The Fortress of Us follows a grieving father and his eight-year-old daughter who are attempting to rebuild their lives after suffering an unimaginable loss in coastal South Australia. What inspired you to write this novel, and how did the idea of a grieving young girl becoming the protector of another vulnerable child first develop?

The story was inspired by an event from my childhood that had a profound impact on me. When I was eight years old my family visited relatives in Queens, New York where I met a little girl who didn’t speak and was clearly neglected. I wanted to take her home with us, but of course my parents said no. When we got in our car to leave however, the little girl tried to get in with me, and when we drove off, she ran down the street after our car, trying to reach me. I never saw the girl again and always wondered what became of her. As I got older and had first children and then grandchildren, I found the image of that little girl chasing after us, arms outstretched, kept coming back to me more and more. To the point I began to imagine a series of follow-on events that would give me some closure on the matter. That string of events turned into a story, and that story became The Fortress of Us.  

How did you approach developing Kelsey as a neurodivergent child whose emotional experiences and understanding of the world influence her decisions?

I suffered from learning disabilities as a child including dyslexia, ADHD and hypersensitivity. In creating the character Kelsey I drew on my memories of how these conditions effected me. Through Kelsey’s experience in the story I tried to relate the physical sensations associated with these conditions, as well as the resulting behavioural struggles and difficulties with learning and relating to others. 

How do the relationships among Kelsey, Molly, Ryan, and Shannon explore the different ways people can support one another while struggling with their own losses?

Molly is the sister Kelsey never had and always wanted. But as a much younger, more vulnerable child, she arouses Kelsey’s protective instincts to the point she becomes almost a mother to Molly, the very person she herself has lost. Shannon sees in the bond between them her own relationship with her sister whose death she feels responsible for. And Ryan must set aside his grief to help Kelsey deal with her won. As each character helps the others they come to see that life after loss is still worth living. 

What do you hope readers take away from the novel’s examination of resilience, family bonds, and the unexpected relationships that help people recover from loss? 

As with all my stories, I hope readers come away from Fortress feeling uplifted. I hope the experience of Kelsey, Molly, Ryan and Shannon leaves them with a stronger belief in people’s willingness to help one another even when recovering from loss themselves. 

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