Interview: Anna Woods talks about LIT

Anna Woods is an award-winning writer from Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, whose short fiction has been published in a range of journals and anthologies. The recipient of various awards, residencies and mentorships, she has won the Sargeson Prize and been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. LIT is her first novel. Anna talks to NZ Booklovers.

Tell us a little about LIT.

LIT asks the question: what would you do, if someone you knew came back from the dead? Gin, a once-successful architect, is being haunted by glimpses of Billy, a former partner in the practice she shares with her girlfriend Clary. The fact that Billy is also Clary’s ex complicates matters further. Throw in a suspicious journalist, a burning secret, and a floundering business, and Gin spirals. She begins to suspect her paranoia hides an even more shocking truth, one that might send her whole life up in flames.

What inspired you to write this book?

Everyone who has lost someone has had the experience of recognising them in a crowd and doing a double-take. This happened to me driving to work one day, and I wondered what it would be like if the person wasn’t dead at all, but living a secret life. Around this time I was reading Clarissa, by Samuel Richardson, which is a story about the ultimate gaslighter. I wondered how that story would play out in the modern era, if Clarissa had more agency. These two threads were central to the story, and LIT is the result.

What research was involved?

I researched a wide range of topics – from New Zealand architecture and the history of state housing, to reading government procurement documents and Kāinga Ora Construction plans. By far the most interesting was researching people who intentionally disappear or fake their own deaths. There were all these crazy stories, including the market for dead bodies for fake wakes in the Philippines, and the lengths you have to go to in order to erase your digital footprint.

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

Like most writers, I fit writing around work and family commitments. What I’ve found works for me is to draft at night, before I go to sleep. It’s quiet, and dark, and my mind is heading towards that hazy dream space. I write longhand in a notebook, then the next day (or days depending how busy I am), I’ll transcribe what I’ve written. I can edit and revise during the day at my desk, but I need that liminal space to write new words.

If a soundtrack were made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include?

I have curated a soundtrack of sorts on Instagram @annawoodsauthor. Whenever I post about LIT I choose an accompanying song that encapsulates the vibe. Some of them include “Glory Box”, by Portishead, “Terrible Light”, by Young Echoes, and the classic: “Moonlight Sonata”, by Beethoven.

If your book were made into a movie, who would you like to see playing the lead characters?

Casting the movie would be difficult because I’m not sure there’s enough Middle Eastern representation in Hollywood to capture Gin, but an Arabic Jenny Ortega might work. As for Clary, someone like Elle Fanning, who can play the wide-eyed ingenue and the cold beauty equally well. For Billy, maybe a younger Nicholas Hoult. Someone with a glimmer in his eye for sure.

What did you enjoy the most about writing LIT?

There was something special about this book. I usually find plot difficult, but it was as though this story wanted to be told – the writing flowed and it was the fastest first draft I’ve ever written. There was plenty of revision and editing after that, but the initial writing was like a fever dream.

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

This is difficult to answer because the book going to print is a little anti-climactic. The biggest celebration was when I received the deal offer. We already had a family holiday booked, and we splurged on a fancy dinner on holiday to celebrate. Came home to copy edits, so the celebration didn’t last long!

What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?

My favourite book so far is Brawler, by Lauren Groff. I started out writing short stories, and I love the form. I saw her speak at Auckland Writers Festival, and she told a mind-blowing story about how she writes a draft, locks it away, then writes the whole thing over again from memory – repeating several times until it is perfect. When each word I write feels as though it’s carved in blood, I can’t imagine the energy and the vast memory it must take to do that.

What’s next on the agenda for you?

I’m working on another novel, this one set in the art world. There will be a suspense element, but it’s early days, so that’s all I can say for now.

Echo Publishing