Hello Well Read Women subscribers! We're SO thrilled to bring you a Q&A with Amy Taylor, author of Ruins, one of our fabulous August paperback subscription picks. We chat with Amy about her writing journey, the different themes she explores within Ruins, the exciting adaptation that's in the works and what that experience has been like so far, plus she shares some brilliant book recommendations too. We hope you enjoy! We hope you enjoy!
Hi Amy! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us at Well Read Women. We’re thrilled to be including Ruins as one of our August subscription selections. I’d love to start by talking about your writing process. What does a typical writing day look like for you? Have you picked up any rituals, routines or pieces of advice over the years that have become an essential part of your writing process?
Hello! I’m thrilled Ruins is included too, thank you! It’s currently winter here in the southern hemisphere, and I have a routine of rugging up and heading out to a café to write, which I’m really enjoying. Generally, since having my son (who’s one now), I’ve had to let go of a lot of rigidity around the requirements I set for myself when writing. My writing sessions now mostly resemble a sprint where I’m trying to use every second. In some ways I’m finding it refreshing. I don’t have time to dwell on self-doubt and second-guess myself. I think it’s cut out a lot of the pointless rumination.
Ruins is your second novel, and your first, Search History, explored modern dating and obsession in the digital age in Melbourne. Although Ruins also explores obsession, it does so more through sex and desire. How different was the experience of writing Ruins compared to Search History?
It was incredibly different. My experience writing Ruins was surprisingly linear. I wrote it from start to finish and then returned to the start every time I began a new round of edits. On reflection, I think this was partly because I’d sat with the idea for years before I began, which meant I had quite a clear idea of where I was going. Search History felt like a very steep learning curve—a convoluted one. With Ruins, it felt like I refined my process greatly. It was nice to discover that I have more control than I first believed!
Let’s dive into Ruins! We loved this sultry, sizzling story set in Athens during the summer. What made you want to set the book in this city?
I first visited Athens in 2019 and immediately thought the city would make an interesting setting for a novel, especially one where the tension of the plot rose alongside the heat. At that point, I already had the seed of the idea for Ruins percolating away in my mind, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later that I eventually connected the story idea with Athens as a setting. As soon as I did, the two ideas clicked together in a really satisfying way. I love Athens, and I knew that choosing it as a setting for my novel would also mean I would get to research it, revisit it and take on the challenge of describing it—that felt like a bonus.
The book follows Emma and Julian, a couple housesitting in Athens for the summer. Emma recently suffered a miscarriage, and both hope the trip will help their relationship, but instead Emma finds herself drawn to the idea of inviting another woman into their relationship, sparking a sexual awakening. What drew you to explore both experiences side by side?
For a start, I’d never really seen that idea explored in fiction. Not to say it hasn’t been, I’m sure it has, but I hadn’t seen it, and that excited me. The idea that a woman who feels disconnected from her body in the wake of a miscarriage could find sexual reawakening through connecting to the sexual experience of another woman (who she might perceive as capable of a more straightforward type of pleasure) was really compelling to me. I saw a logical connection there, and I felt drawn to explore it. I suppose as a novelist it’s important to forget that some of your family and friends may one day read the book ha ha.
In the book, Emma is wrestling with whether motherhood is right for her or if her miscarriage happened for a reason. What conversations or reflections were you hoping this part of her journey would spark in readers?
I wanted to write about the ambivalence I think a lot of women feel toward the question of whether they want to have children. In my own observations, I think many of the women that are grappling with this decision seem to be hoping that a firm answer is out there waiting to be uncovered (through the passing of time, or experience, or by reading another opinion piece by someone who does or doesn’t regret having a child…) I suppose I was in this place when I first started writing Ruins, but then two years later I edited the novel while I was pregnant with my son. I loved returning to Emma’s mind and considering the question from her perspective once more. I guess I wanted, in some small way, to present a character who others might relate to on this dilemma because these thoughts and feelings (or lack of feelings!) are so common.
Lena is the woman Emma and Julian invite into their relationship, and it soon becomes clear that there’s a significant difference in class and privilege between them. We’re also introduced to Lena’s brother, Darius, who is a shady character. What did you enjoy most about bringing the characters to life?
It was so much fun to have a cast of characters with contradicting agendas and to have them all fight against the current of the story. I think that was what I enjoyed the most. I do wish that some chapters could have been told from the perspective of Lena and Darius, but the story relied on there being a sense of mystery around what those characters truly wanted, and to a certain extent that locked me out of their perspective. Still, I loved writing scenes and dialogue where anger, frustration or suspicion simmered underneath all the characters’ words and actions.
Ruins is currently being adapted into a film starring Sebastian Stan and Vanessa Kirby, who we think are absolutely perfect choices for these roles! What has it been like seeing your novel make the journey from page to screen, and what has the experience been like for you so far?
It’s very exciting! I’ve learnt so much about the process a book undergoes to reach the screen. I think the success of a project relies mostly on the passion, perseverance and hard work of the team at the helm, but there is also an element of luck and timing. All I can do is wait and see! I love the idea of Vanessa and Sebastian inhabiting the roles of Emma and Julia (I also think they’re a perfect fit) so I truly hope the vision is realised.
A question we ask every author we chat to is about their favourite writers! Which female author has been the biggest inspiration to you, both as a reader and writer?
I’d have to name two. First would be Rachel Cusk for her incisive prose. I love reading her words and feeling awash with recognition for the way she’s managed to capture a feeling or an abstract concept, or even a facial expression with such clarity. So often I want to shout: ‘Yes! That’s exactly what it’s like!’ The other writer is Lorrie Moore. I think Moore’s writing is singular and her ability to convey both her deep empathy and hilarious sense of humour through her writing gives it a charm unlike any other.
What’s an underrated book you think deserves to be on everyone’s radar?
One Story by Australian author Pip Finkemeyer. Funny, clever and genuinely original. One for fans of Jennifer Egan.
What was the last book you rated 5 stars?
I loved Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh. Such a fascinating concept!