insight into what makes people tick.

You wrote several books under the name of Kate Harrison. What made you change direction and branch into psychological thrillers?

I have a real butterfly mind – different things inspire me and make me want to write, depending on my mood and preoccupations. So my Kate Harrison books – Harrison is my real name – include romantic comedies and even diet books and they’re all inspired by my own experiences. But I love to read thrillers and I especially loved some of the contemporary psychological thriller writers who’ve emerged in the last five years or so, and had an idea that just had to be written.

In The Secrets You Hide you introduced us to Georgia Sage, courtroom artist. How did the idea for the book and her character come together?

In my reporting days, I often covered court cases and often wondered about the reality behind the stories presented by the barristers and the accused. The idea for Georgia came from a podcast I heard – while I was at the gym – about a court artist in the USA. I was so intrigued by what it must be like to have to observe the defendants so closely, and whether you could ‘see’ evil in their faces. Georgia is deeply troubled but also wants to do the right thing – I loved writing about her.

The House Share is your latest book. Can you give us a flavour of what to expect?

I have heard it variously described as 'unsettling', 'creepy' and 'shocking'? It’s about a young teacher, Immi, who discovers the perfect house share just when she becomes homeless. The Dye Factory is an incredible warehouse in central London, packed with beautiful house mates and gorgeously designed shared spaces. There must be a catch – and once Immi moves in, she discovers that the tensions between her neighbours are caused by the secrets each of them are hiding. Then comes the first death… or is it?

I was inspired by the ‘co-living’ communities in big cities aimed at young professionals. The group dynamics around those fascinate me – so I decided to put diverse characters in that pressure cooker environment – as they wonder who is pulling the strings… ## 6. What will be your next project? I’m working on another Kate Helm novel set in my home city, Brighton. But I also have a medically-themed love story coming out under the name Eva Carter next year, called How to Save a Life. It’s like Grey’s Anatomy meets One Day in December.

As I write this we're in full lockdown mode. What have been the particular challenges for you as a writer?

The biggest one is having my book published when the bookshops are closed – usually I’d have a launch event and also go and stroke my book in the shops on publication day! So I’ve moved a lot of my promo online and have been interviewing other thriller writers about their ideal house shares and domestic habits. It’s been fun and a good distraction from worrying about sales… you can watch the replays here – including chats to Elly Griffiths, CL Taylor and Rowan Coleman!

What is on your 'to read' pile at the moment?

I’ve just finished CL Taylor’s Strangers, which I loved, and Eve Chase’s wonderfully lush and atmospheric The Glass House. Also Araminta Hall’s Imperfect Women looks just my cup of tea – a drama involving three close friends – and I love non-fiction too, so Critical by Matt Morgan is giving me a brilliant insight into the world of ICU.