We chat with author K. Ibura about Tempest, which is a lyrical and epic contemporary novel with magical fantasy elements that follows a girl who must learn to master her powers over the wind before a sinister secret organisation finds her.
Hello and welcome back! How has the last three years been since we last spoke?
The last three years have been good. I received lots of notes from readers about When the World Turned Upside Down and I completed my second novel, Tempest.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I’m not sure the first book I ever remember reading, but one of the earliest reads I remember is a children’s book called It was a book about Baby X, a child whose parents kept their gender unknown. Removing gender was such a memorable idea. It wasn’t something that was widely discussed when I was a child, but now it’s a common element of everyday life.
- The one that made you want to become an author: I don’t have a book that made me want to become an author, but a book that struck me in its immediacy and voice is Cane by Jean Toomer. As a young writer, I thought the language was so alive and it drew me back in again and again. It was an example of the aliveness I wanted in my own writing.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: One book that captured me was one I read about a decade ago. Marguerite Duras’ The Malady of Death is a brief and unconventional book. It’s uniqueness opened my mind about the possibilities of playing with form and structure. It was as challenging as it was mind-expanding, and it left me so inspired to try my own experimental writing.
Your latest novel, Tempest, is out June 24th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Adventure, romance, identity, family, evolution
What can readers expect?
An intimate coming-of-age story with mysterious powers, new love, growth, and healing. In the embrace of a new community of family, friends, and love interests, V embarks on a journey of learning who she is as she fights to stay one step ahead of the shadowy group that is hunting her to exploit her special powers. After a childhood of isolation, can she adjust to life in New Orleans. After growing up with only her grandmother for company, can she learn to juggle family, friends, and boys? When danger gets too close, can she find the strength to fight back and unravel all the threats that will harm her? All these questions are asked and answered in Tempest.
Where did the inspiration for Tempest come from?
Both during and after Katrina, I thought a lot about the children whose lives were so brutally interrupted by the destruction of all they knew. In the years after the storm, the treasures and connections New Orleanians lost came up in daily conversation. Reminders of loss were triggered every time a family member needed a legal document, searched for a family photo, explained where they settled, investigated what was happening with their house, and on and on. In thinking about the storm as a turning point, I wondered what would happen if the storm gave a character something life-changing—even as it took so much away from them. So Tempest is one character’s struggle to manage the lingering impact of loss, all while trying to figure out how to be a normal teen as she struggles to figure out what to do with the gifts that remain in the shadow of loss.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoyed writing the scenes with the main character, Veronique, hanging out with her cousin. V’s cousin Zambia is extremely adventurous and she is constantly hatching plans to explore the city—with or without parental permission. These adventures echo my own teen years. My friends and I were constantly roaming the city looking for fun and excitement. We were consumed with the drive to enjoy life to the fullest. Zambia is a live wire. Her interactions with Veronique made me laugh. with the two cousins. Those scenes filled me with nostalgia and joyous memories.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge with Tempest was working out who the villains would be, what they wanted and how they would attack. In searching for an arc that would serve the story best, I wrote out many potential endings. I have at least five versions of the end on my laptop. Endings are one of the trickiest parts of novel-writing. I’ve learned that all the various drafts of the novel feed into the ending. Each draft brings a new level of learning as you gain a deeper and deeper understanding of the world and characters you’ve created. Sticking with them through all the drafts brings the ultimate reward of finally finding the solutions you’ve been seeking. This is one of the secret formulas of writing. It’s not magical, it’s mechanical. If you commit the time and stick with the journey, the solutions will eventually emerge. You keep the pen moving and stay curious, and you’ll be there when the ending is finally ready to be captured.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on my next novel. It’s a YA story that draws inspiration from my interest in tarot cards and mysticism. I’m also planning to branch out into nonfiction through a book that explores how we can gain support for from our ancestors.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I read Ibi Zoboi’s (S)kin earlier this year and I loved it. I didn’t know what to expect from a novel in verse but the characters leapt off the page and the plot had me hooked. I read the book in one night. On the graphic novel side, I found myself in a comic store recently and saw theat there was a new volume of Saga. This is a long-running comic series that’s super imaginative with all kinds of mind-bending aliens and entities fighting for survival in a universe that’s at war. It takes a deep dive on family, identity, and connections in so many different shapes and forms. The illustrations are stunning and the story line has so many twists and turns. I had paused on reading it a few years back, so I decided to by volume 12 and get back on track. The last volume I had read was volume 9. Reading through each volume broke me in a different way. (But trigger warning: There’s a lot of violence, and I did rant and rage about some of the loss the characters have to suffer. Whyyyyyyyyyyy?)
