MEET THE AUTHOR
Kate Gordon grew up in a very booky house, in a small town by the sea in Tasmania. Now she writes novels and picture books from a cottage overlooking the river and the
mountain, on the Eastern Shore of Hobart. Today we’re chatting about Kate’s latest novel, Indigo in the Storm.
From the publisher:
Indigo Michael isn’t like other kids. And her mum isn’t like other mums. Life for people like them isn’t meant to have meaning – it’s just something to survive in whatever way you can. When her mum abandons her, Aster’s Aunt Noni becomes her foster parent. Suddenly Indigo has a new ‘family’ – one she didn’t ask for and isn’t even sure she wants. This is a companion novel to the CBCA Award-winning Aster’s Good, Right Things.
Indigo in the Storm is a companion book to Aster’s Good, Right Things and Xavier in the Meantime. Did you set out with a plan to write multiple books set in the same community or did the idea for the next book come to you as each book was finished?
I’m not the most organised of writers! I’m whatever it’s called when a pantser doesn’t even have any pants! Characters just tend to pop into my head and I see where they take me. Aster popped into my head fully formed and she introduced me to her friends and I fell in love with them and the town where they lived. Once I met Xavier, Indigo, Esme (and later Erika and Armelle), I just knew I had to keep “chatting” with them until their stories came too. All of which makes me sound deeply odd and like I’m trying to say that I have some preternatural spiritual talent for writing. I don’t. I just have a very active imagination and a complete lack of any planning skills!
The characters in each of these three books face big life issues and mental health challenges. Could you talk a bit about how you came to write Indigo’s story in this latest novel?
I grew up in a little town in Tassie, not unlike the one where these characters live. I went to a school in a low socioeconomic rural area. I didn’t go through the foster system myself but my school was full of kids who did and I was good friends with many of them and always wanted to help to tell their stories. I did grow up in a complicated family and I did grow up struggling to find my place in the world, something to believe in and my voice. I also grew up with undiagnosed neurodivergence, which Indigo also lives with. All of which percolated in my head like one of Esme’s marvellous creations when it came with telling Indigo’s story. I hope I’ve done it – and her, and the kids I grew up with – justice.
Your book titles suit the books so well. How do you come up with the perfect title for a book?
Oh gosh, I wish I had a good answer for that. I’m actually really terrible at titles. My working title for Aster’s Good, Right Things was Petal. Which is, obviously, terrible and would not make anyone want to read the book! I’m so lucky to have such beautiful, clever publishers who help me come up with better titles. Usually, they’re called something like Xavier Book or Indigo Book, until the last minute. Then, when I start to panic, my publishers will say something like, “Kate, have you actually read your own book? Obviously, it should be called …” And it’s spot on, every time. I’m sorry to ruin the magic! I’m basically a publishing doofus.
Alphabet Soup Interview – Indigo KG June 2023
Do you have a book you’ve read recently that you would recommend for our readers?
Anything at all by Kate Foster. She’s honestly, in my opinion, the next Australian publishing superstar. Her books grab me in a way that reminds me of how I was captivated by books when I was a kid – like Robin Klein and John Marsden. She’s got humour and depth and heart and I am in awe of her talent. There is also a new writer on the scene called Helen Edwards who blows me away with her words. Her first book comes out with Riveted Press soon and I implore everyone to get their hands on it. She’s a true talent.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on now that Indigo in the Storm is out in the world?
Well, there is another book in the universe coming out next year, featuring milk bar superstar, Esme, and then a final book in the Aster cycle, featuring Aster herself in a story that brings everyone full circle. I also have a stand-alone called My Brother, Finch, which is a mystery story set in Gothic southern Tasmania. And I am working on a book about thylacines and secret covens of girls and women in the Tasmanian bush. That one is very much a work in progress but fingers crossed it finds its place in the world. I’m just grateful to be doing what I’m doing, with the support of so many beautiful, clever people. Aside from that, I am deep in mother land, with a fiercely smart, bookish eleven-year-old and a chaos maven fourteen-month old keeping me on my toes, alongside a grumpy elderly black cat and a very silly teenage labradoodle. It really is all happening!
Indigo in the Storm is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookstore or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS: