Hollie spoke to author Emily Perkins about her latest novel Lioness.
What are you currently reading?
Ephemeron, poetry by Fiona Benson – her precision and heat give me goosebumps. And The Inseparables, a posthumously published novel by Simone de Beauvoir. I love her mind, and I love a short book.
Tell us the process of choosing the cover, as it relates closely to a scene in the book.
Greg Heinimann, the brilliant designer at Bloomsbury, came up with the image – it felt instantly right, for the sense it conveys of a woman who seems poised but is on fire from the inside.
What was your thought about setting the book in New Zealand, as opposed to somewhere else?
I wanted to look at class privilege in New Zealand, and to write about rich people without getting into the limitless level of wealth that might be found in a bigger country. And I really loved writing the different locations.
Have you ever thought about DJing a Lioness themed party?
Excellent idea! I did have a vibes playlist as I was drafting, but not all of it is danceable – I’d have to do a new one to properly create a Zone.
You’ve said there were many drafts of Lioness and that you started writing it in 2015. What was it that made you want to keep returning to the story?
It kept feeling relevant, and I never got tired of thinking about it, or thinking through it: the novel is partly about change, and I wanted to see if writing it would change me too.
What author or book is a recent discovery for you?
I was gripped by the sombre, ominous mood conjured up by Katie Kitamura in her novel Intimacies, and can’t wait to read her other work.
What is your favorite snack to enjoy while writing?
Almonds and apples and black coffee – if work’s going well the food disappears from the plate without my noticing. If it’s not I can be found in front of the open fridge door, staring blankly.