Navigating Culture Through Fiction: An Interview with Mirandi Riwoe

The latest edition of my “Spotlight on Australian Authors” showcases Mirandi Riwoe and her new novel, Stone Sky Gold Mountain, a historical fiction novel which focuses on Australian-Asian relations during the Gold Rush.

In this interview, we discuss how Riwoe’s Eurasian heritage influences her writing, and what she thinks needs to change in Australian literature, as well as the best writing advice she’s ever received, and virtual events she has coming up.

Congratulations on the release of your new novel, Stone Sky Gold Mountain. What inspired the novel?

Thank you! My first novel, a crime fiction set in Victorian London, features a couple of Eurasian characters. When I was researching that novel, I had to look into the Asian population of England in the late 1800s. This led me to wonder about the first Chinese people to settle here. I am Eurasian myself – my father is Chinese Indonesian – which I think accounts for my interest in the area.

Is that something that usually inspires your writing?

I guess, initially, an author’s writing is usually inspired by what they know or what interests them, so yes, I’d say my own background certainly enters into what I write about. But also I am inspired by what others are writing or what I love to read, be it the tone of a novel or the genre.

 

What’s the response been like so far?

I was a little worried about the timing of the release of my novel – at the very beginning of the pandemic lockdown – but everything seems to be going well. We’ve lost out on book festivals and events, but Zoom, podcasts and book stores have really helped out, for which I’m incredibly grateful.

 

Your novella The Fish Girl won Seizure’s Viva la Novella V and was shortlisted for The Stella Prize and the Queensland Literary Award’s UQ Fiction Prize. How did you feel about receiving such recognition?

What a thrill!! It’s so great to receive affirmation that your work isn’t so bad after all. I also really loved that it helped me connect with others in the writing community.

Were you nervous writing Stone Sky Gold Mountain given how successful The Fish Girl was?

Yes, I was to a degree. I was mostly worried that they are such different books, and that fans of The Fish Girl might be disappointed.

 

How does this novel compare to your 2017 thriller novel, She be Damned – which was published under the nom de plume MJ Tjia (if at all)?
They’re written in totally different styles and genre. I have had readers amazed at how different my crime novel is compared to The Fish Girl. The crime novels are meant to be romps, driven by a clue-puzzle mystery, whereas my other work is probably more theme-driven. However, even though the crime novels are more light-hearted in tone, I have also explored feminist and cultural themes, just as I would in my literary fiction.

Why did you decide to use a nom de plume for your thriller novel, but not for this novel? Did the fact that they’re separate genres influence your decision?
Definitely. Tjia is my father’s Chinese name but, after living in Indonesia, he changed his name to an Indonesian name, which is Riwoe. Originally, my British publisher wanted to know which name I wanted to go with and we decided that MJ Tjia probably sounded more crime-y. Meanwhile, my PhD and literary short stories and fiction continued on under my legal name, Riwoe. When it came to publishing The Fish Girl, it just made sense to keep the names separate for each genre.

Can you talk me through the publication process for Stone Sky Gold Mountain?

Luckily, Aviva Tuffield has always been supportive of my work, and when she moved to UQP, she offered to publish this book, which I was still working on at the time.

 

This is a historical fiction novel. Did your approach to writing it change, given that your previous novel was a completely different genre?

Each book, being historical, took a certain amount of time to research. That’s how I always start out – with a block of research time, before I begin to write. I’d say the only thing that I did differently was in the plotting – obviously the crime novel needs some sort of mystery, clues and denouement, whereas the literary fiction novel does not.

When did you first discover you had a passion for historical fiction?

It was actually probably when I wrote The Fish Girl that I realised I enjoyed exploring past stories or histories which could perhaps be re-visited in fiction.

You did a TEDx talk in 2018. What was that like?

Terrifying!! The TedX people are incredibly helpful though. They help you develop your argument or presentation and then help you practice it and memorise it, ready for the big night.

You’re of Indonesian heritage. Marginalised characters and shifting stereotypes is something that appears frequently in your work (as mentioned in your TEDx talk). Do you think there’s enough Asian-Australian representation in literature? What needs to be improved?

I think things are getting better, although of course there is always room for improvement. It’s great that there are journals such as Peril, Liminal and Ascension that primarily feature work by writers of colour.

You said in a recent interview with Booktopia that Amy Tan’s books made you “realise that there was a place in popular (western) culture for stories or books about the Asian experience”. Is that something you want to emulate in your own work? What do you want people to take away from reading Stone Sky Gold Mountain?

I want people to be as amazed as I was when I found out there were just so many Chinese in North Queensland during the late 19^th century. When I was growing up, there was not much (any?) fiction about Asian Australians for Asian Australians readers like myself, so I hope my fictions reaches contemporary Asian Australian readers.

Who’s the first person to read your writing, and how did they make your published work what it is today?

Originally, my mum was the first person to see my work. She still sees a lot of it, poor woman. But now I have a writers’ group and of course my publisher and editor will see my work quite early on. I think being a part of the writers’ group is really helpful. It has made me accustomed to being critiqued and taking advice on board.

How much did the novel change from first draft to the published novel?

I don’t think too much. I did add a couple of chapters, but not too much in the way of structural edits.

What was your research process for this book?

I usually start with non-fiction about the area or subject I’m looking to write about. I will also read fiction from the time, or fiction that is about the time. If I can, I visit the area – for my crime fiction, I visited London a couple of times and I travelled up to the Palmer River area for Stone Sky Gold Mountain. Of course, museums are a wonderful source of ideas too.

What’s your average day look like?

After school drop off, I like to write (I have a word count of 500) and then read something – fiction or non-fiction – to do with my newest project.

 

Who are your idols, both professionally and personally?

Obviously, I really look up to other writers. I think the writers in my writers’ group are amazing writers and women, and I really admire those Australian female writers who write about subjects that I feel are important, such as racism, trauma, and feminist issues.

 

What books did you read growing up? How does that differ to what appeals to you now?

I read whatever I could get my hands on when I was younger. I have always had a soft spot for crime fiction – I loved the Secret Seven and Famous Five and Nancy Drew. I’d say I still read a wide range of books.

 

 

Do you have any writing rituals you like to adhere to?

Just the 500 words a day rule (when I’m working on a novel).

 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received in regard to your writing, and what advice would you give to aspiring authors?

The best advice I heard was to treat writing like any other artistic pursuit – to take the time to learn the craft of writing. And what I always say to emerging writers is to persevere!!!

 

If you could invite three people from history (living or dead) to dinner, who would you invite and why?

Ah, that’d probably change on a daily basis, but today let’s say Agatha Christie, Pramoedya Ananta Toer and James Dean.

With the current health crisis, you’ve lost the opportunity to promote your books through readings and other events. How are you dealing with this? Are there any virtual events you would like to mention?

So far, things have been going as well as can be expected. I have a book club coming up with Ben Law, and also a book club with UQ. Podcasts have been really good to me too – The Garret, The First Time and On Writing.

 

Do you have another project on the go? What’s next for you?

I’m writing a book that is sort of inspired by some of my research for Stone Sky Gold Mountain, and another book set in Indonesia, towards the end of WWII.

 

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Stone Sky Gold Mountain is published by UQP. To find out more about this book, or others they publish, visit their website.

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