The Disappearing Circus, co-authored by Kate Gordon and Helen Edwards, is a fantastical adventure about a circus filled with mythical creatures and two fierce and passionate protagonists, reminding readers to never let go of hope. 

What was the initial spark that inspired The Disappearing Circus?

HE: We were brainstorming ideas for our first book together and both had circus stories on our lists! It was a perfect match! Once we knew that, Emme and Ivy arrived and we independently developed their characters. The story grew from there.

KG: I’ve actually had an image in my head for a long time of a red circus tent in the middle of the Midlands of Tasmania. I don’t know if you have ever driven through there – it is the most remarkable landscape and I am obsessed with it. It formed the inspiration for at least three of my stories there. We travelled up there a lot in the past to visit my nan, who lived in Burnie, and I’d stare out the window, just imagining all the stories that could happen out there. One day, during a particularly hard time before my nan passed, when she was quite ill, I imagined a girl in a blue cloak, running across the fields, towards a red tent. That image stayed with me for a long time but I didn’t know how to write it until I met Helen. Helen has the most magical, whimsical brain, and she unlocked the story for me!

What are your favourite qualities of Emme and Ivy?

HE: I love that they're very different and yet, have similar qualities of kindness and wonder. I feel protective of Emme, as does Ivy, both of us being big sisters. And Ivy has my heart. She's strong and brave, but longs to curl up and be taken care of sometimes. She loves fiercely and is passionate about nature.

KG: I love both girls so much. I wrote Emme so, obviously, I feel closest to her, but they are both so special to me. I love Emme’s fierceness and hope and her sense of duty and yearning for connection. I love Emme’s passion and bravery and “can-do” attitude. She’s a superstar.

Creating a magical new world is doubtlessly fun. What are your favourite aspects of this fantastical world you’ve built?

HE: It's so much fun! We had to rein ourselves in at times! The fact that we could add any creature – real or mythological – into our circus world, was a favourite part for me. We didn't place limits on ourselves with that, until edits, when we needed to ensure the big top wasn't too cramped! Playing with griffins and alicorns alongside mammoths, dragons and thylacines, was pretty cool.

KG: I absolutely loved that there were no limits – I love mythical creatures and always have. I pored over books about them as a child. I’m also Tasmanian, from a long line of Tasmanians on my father’s side, and have always been obsessed with thylacines and all they represent. I loved that we could bring them back – and bring the mythical creatures “back” as well (were they ever really myths?).

Were there any real-world people or events that inspired parts of this story?

HE: The island is inspired by Tasmania. I guess there's always a little bit of me in every character. I do feel the weight of responsibility at times, just like Ivy, having grown up with type 1 diabetes, which enforces a lack of spontaneity and a constant need for caution. I think all my personal experiences of grief and loss emerge in my characters and my desire to ensure young people experience true hope for their future is strong in this story. There's a scene where a character is stripping spinach seeds, which was a memory of my mum.

KG: The story is very Tasmanian, inspired mostly by the long drives I took through the Midlands of Tasmania, to visit my nan before she passed away. That beautiful, stark landscape holds so much wonder and mystery for me. I am addicted to writing stories set there. I am also inspired by fierce, brave girls in the real world who get stuff done. And I was inspired by Christina Booth’s beautiful One Careless Night in adding thylacines to the mix. That book has my heart completely.

Kate and Helen, you’ve both published books individually. What was it like to work together on this novel?

HE: LOVED it! Want to keep doing it! Wait, we are!! I learned so much from Kate, and we have become closer through this experience together. It's so nice to find a person who understands you and your weirdness, who wants to create worlds together. I'm very grateful. 

KG: I sometimes feel like Helen and I share a brain when we’re writing – we’re both a bit kooky and wild-brained and deeply invested in whimsy. But we also compliment each other very well, too. Helen is definitely more gregarious and absolutely brilliant at marketing, while I … actually, I don’t know what I bring to the mix. Wild ideas, maybe!

Is there a central theme or message that you hope readers will take away from this book, or do you prefer to leave it to interpretation?

HE: There's definitely a lot of room for interpretation in this story. I think each reader will experience it differently. It's not meant to be didactic in any way. It's an allegory on hope and how the world is wide open for young people to step into the spotlight. It's also about moving forward with grief and how important memories are.

KG: I think the central theme is hope, both for ourselves as individuals and collectively in community. We can work together to make change. And I wanted to show how nobody and no creature is ever lost as long as we keep them alive. Hope is forever.

If you were to join a circus, what would your signature act be?

HE: Dragon rider!!

KG: Helen, I love that. Mine would be clown, probably. I’m pretty clumsy and silly!

Do you have any other projects in the works?

HE: We do! Our first book of our junior fiction series – Leni and Mare's Mysterious Museum – is coming out with Riveted Press in August next year. And my next book A Light on the Rocks is out in February, also with Riveted Press. Set across two timelines, connected by place, mystery, and magic, A Light on the Rocks is a haunting tale, about survival, self-belief and the wild beauty of the sea. With a ghost horse, a singing whale, and real events woven through the narrative, this is a masterful maritime adventure that brings the almost-forgotten history of the SS Admella and the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse to life.

KG: As Helen said, we’re loving working together and have just started a new project. I have more Secret Detective books to come, plus two standalones – one might be a spin-off of another series I just can’t let go. There will be more Juno in the future, too, and I am working on my first grown-up book. It’s a historical mystery set in – of course – Tasmania.