Wānaka author Kate Gordon-Smith has tapped into everything she loves about dogs and children’s adventure stories when creating the second book in her Red Collie Mysteries series for young readers aged seven to ten.
Maddison McQueen and the Disappearing Dogs (publication date 8 October 2024) continues the adventures of ten-year-old Maddie and her red-and-white Border Collie, Ruby, who readers met in the first Red Collie Mystery, Maddison McQueen and the Cupcake Mystery, which was released earlier this year.
In the new book, Gordon-Smith continues with the Wānaka setting, fast pace, and short chapters of the first book but delves into a more complex mystery when Maddie’s best friend’s puppies are stolen.
“The feedback I’ve had about the first Red Collie Mystery has been enormously encouraging,” says Gordon-Smith, who also runs the Kiwi Kids’ Bookstore, an independent online bookstore devoted to books by New Zealand authors for children and teens. “There’s nothing better for an author to hear that readers really enjoyed their book and are keen to read the next story in the series.”
Among the reviews for Maddison McQueen and the Cupcake Mystery, Leila Austin writing for The Sapling said: “Sure, this book might be cute and sweet, but it’s not at all shallow. Gordon-Smith has done an artful job of writing a rip-roaring plot but sneaking in all kinds of thoughtful details that give her world a rare depth for a junior fiction series.”
A life-long dog lover, Gordon-Smith says, “Writing the Red Collie Mysteries has been so much fun and my own red-and-white collie, Kenzie, makes me laugh and gives me ideas for the books all the time. Maddie’s fictional dog is a mix of Kenzie and our first much-loved Border Collie, Ruby, who was very smart and not nearly as goofy and noisy as Kenzie.
“I feel like I’ve tapped into ten-year-old me to create the sort of dog-filled adventure story I would have loved reading at that age. As a sensitive, emotional child, I needed happy stories – books like White Fang and Black Beauty were too grim and sad for me, so with my own books, I feel as if I’m writing from my heart with the simple, joyful goal of creating a story to entertain and engage young readers.”
In creating Maddison McQueen and the Disappearing Dogs, Gordon-Smith is mindful that the idea that dogs are being stolen is big deal for younger readers. “I’ve tried to keep my characters actively solving the mystery while being aware of the possible dangers of getting too close to the thieves. Feedback from my editor and beta readers indicate I got that balance right, so I’m looking forward to what youngers readers say.”
With the second Red Collie Mystery complete, Gordon-Smith is working on the next two books in the series. Other books in this series are pending but she says other book ideas are fighting for brain space and time to be written.
Continuing her support of the New Zealand book sector, Gordon-Smith has utilised Kiwi professionals for the editing, cover illustration, cover design and printing of Maddison McQueen and the Disappearing Dogs.
The book is published and distributed by her imprint, Relish Books.
