THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT
Lisa Harding chats about her debut novel
Sophie Grenham grabs a moment with Lisa Harding, an award-winning author, playwright, and actress from Dublin. Her debut novel, Harvesting, published in 2017, is currently being developed into a feature film. Her new book, Bright Burning Things, follows Sonya Moriarty, a single mother and thwarted actress, in her struggle with alcoholism.
When did the idea for Bright Burning Things first enter your consciousness, and what was the driving force behind Sonya’s
story? I started writing Bright Burning Things in 2017. It has had so many iterations since then: classic “difficult second album” syndrome. I have long been fascinated by what happens to the creative impulse when it is blocked. In my case, I stepped away from acting a number of years ago and had to deal with a “come down” similar to any addiction. Sonya likens the experience of being on stage with being high, pissed “out of one’s skin”. I happen to agree with her! Once acting is removed from Sonya’s life as a means of expressing her highly charged impulses, she has to replace it with something. In her case, she uses alcohol – white wine in particular – to both dampen her feelings and recreate the highs she experienced on stage.
What research did you do prior to (or during) the writing of this
book? I didn’t have to do any research per se, as my own life has been impacted by the addictions of people I am close to and love. Also, my own need for attention was very much a drive in becoming an actress in the first place. How I felt alive and fulfilled and okay in myself when I was (ironically) playing someone else and how flat and down I felt when I didn’t have this hit. For me, it was a highly addictive experience and not unlike the struggle I have witnessed in alcoholics trying to put down the booze. It is a desperate craving. The future’s certainly bright for the Irish film industry, with more great productions to come, including Harvesting. I hear you’re working with Michael Lennox (director of Derry Girls) and
Brian J Falconer. What are they like as collaborators? It is indeed an exciting time, and I’m honoured to be a part of that. Harvesting is being produced by Brian J Falconer, who made the beautiful and very moving film Ordinary Love with Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson. Michael Lennox and I are working in close collaboration on the screenplay, which he is to direct. It is a supportive, challenging and inspiring experience. I’m super-lucky with our team, which includes the hugely gifted Mark O’Halloran in an editorial capacity. I’m delighted to say that Brian J Falconer has just offered an option on Bright Burning Things too. We are discussing possible directors. More to be revealed…
How has your writing life changed since the pandemic entered
our lives? I had to move house mid-January, as the landlord needed the place back for his son. I have had far too many moves in the last decade and find it utterly exhausting. However, I am lucky in that I found a sweet place which allows Faye, my little rescue dog. The pandemic initially fostered a very creative phase for me, where I wrote an entire draft of a new novel in four months. I then became quite stressed by trying to find somewhere to live and also the underlying anxiety caused by the pandemic. I am hoping to regain my equilibrium in this new place. Faye is old now and unfortunately injured, but I intend to give her the best possible care in her final years. Dogs are wonderful to have around. One of my main characters in Bright Burning Things, Herbie, is a dog. One of the loves of Sonya’s life. Says it all, really.
How does one celebrate the release of a novel in lieu of an in-person launch, typically done in a bookshop with glasses
of warm white wine and a crowd? Good question, and the truth is, I don’t know the answer to this yet. I hope to celebrate with a few friends outside with a socially distanced bottle of bubbly. There’ll probably be some online event too. It’s a world apart from the excitement of having all your friends and family in a bookshop to christen the book baby and welcome her to the world. Here’s to good health, freedom and our social lives resuming again soon.