Interview: Riley Chance talks about The Target

Riley Chance, whose last novel, Weeping Angels, was shortlisted for the NZ Booklovers Best Fiction Book of 2025, is passionate about giving readers fast-paced, page-turning novels that also provide a window into societal issues – surveillance, democracy, family violence, and now the role of trade unions. Riley talks to NZ Booklovers about The Target.

Tell us a little about your new novel.

The Target is set in Aotearoa New Zealand’s near future, in an election year where the Government and trade unions are once again at loggerheads, echoing the tensions of 1984. When a bomb tears through the Combined Trade Union head office, it feels like history repeating itself.

It’s a thriller designed to entertain, but also to engage. Trade unions, who nominally represent around half of Kiwi workers, have been steadily weakened since the late 1970s.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’m interested in telling strong, engaging stories that also confront the issues shaping our lives – surveillance technology, how our democracy can be manipulated, family violence and here, the role of trade unions.

I believe unions remain essential. Many rights we take for granted – the 40-hour week, minimum wage, holidays – were hard-won over decades. Without them, workers risk becoming seen as expendable resources – if they aren’t already.

What research was involved?

I dug deeply into New Zealand in 1984, particularly the events surrounding the Trades Hall bombing. I visited Trades Hall in Wellington, now partly a museum, and stood where the bomb, hidden in a suitcase, sat on March 27 1984 until 5.19pm when Ernie Abbott picked it up and triggered the explosion.

I also spent time in Picton, grounding key scenes in real locations. I like my fiction anchored in reality.

Finally, I dived into my family history as my Grandfather was arrested in the 1951 Waterfront lockout. The family story had him putting a policeman in a headlock after saying, “You can’t take that man.” He spent the night in Mount Crawford. The truth is stranger, and funnier, than fiction. If you read the book, you’ll find out why.

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

I’m not a structured writer. I start with a core idea, then I write daily – 800 words is the goal – for three months. Some days the story moves. Some days it wanders. The point is momentum.

The next three months are about shaping that draft into a coherent story, followed by editing, proofing, and tightening. It’s easy to get stuck in that final endless loop, and this time I did.

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

As The Target is a thriller set in New Zealand, it would play well with 1980s Kiwi classics. Mi-Sex and Shone Laing spring to mind.

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

Robyn Malcolm would make an excellent Grace Marks. An over-fifties journalist, a single mother to two adult children, Grace is a determined Kiwi on the political left. Although I don’t know Robyn, she strikes me as perfect.

What did you enjoy the most about writing this novel?

Building a believable near future grounded in New Zealand’s 1984 past was the most satisfying part. It’s a constant balancing act between story and context, allowing readers to put themselves into a realistic society.

I enjoyed understanding the Trades Hall bombing in depth. It’s a stark reminder of how political rhetoric can escalate into real-world consequences. Think the US today.

What did you do to celebrate finishing The Target?

At this stage, nothing. That sounds a touch depressing, but as soon as the book is finished, there is even more to do!

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

Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari was an interesting look into the past and future of humans and information. Will Artificial Intelligence change the world?

The book I struggled with was Kafka’s The Castle. Written to demonstrate the difficulties in dealing with a faceless, incomprehensible bureaucracy, it was a test of endurance. In a “life mirroring art” moment, it (and Kafka’s The Trial) mirrored my own yearlong battle with the justice system. I’ll write more about soon.

What’s next on the agenda for you?

I’ve started my next novel, which is set in New Zealand in 2048. Grace ‘Ace’ Marks’ son, now a police detective, is investigating a cold case – the 2029 murder of a journalist! This novel provides me licence to create a possible future New Zealand, somewhere between utopia and dystopia.