Q&A with Liz Parker

 

 

 

Liz Parker is the author of the new novel The Family Compound. She also has written the novel All Are Welcome. Also a literary agent, she lives in Los Angeles.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Family Compound, and how did you create your cast of characters?

 

A: The true inspiration for The Family Compound is a piece of land my family has owned for several decades. The characters in the book found me: it started with the image from the first chapter, a line of black cars driving up the road like ants, and the cousins emerged from there. 

Q: What do you think the novel says about family dynamics?

 

A: Family dynamics are complicated! With family you get both unconditional love AND sometimes relentless honesty. Throw in a good dose of nostalgia and you’ve got a group of people who don’t quite know how they fit together anymore.

 

But I think the beauty of The Family Compound is that this particular group figures it out - no matter what life throws at them, their roads circle back to each other. 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I knew I wanted the cousins to figure out how to keep the land, and I knew I didn’t want it to simply be one of them (likely Chris) to “save the day.” As I got to know these characters better, and learned how their minds worked, the idea of turning the land into a farm felt like the right one. 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope readers come away with the sense that it’s okay to change as a person and still fight for your family. Sometimes we can feel like it has to be one or the other - but in this case, it wasn’t until everyone started to grow up and be honest with themselves that they came back together. 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have to be honest: my day job (I’m a literary agent at Verve in LA and NYC). But also, when I do get a pocket of time, book number three: about a group of friends living in NYC in the mid-2010s. 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Thank you for reading! It’s a pleasure to connect with readers and share stories that blend drama, humor, and hope. I hope to write several more. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb