ALMOST €6,000 was raised by 73 people who backed an American woman’s Kickstarter campaign to publish her Rainbow Weather book about her life in Ireland.
As with all Kickstarter campaigns, it’s an all or nothing enterprise, but the author, Kat Koch, had no trouble reaching the target.
It could just as easily have been 730 backers because in her few short years in West Cork, she endeared herself to so many people.
‘There was a little petrol station near the town of Bantry that used to print fortunes on their receipts, and, in September 2019, I got one that read: ‘You are a lover of words: one day you will write a book.’
Kat said that’s what inspired her to self-publish a collection of short stories which to give it its full title is Rainbow Weather: Stories from a Beautiful Nowhere.
Kat’s inspiration to travel to Ireland in 2015 is another story. It was sparked by something she found in a filing cabinet in her mother’s basement.
‘The journey wasn’t based on logic and it certainly wasn’t a smart business move, but it was the start of an unforgettable journey living overseas for the first time in my life,’ she said. ‘It was a true adventure full of spark, connection and a slowing down of time.’
The book will appeal to readers interested in travel and self-discovery. And it shows Ireland, with all of its quirks and culture, in an interesting light. For a long time, Kat’s friends in West Cork had to check her socials to see her latest adventure, posing for life-drawing classes, climbing this mountain or that mountain in such and such a country, or training as a safari guide at the Kruger National Park in South Africa. One thing was certain, her posts were never dull.
Now, people will have the opportunity to read her stories about Ireland, and the good news is that Rainbow Weather will soon be available as an audio book.
