An Interview with Lisa Overton
I’m a queer femme feminist, a politics lecturer by day, and a seashore wanderer whenever I can sneak away (with my gorgeous dog). My teaching spans sustainable development, human rights, gender, sexualities, intersectionality, and research methods. I have a particular interest in creative approaches to research—especially storytelling. In my work, I explore power relations—from institutions to intimate relationships—using a queering approach to experiment with possibilities and challenge norms. I use she/her or they/them pronouns.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
Power dynamics have always interested me. As a student, I had to report a member of staff for inappropriate behaviour only to find that I wasn’t being taken seriously. Now, a lecturer for many years, I have reflected on that experience and I wanted to write something that explored these complicated power dynamics that can often be brushed off, but shouldn’t.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
My current project is called “Nothing Really Happened,” partly based on how (often women’s) experiences of inappropriate behaviour can be dismissed as “not that bad,” something Roxanne Gay has drawn attention to in an edited book of the same name. It has been hard to stick to because I originally wanted to call it something like “Dark Academia,” but even though it is a dark story and set in academia, it’s not a dark academia genre–style book.
Describe your dream book cover.
I love covers that aren’t too literal and include one key image that captures the theme of the book. For instance, Charlotte Mendleson’s Wife has a pair of rose-tinted glasses, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter has a dairy cow, and both images are symbolic of each book’s essence, for me at least!
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” would definitely have to feature! I also think “Chosen Family” by Rina Sawayama, “Pavane opus 50” by Gabriel Faure, and “Breaking You” by ELIA EX for the moody hopefulness.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
I am re-reading some favourites right now. For pleasure, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood because it reminds me how a good story can be as quiet as it is compelling. For research, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn because I love how smart her writing style is—I can gallop through this book in one or two sittings. She also manages to thread the past into the present so seamlessly, something I am currently struggling with. I recently finished Convenience Store Woman by Sakaya Murata and was blown away with how beautifully weird and perfectly human this story is—it will stay with me for sure.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
In another life when I was a student, I worked as “groundsperson” at Bodium Castle in East Sussex. It was the most magical place in the world and my two favourite things were that when I was on car park duty, I got to read all kinds of books and when I was on castle duty, at closing time, I was alone inside the ruins as I cleaned up the day’s business.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I had some great English and Drama teachers at school who encouraged me to be creative.
Where is your favorite place to write?
I don’t have a favourite physical space, but I have two items where I gravitate to get my thoughts down. One is my notebook and the other is the notes app on my phone. I have them both with me everywhere, and depending on what is most convenient to get out, whenever I have an idea or some scenes I want to sketch out, I just whip out my notebook or my phone and start writing—wherever I am.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
The time is now.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I would love readers to be left with some insight into the fraughtness of young adulthood and how it plays into later life.
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