Irish author Courtney Smyth’s most recent book, The Undetectables is out today. They took some time to speak with us about chronic illness, fandom, their new book, and Emo.
FGN: In your online presence, you’ve been very open about having chronic illness. How important was it to you to include a character with chronic illness in your debut novel?
CS: It occurred to me while I was planning The Undetectables that there were few books with a main character with a chronic pain condition. I wanted to write a book where a disabled character got to have an adventure, be brilliant, and have great friends, even if their life didn’t turn out the way they’d planned it. Mallory Hawthorne, my protagonist, has fibromyalgia – a widespread chronic pain condition – and it has changed the trajectory of her life hugely. When I became chronically ill, I wasn’t able to see my experience reflected in the stories I was reading, and decided the next best thing would be to write it myself!
FGN: According to your biography, you’re adamant that Emo is definitely not a phase. What are your favorite bands? What about Emo culture makes you feel
at home?
CS: My favourite bands change over time, but the evergreen ones are Fall Out Boy, Paramore (even as they’ve shifted away from their roots) and My Chemical
Romance (MCR 5 when?!). I found emo culture when I was a teen and loved that it was for everyone who didn’t particularly fit in elsewhere. The fashion, the music, the expression, all of it made an immense amount of sense to me in 2008 and hasn’t stopped making sense since. I also like that my core favourite bands have grown and matured with me over the years. The music will probably always inspire scenes and character moments as I write.
FGN: Are there any particular fandoms that you find yourself being heavily involved with?
CS: I’ve dipped in and out of fandoms for as long as I can remember, and love that for almost anything I read or watch, there’s a fandom behind it. I loved Supernatural growing up – I used to binge-watch episodes on a mini DVD player until 2am and then lie in the dark terrified of what monster was going to get me – and recently got really into Gotham and The Walking Dead. There’s definitely a few book fandoms I’m secretly on the peripherals of, too. My personality dictates that I cannot simply watch or read something great, I must go find a million fan posts, fics, YouTube videos and think pieces before I can move onto something else. Fandom keeps the world ticking.
FGN: When you write, are there any particular rituals that you follow to help you with your process? (ex: always have a cup of tea, a particular type of music,
blanket, sensory object).
CS: Yes! In colder months I have a comfy blanket wrapped around me as I write, and I stop writing every hour to refill cups of tea (I am Irish though, so I think the tea is less to do with writing and more to do with an innate cultural custom). For music, I have playlists for my books that I listen to pre-writing to get myself hyped for working, but while writing I prefer to have instrumentals on repeat. Ludovico Einaudi has gotten me through many a draft, though what I’m very into right now is a Tempus Quartet arrangement of Vivaldi’s Winter.
FGN: On your website, you offer the option to do sensitivity reads for other authors. What is some advice you would share with writers and other readers to educate themselves successfully on chronic illness?
CS: One of the best things about reading is that it lets us experience many different lifetimes, and many different lives. I think readers are capable of great empathy, and the main thing a reader who wants to learn can do is to make an effort to read one or two books a year featuring a disabled or chronically ill character. Disability Pride Month in July is a great time to find heaps of recommendations across most social platforms. As with many concepts, when you meet a person (or a character) with a disability, you’ve met one person – the experience of one may not be that of someone else’s. There are hundreds if not thousands of ways a person can be chronically ill, and those experiences will vary within that too, but reading what’s out there is truly the best place to start.
For writers who want to include a disabled character who maybe don’t have that disability themselves, start with what’s publicly available – there are YouTube videos, TikToks, blog posts, Instagram accounts and so much more run by people who want to teach others what it’s like to live with their illness or disability. Then, when you’re done writing, I’d highly recommend seeking out a sensitivity reader. I’ve done a few sensitivity reads – it’s something I really love doing – and I promise it isn’t someone sitting down to tell you all the ways you’re wrong; it’s a collaborative process where the reader will advise you on what could be improved, what could be misinterpreted, what maybe isn’t accurate, while also commenting on what is working well.
FGN: Where can our readers follow you online?
CS: I’m most active on Instagram and TikTok @cswritesbooks!
