Interview: Josie Shapiro talks about Good Things Come and Go

Josie Shapiro is the bestselling author of Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, which won the inaugural Allen & Unwin Fiction prize and was named one of the best books of 2023 by The Spinoff and the New Zealand Listener. A graduate of the University of Auckland's Master of Creative Writing, Josie was a Sargeson Fellow in 2024 and was named one of the 2025 New Voices of Aotearoa. Josie talks to NZ Booklovers.

Can you tell us a little about the new book?

Good Things Come and Go is about three friends - Penny, Riggs and Jamie, who reunite in an isolated bach on the Coromandel peninsula. It's a book about coming home, losing your way, and finding out you might not be the person you always thought you'd become. 

How difficult was it writing the follow up to your first book Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts and what did you find different about the process from the first book?

It was both easier and harder to write this novel than my first. I knew a bit more about the craft of novel writing, and how to take the first draft through to a more finished story, but it was also daunting. Many people mentioned the 'difficult second album' idea to me and sometimes that seemed to reinforce the pressure! 

What research was involved? 

Two of the characters are skateboarders and the other is a landscape painter, and since I am not proficient in either of these things there was a lot to learn so I could portray them as accurately as possible. I'm hopeful I got close to being accurate! I didn't learn to skateboard though, because I did stand on a board one time and nearly broke my wrist, and being able to write was more important to me than actually learning to skateboard. 

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

I wrote most of the book while I was in writer's residencies. The novel was started at the Michael King Writers Centre in Devonport, Auckland, and then the entire second draft was written at the Frank Sargeson apartment when I was the Sargeson Fellow in 2024. Writers' fellowships and residencies are vital - they provide space away from ordinary daily life and financial assistance to dedicate time to your work, and time is one of the most essential ingredients for crafting great stories. 

If a soundtrack were made to accompany the new book, name a song or two you would include.

Would That I by Hozier, Oh My Heart by R.E.M., Wrong Way by Sublime, Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters & Collectors, I Know The End by Phoebe Bridgers...so many songs I could include on a playlist for this book. I wrote most of the drafts to a rotating playlist of these songs and more, so it's a novel very much motivated by the power of good songs. 

What did you enjoy the most about writing Good Things Come and Go?

This novel was bit of a leap forward for me in my skill level, at least that was how it felt, so I enjoyed that. I loved long sunny days at the Frank Sargeson apartment in Albert Park working on this book, imagining skateparks and long walks along east coast beaches. 

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

Popped a bottle of really good champagne. Totally basic but my favourite way to celebrate milestones.

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

Can I cheat and say two? The best fiction book I've read this year is the start of On the Calculation of Volume series, by Solvej Balle. Translated from the Danish, this is a deep, slow retelling of the Groundhog Day idea. It's mesmerising. And the best non-fiction book I've read is North Bound by Naomi Arnold. I read very little non-fiction, and when I do, it's either mountain climbing or thru-hiking stories. North Bound is the story of Naomi's journey to complete the Te Araroa trail in 2024. Her writing is so clear and compelling, absolutely recommend.    

What’s next on the agenda for you?

I'm hoping to get further along into the first draft of my third novel in the next few months, although summer is a hard time to write: kids are home from school for holidays, Christmas and New Year scarper all real plans for diving deep into the fiction, but if I daydream about it until school goes back next year then I'll be well-prepared to get into the writing come February. 

Allen & Unwin