Secrets, Science, and Storytelling: Kay Smith-Blum Unravels Tangles
Kay Smith-Blum, an Austin native who has lived in Seattle for more than four decades, has woven a compelling tapestry of history, science, and human emotion in her debut novel, Tangles. With a background rooted in environmental advocacy and a penchant for storytelling inspired by family secrets, Smith-Blum brings the lesser-known history of the Hanford Nuclear Site to life in an educational and emotionally resonant way.
Smith-Blum's journey to authorship was rooted in her love of reading. She remembers being confined to bed due to sickness in fourth grade, during which time she devoured nearly 350 books over five months. While this period cemented her fascination with words and narrative, she wouldn't begin writing until two decades later. Her initial foray into writing produced a novella that explored the tumultuous experience of balancing motherhood with a demanding career involving frequent travel. Following the 2016 sale of her family's fashion business, Smith-Blum transitioned to fully focusing on her writing.
Her fascination with untold stories stems partly from her experience discovering family secrets. "I always knew I was adopted, but when I found my birth mother, I also found three full-blooded siblings," she shares. "Gnarly family secrets have continued to inspire many a scene."
The genesis of Tangles began with what Smith-Blum describes as "a recurring and vivid dream - a mass of red hair floating on a body of water but the hair appeared dry." This haunting image coincided with chance encounters with two long-time acquaintances from the Tri-Cities area near the Hanford Nuclear Plant. "Both conversations oddly veered to the nuclear plant and growing up in its shadow. They recounted so many odd occurrences with regard to Hanford, that down the 'rabbit hole' of research I went."
The Hanford Site, situated along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington, was initially established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, primarily for the production of weapons-grade plutonium used in nuclear weapons. The site housed several nuclear reactors that irradiated uranium to produce plutonium. After decades of plutonium production, which ceased in 1987, the site transitioned to a significant environmental cleanup to address millions of gallons of radioactive waste, thousands of contaminated soil sites, and extensive groundwater contamination.
Her research process was exhaustive. "I spent eight months researching Hanford: scanning dozens of released classified documents online, reading non-fiction books written on Hanford and the Manhattan Project, conducting conversations with over 20 experts in the nuclear and history of science fields," she explains. The novel underwent a year-long vetting process by scientists, historians, nuclear engineers, medical researchers, park rangers, and former Tri-Cities residents. Washington State Legislator Gerry Pollett, who spearheaded the first community advocacy effort in toxic waste cleanup at Hanford, provided crucial insights into the ongoing risks at the Superfund sites.
Smith-Blum approached her character development with similar attention to detail. "Mary, the female protagonist, evolved from listening to oral testimony of Hanford's former employees," she reveals, "and Luke came about in reading about an amazing advocate, Tom Bailie. His persistence, despite all the naysayers in the 60s inspired!" The novel's setting in one of Richland's "alphabet houses" - duplexes built by DuPont that still stand today - provides a tangible connection between the World War II era and the Cold War period.
"The biggest challenge was balancing the science with the human story," Smith-Blum explains. "I didn't want the science to overpower the inner and outer challenges the protagonists faced, and most importantly, didn't intimidate the reader or bog down the storyline."
The relationship between Luke and Mary forms the emotional core of the novel. "Luke and Mary are the quintessential unrequited love -- separated by time and circumstance they lend the most human of aspects to the story," Smith-Blum says. "Who hasn't had a childhood crush on someone just out of reach? Who hasn't wished they could make choices in a vacuum without parental or family pressures?"
Smith-Blum's environmental advocacy began during her children's elementary school years, where she spearheaded an environmental program. Her subsequent service on the Seattle School Board led to several green building initiatives. This background informs her current work, which challenges misconceptions about nuclear energy. "I deeply value the role that Hanford played in winning WWII. How different our world would be if the Allies had not prevailed," she reflects. "BUT -- I also want readers and the public in general, to understand the consequences to the environment in the birth and perpetuation of the nuclear age... Nuclear energy is not 'green' -- the inevitable waste is not just harmful to the environment, but to date, there is NO way to dispose of it safely."
Smith-Blum is working on her next novel with the working title The House on Desco Drive. "It takes on the corporate greed (as it played out in real estate) in the mid-twentieth century in tandem with the Civil Rights movement," she explains. "The overlap is there addressing women's limited rights (like Mary's in TANGLES) and some of the women's movement history, but I also focus a bit more on the movements themselves. Ordinary people within any huge social change can make a difference." She recently co-edited the 2024 anthology Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, which features her own companion short story to Tangles, and her other short works have appeared in various literary journals.
Her writing process is disciplined yet intuitive. "I wake up early, typically between 5 and 6 a.m. I make a double latte and head back to bed where I write (no desk!)," she shares. "I try to write and then edit for at least two or three hours each day. If I get to a point in a WIP that feels stuck, I head to one of my son's gardens -- pruning is good for the soul - or the nearest lap pool."
As Smith-Blum's debut novel continues to spark curiosity and conversation, she emerges as a distinctive new voice in contemporary historical fiction. Her work reminds us that beneath every historical event lie deeply personal stories - of love, loss, courage, and conviction - that resonate with readers today. "Creating a storyline that was realistic, but hopeful in the end" was her most significant challenge with Tangles, she says, but the response has validated her approach. "Many, many readers have told me they have worked to find out more about Hanford after reading TANGLES. I consider that a success." In bridging the gap between past and present, between scientific fact and human experience, Smith-Blum's work invites us to look more closely at the complex legacies that shape our world.
Readers can engage with Kay Smith-Blum through her active presence on social media, including Instagram (@discerningksb), Facebook (@kay.smithblum), LinkedIn, and BookBub. Her website, KaySmith-Blum.com, offers additional insights into her work and upcoming projects. Her novel Tangles and its companion short story in Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women invite readers into richly detailed worlds where history and humanity collide.
So interesting to hear about Smith-Blum's working methods, Jonathan. Her novels sound like the sort of historical fiction I would enjoy most, informative and engaging.
I enjoyed this. The novel looks fascinating!