Kyle is the award-winning author of children’s books like Old Huhu and Dragon Knight, as well as her recent historical fiction novel, Sewing Moonlight. She is based in Central Otago.
Ella: Who are you?
Kyle: I'm Kyle Mewbern, and I’m a writer. Interesting facts about me… I'm a writer! That's interesting enough. I mean, I've made a living out of it for 20 years.
Ella: Why writing? What inspired your career?
Kyle: I've always loved writing. That was the only thing I liked at school, really. I used to read a lot too, because you can get in a book and forget that you're in a boring suburb in Brisbane where there's nobody like you. You have all these adventures with other characters, imagine yourself being there and think, oh, one day, maybe I will escape this place.
Ella: What would you say is your favourite and least favourite book that you've written?
Kyle: I only write books that I feel inspired by. I do particularly love books that readers really respond to, though- ones like Old Huhu. But also, my new novel for adults, Sewing Moonlight; I've heard a lot of people saying they had to stay up till 1am and finish it. There were a couple which I'm not so excited about, like Ant's Pants. It's terribly illustrated as well. But, you know, I got the money, so that's alright.
Ella: Describe Sewing Moonlight.
Kyle: It's about a young German man coming to New Zealand in 1928, and he ends up living on our property. So all the local things are based on what's really here. He comes and starts biodynamic farming- according to the moon, and using this sort of magical cow manure fertiliser. New Zealand goes into the Depression, and he lives quite well because he's self-sufficient, almost. Then, of course, the war comes along, and the Germans weren't really well treated here during the war. It's about self sufficiency, about love and what love means on a deeper level, and cycles.
Ella: What would you say is the best, and most difficult, part of the writing process?
Kyle: The best part is that moment when you get an idea. It's like you get this tingle and go, oh my god, that's special, and I need to do something about it. Of course, then you have to sit down and write it. Also that you get to meet lots of interesting people through writing.
The worst part, apart from the money, is when people say, ‘you should write a story about that’. Because I think, sorry. You write the story about that. I have more than enough ideas for myself. It's the funniest worst part. But also, having to rewrite the same thing over and over again. My record is, I wrote a 5,000 word instalment of one series, and I had to rewrite it 14 times. By the end, I could almost recite it.
Ella: What do you think about AI writing?
Kyle: I think basically AI is used by people who shouldn't be writing. It's people who want to be a writer and sell books, rather than actually being a writer and writing your own thing. What's the point of having a computer doing your writing? The worst part is how much water they consume. It's so much water. I mean, what are we doing? Can we save the world, and then we can move on and get AI?
Ella: What would you say is the biggest challenge you've overcome as an author?
Kyle: Probably believing in myself, that I can actually write and it's worth doing. I started late- I always wanted to write, but people said it's not a good job. So I waited until I was 40, when I realised, actually, this is what I want to do, so I'm going to sit down and do it. I wasn't very successful in the beginning. I wrote for adults, and nobody wanted my books. People around were saying, you should get a job. This is never gonna work. But I started to think, yeah, actually, I can believe in myself. I can do this, and I will keep going. I will work my ass off until I get somewhere. And I did, after a long time.
Ella: What would you say is the biggest challenge you've overcome as a trans woman?
Kyle: Probably almost the same, I think, actually having the courage to do it, to come out, to actually accept myself. Because it's easier to say, no no, I'm normal, I'm normal. But I think most people aren't normal, and they try to be normal, and they get very tense and bitter about it all. I was trying not to become a bitter, bitter old person by saying, actually, I deserve this, accepting that I have a right to be happy. Always try to be happy, whatever that is. Everyone else can just leave you alone.
Ella: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Kyle: I think, first, recognise it's not easy, and you have to be willing to learn and take advice. You don't have to necessarily accept it, but you do have to think about it. Your first attempt will be challenging. But actually, as long as you enjoy it, all is well. That's probably the key thing, is basically enjoy the process. Because there’s no point doing it unless it's actually meaningful for you and you're enjoying it.
Ella: Any advice you would give to queer youth?
I think often people get into this mindset that the rest of the world, the ‘normies’ are going to be against you and don't like you because you're not fitting in. The reality is that, really, no matter where you are, or who you are, if you’re nice to people, if you're kind, the vast majority of people will accept you, like you, and support you. Your humanity will- you will- be embraced and loved, and you'll find happiness.
Ella: What are you working on now?
Kyle: I’m trying to write another novel for adults- I’ve been calling it Trailer Trash. It's about my mother; a story of redemption. My mother lived in trailer parks in Australia, and she kept having to move on because her boyfriend was a terrible person. The idea of the book is that from the outside, the children see her as trailer trash. But, in that life, you can have a valid existence, a valid life, and a role to play, and you have touched other people as well. So it's a story about looking at people and knowing you have to get into their life before you can understand the value of it all. I always knew I was in the closet. I was ‘normal’, and people thought I was totally straight. So I thought- if that's me, then all the other people, who knows what's going on there? You can't judge them and assume they don't have other things going on in their life.
Ella: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Kyle: Well, on one hand, life is short. On the other hand, it is quite long. So, you know, there's 24 hours in a day, and you have time to do everything you wanna do, really.