By Tyler Wright
Ferntree Gully local and high school teacher Kel White has released his debut novel, written through the state’s Covid lockdowns.
White’s A Curiosity of Consequence follows illiterate farm girl Kjara Chedderheart, who finds herself entangled in a political conspiracy.
As Kjara navigates the complexities of city life, she also embarks on a quest to unravel the mysteries surrounding the magical markings adorning her skin.
Inspired by his interactions with young adults, White began crafting engaging short stories that resonated deeply with his audience.
“That was in response to spending so much time working with young people and seeing some of the stuff that they were reading and some of the stuff that they’re exposed to… a lot of it’s quite grim, and I wanted something to combat that,” White said.
“Back in 2019… my wife and I got pregnant, and I needed a project to alleviate some of that pre-parental anxiety to distract myself.”
Drawing inspiration from fantasy games, White established the first daft of A Curiosity of Consequence within eight weeks.
“It was awful,” he said.
“I knew how to tell a story, but I didn’t know how to write a book because a lot of my storytelling was through music, when I used to write music and play music or when I wrote plays and performed in theatre.
“I knew about what made a good story, but I didn’t know what made good writing.”
Turning to YouTube, White sought out videos that helped him learn to write better, and took feedback from anyone willing to read his work.
“Every time I met a goal with it, I just was like, ‘well, what’s the next step? Let’s give that a shot,'” he said.
“I started pitching it to agents, and I had one Australian agent really like it, but they had another author who was writing similar stuff, so they couldn’t take me on.
“I just kept submitting it until Vulpine Press picked it up. They said ‘we love it. Can we have it?’ And I was like ‘sure’; and it’s been a long and interesting story along an interesting journey.”
White’s storytelling weaves together elements of adventure, intrigue, and self-discovery, offering readers an immersive and unforgettable reading experience.
Commissioning Editor at Vulpine Press, Rowan Thomas, said the quality of White’s writing is something the company expects to see in an author’s “third or fourth” book.
“It’s rare to find writing of this standard in a debut. I enjoyed working on this story so much!” he said.
Three years after the inception of White’s idea, with the help of Vulpine Press, White’s novel was published on Tuesday 20 June.
A book launch at Belgrave Library on Saturday 24 June will mark the occasion, with attendees encouraged to embrace their love for fantasy literature by dressing up as their favourite characters from beloved novels.
“[I’ll] try and ignore the Amazon ranking,” White said.
“I’m really excited because I’ve spent so much time in that world of that story with those characters, and I’m really interested and excited to see how other people respond to them, for other people to meet my main character and all of her friends.”
White said one of the messages of the book is altruism; using what is special and unique to you to make the world a better place.
“I think that anyone who uses their own talents to make even their community a bit better feels better as a result,” he said.
“None of the teenagers I know have magical powers, but whatever gifts they do have, I think that they should share and I think they should use to make the world a little bit better.”
A Curiosity of Consequence is now available for pre-orders in both e-book and paperback formats through Amazon.com.au.
For further updates and insights from Kel White, follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@kelwhitehere) or visit his official website at www.kelwhite.com.
