Each month we celebrate an Australian debut release of fiction or non-fiction in the Kill Your Darlings Debut Spotlight feature. For July that debut is Roseghetto by Kirsty Jagger (UQP), an unforgettable and moving coming-of-age story on growing up in public housing in Western Sydney, and breaking the cycle of violence and poverty. We spoke to Kirsty about her publishing journey and the impact she hopes Roseghetto will have on its readers.
Stay tuned later this month for a review of the book from Debut Spotlight critic Simon McDonald, and a video reading from the author on our Instagram.
Photo: Matthew Duchesne
Can you give a brief summary of Roseghetto for those who haven’t read it yet?
Roseghetto is an Australian, working-class, coming-of-age story that captures the trials and tribulations of a young girl named Shayla, as she navigates growing up in poverty, amongst violence. It follows the first 18 years of her life as she struggles to break free of the residual and compounding impacts of trauma.
The story takes some inspiration from growing up in the housing commission estates of Sydney’s western suburbs, including one that was declared an “urban design experiment that failed” about a decade before riots broke out and it was subsequently ordered demolished. I wanted to preserve a little of this place before it was gone forever, capturing snippets of stories lost in the process of eviction and demolition.
As a journalist by trade, like your protagonist, what made you decide to write this particular story as fiction, as opposed to non-fiction or memoir?
Although this book has its foundations in truth—it is set in a real time and place—the characters are composites and the situations they find themselves in are fictional.
Roseghetto is made up of fragments, pieced together from a multitude of moments, memories, people and places, their stories and experiences, both seen and heard, collated and reimagined.
I like to think of this book as a mosaic; as if a mirror had been held up to my experiences—including having been a journalist—and the experiences of those around me. I’ve made something new from the pieces, but it’s still reflective of a certain time and place.
I like to think of this book as a mosaic; as if a mirror had been held up to my experiences…and the experiences of those around me.
What does your writing process look like? Any particular strategies or philosophies that help you find inspiration or put words on the page, or self-care strategies that help you when writing gets difficult?
It looks like…Index cards scattered on the floor and whiteboard marker scribbled on the mirrored doors of my wardrobe, mapping out scenes. Emails sent to myself in the wee hours of the morning, after I’ve woken up with an idea or a word or a sentence that I don’t want to lose. Messy excel sheets that outline what year it is, how old the characters are and what they’re reading/watching/wearing/listening to, by chapter. Long walks, playing out scenes in my head, jotting down dialogue in the Notes app on my phone. Lots of early morning coffees, trying to get words on the page before my day job kicks in and then popping a couple of No-Doz in the evening, so I can keep at it. Often staring, exhaustedly, at a blank screen, as if into the abyss.
I did most of my writing of this novel during our lockdown years. Working from home, not having a lengthy daily commute, I suddenly had all these extra hours in the day, which I put to good use. I think the key was getting into a habit, kind of treating it as a job. I got up at the same time, followed the same routine, sat at the same desk, so my brain automatically kicked straight into focus mode. I discovered that I was more productive in the early hours while I was still feeling fresh. I found if I tried to change up the location, I was easily distracted.
I also read a bunch of craft books including On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King, and How to Be a Writer by John Birmingham. I also took a bunch of Writing NSW courses during this time, including Writing Trauma with Meera Atkinson, Manuscript Development with Linda Funnell, Editing Your Manuscript for Mood, Voice and Atmosphere with Kate Forsyth.
In 2019 you won the inaugural Heyman Mentorship Award—congratulations! Can you tell us about this experience and the impact this had on your writing career?
Thank you! Winning this award and participating in the Australian Writers Mentoring Program completely changed the trajectory of my writing career. Kathryn was the first person to see real potential in what I thought was just a pipe dream. Her unwavering confidence in this project gave me the courage to keep on believing in it. I feel like no words will ever be able to fully capture just how grateful I am. Kathryn is an incredible writer, an amazing teacher and a remarkable person, and I feel so blessed to have worked with her on Roseghetto. It wouldn’t be where it is today without her.
What’s one thing you know now about the writing and publishing journey that you wish you’d known when you were starting out?
I’ve been very lucky to have been gently and expertly guided through this process by an amazing team.
Heading into the publishing part of this, I didn’t realise how important to me it would be that I felt safe with my publisher. I’m a journo by trade, so I’m used to writing quite succinct and factual pieces, which kind of removes the element of vulnerability that comes with putting something creative and fictional out there. But as soon as I met my publisher, Aviva Tuffield, I was instantly put at ease; I knew both the book and I were in safe hands.
The other thing I learnt really quickly was—sleep on it. Big changes come back in the editing process, your heart kind of sinks, and your first reaction is one of resistance. But if you sit with it for a few days, generally you come to agree with the decision to kill your darlings. I had absolute trust in my editor Margot Lloyd, so I was able to fully surrender to the process and together, with Aviva, I believe we’ve made this book the best it can be.
What other writers or books influenced your writing (either this book specifically or your writing more broadly)?
As a first-time author, not only do you tend to write what you know, I think you also tend to write what you like to read. As a reader, I enjoy a fictional book set in a real time and place. It makes the story more believable for me and I feel more invested in the characters. Extra points if the setting is gritty. And I love an underdog. Some of my favourite books are Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton, Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart, Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, Monkey Grip by Helen Garner, Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson (I know Darnmoor is fictional, but it still feels very real world and local).
What impact do you hope your book will have on its readers?
Roseghetto is a book for anyone who has had to fight for their place in the world, even if they felt like giving up along the way. And anyone who has turned to literature for comfort, company or escape at some point in their life.
Roseghetto is a book for anyone who has had to fight for their place in the world, even if they felt like giving up along the way.
A lot of the struggles Shayla faces are invisible to the people around her. She often treads a very lonely path. I think every single human being on earth can relate to this sense of fighting their own private battle and, at some point, feeling as if they’re going it completely alone.
I hope people who can relate to some of Shayla’s experiences feel less alone having met her, having heard her voice and held her hand on this journey. And for those who can’t identify with her experiences, I hope Roseghetto provides a kinder lens through which to view some of the people and places and communities that we’re often quick to stereotype.
Roseghetto is available now from your local independent bookseller.
