Read to Know Basis: Liz Moore
The author of The God of the Woods follows her internal creative clock.
Read to Know Basis is a weekly interview series with authors. It features debut authors and established writers talking about reading, writing, and of course snacks. This series is free to all. If you like what you read considering subscribing to support the work of Unstacked, and of course go out and buy the book!
Liz Moore is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Long Bright River, which was a Good Morning America Book Club Pick and one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year, as well as the acclaimed novels Heft and The Unseen World. A winner of the 2014-2015 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia.
What are five words to describe your book?
Mysterious, atmospheric, rural, expansive, immersive (I hope!)
Describe your ideal reader?
Someone who likes propulsive stories but also likes world-building and atmosphere, and who is OK with a few forays into big questions about big themes.
What is the best part about being an author? What is the worst part?
The best part is the feeling of providing a service to readers, the way that other authors have always provided a service to me by offering me an escape into their books. The worst part is convincing myself to actually sit down to do the work, even if it means setting my alarm at 4:45am to make sure it gets done before the rest of the world (and my kids) wake up!
What is the strangest thing you googled while researching/writing this book?
I learned so much about the concept of “Lost Person Behavior”--i.e., what humans are naturally inclined to do when they become disoriented in the wilderness. It turns out that different age brackets tend to do different things, for example!
What is the one thing you can’t write without?
A quiet place where I can be uninterrupted. A lack of internet really helps, as well.
What is a piece of writing advice that you’ve received that you think is really bad? What is a piece of writing advice that you think is really good?
Honestly, anyone else’s advice on specific ways to achieve “discipline” as a writer is usually pretty useless to me. It took me years to figure out a routine that works for me, and I’m happy to share with others what that routine is, but I also recognize that everyone’s internal creative clock is different. If you want to be a writer, you’ll find your own way. (I guess that last part is the “good” writing advice!)
What are you reading right now? And what book are you desperate to read next?
I’m reading Swift River by Essie Chambers and Early Sobrieties by Michael Deagler. I am looking forward to reading Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu next.
What book are you an evangelist for?
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s a perfect novel. No notes.
If you could write a retelling of a classic novel, which would you pick?
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton.
Who is your literary crush?
What kind of question is this?! I’ll never tell : )
If you could not be a writer what would you do?
A radio journalist whose main job it is to interview interesting people. (Hi, Terry Gross!)
You’re invited to a literary potluck, what are you bringing?
Since it’s summer, I’ll default to the salad I make all summer long: watermelon, feta, arugula, basil, lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper.
Connect with Liz: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Website
I am reading Read-to Know! I needed to get in on the Liz Moore dish. Speaking of dishes, I love a watermelon salad with the addition of arugula. I'd maybe throw some pomegranate seeds on top for the crunch and make that perfection! Also, when lost in the woods (or really for a variety of reasons in the woods), I cry. Which demographic does that fit?? I read God of the Woods in less than a day, despite the fact that I can't think of anything I'd rather do less than camp.
In reading The God of the Woods now and I would definitely describe it as immersive and atmospheric