Q&A with Gigi Fenster

We were lucky enough to get a chance to interview Gigi Fenster, author of A Good Winter which was shortlisted for the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

To start off with we had a few questions about her writing lifestyle:

Q: If you could have dinner with 3 authors (living or dead) who would you choose and why?
A: Rahla Xenopolous is a wonderful writer living in New York. She is also my sister. I miss her. George Saunders because he’s a teacher. Teachers make the best conversation. And they teach you a thing or two. Christopher Hitchens. We can talk about how we hate Mother Teresa. Then go outside for a cigarette.

Q: Could you tell us a book you have read recently that you really enjoyed and would recommend? 
A: I think I’ll spend the next decade recommending George Saunders’ A Swim in the Pond in the Rain. It should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to write.

Q: What is your least favourite part of the writing process?
A: Ooh I don’t know. My favourite part is the moving things about. Once the first draft is written, and you go back and shift things. I can spend months (actually, years) on that part.

Q: Do you have a go-to writing snack or drink? 
A: I like to write first thing in the morning with a cup of tea. Then, after about two hours, a coffee

Q: And finally, what advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
A: Read read read. And write write write. Don’t wait for inspiration. Treat it like a job.

Then we asked a few questions about her most recent book, A Good Winter!

Q: We’re curious - where did you find the inspiration for Olga? Was there a specific event or interaction that she was born out of? 
A: There was a specific interaction, but I had to let go of it very quickly. I wonder whether this isn’t often (always??) the case with fiction – that the initial idea gets you going, but then the process takes on a life of its own.

Q: Did you ever want to include Lara’s perspective? 
A: I don’t think I did. This felt very much like Olga’s story, like the story that Olga should tell. Perhaps it is less about the story and more about giving Olga the voice – the opportunity to describe the world as she sees it.

Q: If your book was made into a movie, who would you love to play Olga? 
A: As long as it’s not Judi Dench.

Q: Last question! Would you be able to disclose (without spoilers) one significant way your book has changed since the first draft? 
A: Definitely the ending. I knew all along what it had to be, but I tried a few different ones before returning to what it had to be.