Kate Clark Stone is the author of the new novel The Last Sunday in May. A former attorney, she lives in Tennessee.
Q: What inspired you to write The Last Sunday in May, and how did you create your character Mack?
A: I’ve attended the Indianapolis 500 since I was 6 years old. It’s a family tradition! The race itself is held on the last Sunday in May, and that’s where the name of the book comes from.
The year my daughter was born, not a single woman was driving in the Indy 500, and I felt really frustrated by the male-dominated industry of this sport that I love. So I wrote about it!
Mack has had so many personalities over the years I worked on the book (she started out as a teenager in a YA version) but I realized I wanted to write about motherhood and ambition, and how those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Mack and I have very little in common, but she has so many of my own fears and insecurities around parenting and work.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Mack and your character Leo?
A: Mack lives hard and fast, so the attraction to Leo is instant. But because of her past, she moves cautiously, and Leo helps her let loose with tenderness and patience.
Q: What do you think the novel says about the role of women in motorsports?
A: I hope The Last Sunday in May shows that there is a place for women in motorsports. The barriers between women and success on the track has nothing to do with talent or skill, and everything to do money and gatekeeping. Racing is a sport where gender and body composition have no bearing on success and yet there’s still such a huge preference for men by sponsors and teams.
I absolutely believe a woman can win the Indy 500, if she has the same financial, structural, and logistical support that men have had since the first race was held in 1911.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: There’s no shame in wanting what you want! Motherhood (and parenting in general) doesn’t have to be an obstacle to doing the thing that makes your own heart sing. I think particularly for my generation of moms, we sacrifice so much of ourselves so that our children can have everything. But moms also get to live a life full of passion, joy, and fulfillment!
Also, I hope readers feel a sense of hope. No matter what has happened to them or whatever obstacles stand in their way, hope is vital. Hope kept me going over the six years it took me to write The Last Sunday in May, and for the three years it took me to get to publication.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on something very different! I’m writing a book about Southern country club moms who behave very badly. It’s a lot of fun to write!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’ve lived in Tennessee for all my adult life, but I’m a born-and-bred Hoosier. My dad loved IndyCar and we shared a love of racing. He died in 2023 and never got to read The Last Sunday in May. I wish I could share the book with him, but more than anything, I wish we could go to one more Indy 500 together.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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