Five minutes with author Lucy Campbell
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Who doesn’t love a cosy winter day snuggled in with a good book?
Ahead of Canberra author Lucy Campbell’s debut novel Lowbridge hitting shelves on 5 July (happy publication, Lucy!) we sat down with her to discuss Canberra running spots, inspiration from unlikely places and how we should never take wins for granted.
You can catch Lucy in person (and snap up a copy of Lowbridge) on Thursday 6 July at Harry Hartog Kambri at her free Book Launch and in-conversation event or pre-order your copy of Lowbridge here.
What inspired the plot and characters of Lowbridge?
I was at the Spence Shops getting some milk one day in August 2020, when I noticed the milk cartons had photos of missing people printed on them as part of Missing Persons Week.
I started reading the cartons and wondering what happened to those people—how could they just disappear like that, and how would their family and friends cope with the desperation of never knowing what happened? That was my starting point for Lowbridge.
Why did this feel like an important story to tell?
Lowbridge was written to entertain—I like the idea of losing yourself in a good book for the afternoon, rather than trying to preach any kind of message.
In writing it though, it made me conscious of how active women must continue to be in maintaining the right to make our own choices, and that as seen in Roe v Wade in the US, we can never take our victories for granted.
Have you always wanted to be an author? When did you start writing?
I studied English literature at uni in Townsville, which was pretty much four years of reading and writing, and that’s been part of my working life ever since.
When I finished my degree, I went to London and worked for a publisher writing educational booklets—basically for free when I recall what they paid me—but I was too excited to complain.
In Sydney, I moved to magazines—home, food, gossip—then got a job on The Canberra Times as a features sub. I’ve also worked on the other side as a media/communications officer before I decided it was time to focus on my own writing.
I moved back to Canberra with my family in 2015 after almost three decades away, which I thought might feel a bit strange, but it’s such an easy place to live.
Where are some of your favourite places in Canberra to write?
I have a studio in the bottom of our garden where I do the bulk of my writing. It’s all set up exactly how I like it, and no one else uses it or even comes into it, apart from the cat and dog.
I do a lot of my thinking about characters and plot while I’m out running, and I count that as a huge and very enjoyable part of the whole process!
Favourite running spots are Hall to Mulligan’s Flat if I’m feeling fit, or just out to One Tree Hill if I’m not so energetic. I love doing a loop from Mt Rogers down through the Dunlop grasslands and around West Belconnen Ponds, and I also try to fit a run in around my kids’ sport, so I’m often at The Pinnacle in Hawker, or somewhere around Lake Burley-Griffin.
Even if I’ve only got a thirty-minute break, a walk or run gives me a chance to go over what writing I’ve done that day and think about what I want to do next.
What’s on your TBR pile?
I’ve just started Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, which I had planned to save for afternoons during the holidays, but I can’t put it down.
Next up is Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. And I’ve got a pile of crime fiction to get through—When We Fall by Aioffe Clifford, Canticle Creek by Adrian Hyland, and Echo Lake by Joan Sauers.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently at work on my second book, and back to struggling/flying through the process depending on what sort of day I’m having. Even on the most ‘stuck’ days though, I always feel so incredibly fortunate to be living the old cliché of doing what I love.
I’m also busy adjusting to the publicity around Lowbridge. I definitely prefer writing to talking, so it takes a bit of getting used to. And I’m very much looking forward to a beach holiday in December—feels like ages away but so important on these freezing Canberra mornings to remember that the sunshine is waiting for me.
