Time to sit and share a cuppa with Genevieve Novak, author of No Hard Feelings published by HarperCollins and available at all good bookstores and online now. Welcome Genevieve to Great Reads & Tea Leaves. I was so thrilled to read your debut novel.
Normally I would ask if you are a coffee or tea drinker and if the latter, what is your preferred brew. However, I would also be interested in your favourite cocktail. In your book I had a good laugh about the amount you spent on one bad date in consuming cocktails and was wondering if, all in the name of research of course, you had any recommendations in that department as well?
I actually don’t drink much anymore; maybe four or five times a year. When I do, it’s usually on dates to temper my nerves and relax a bit. I’ve probably wasted several months’ salary on cocktails on bad dates over the years, so I’ve got plenty of research to call on. When I know a date is going badly, I order a house white because they’re cheap and sweet, so I can drink really fast and get out of there! If it’s a good date, I’ll get a Negroni. They’re sharp and a little bitter so I can sip it verrrry slowly, keep my head and enjoy myself.
Just a bit on your writing background. After studying creative writing at university, I see you have undertaken a number of roles that involve writing. How did these (if at all) help make you into the author that you are today?
I think writing is more of a skill than a talent, so it can’t have hurt. While writing for work kept my tools sharp, it also drained a lot of my energy and made it difficult to work on any personal projects for a long time. Once I moved into a job that was more structured and less creatively demanding, I was able to rediscover my interest in my own ideas and voice.
Was this the book you always wanted to write? Did you have some cathartic feelings - I know I did - as you so eloquently captured aspects of what many women go through in their life?
No Hard Feelings wasn’t the book I intended to write! I set out to write a standard romcom, but the more Penny developed as a character, the more I felt the need to introduce a stronger emotional arc. There were times in the writing process when I wasn’t sure if it resembled a romcom at all anymore, if it was too serious to be any fun, too fluffy to be substantial, or if it fit into any genre neatly. The whole thing was led by Penny’s emotional journey, a lot of which I could really relate to, and it was so gratifying and so cathartic to watch her succeed.
Genevieve, you provide some absolute pearls of wisdom - my highlighter worked overtime - that could be appreciated at any age. What is one of your favourite things about the journey Penny went on and where she ends up by the conclusion of this story?
I love that Penny saved herself. As much as she wanted to be rescued — and a certain character did try — ultimately it wouldn’t have stuck if she wasn’t the one to do the work; she just would have sabotaged it and hit rock bottom again. She had to learn to genuinely want good things for herself. Her happy ending was well-earned, but I fully believe she would have been okay no matter where the story ended, or how.
I believe there are a number of themes and issues - growth and self discovery as examples - in this book. Could you give us a couple of your top ones please. How would you sum up the main takeaway for those reading No Hard Feelings?
Self-reliance, definitely. Self-care is a term that has come to be associated with bubble baths and sheet masks, but real self-care isn’t always so cosy. Sometimes it’s arduously rewriting your internal narrative. Sometimes it’s ending relationships with people you love because they’re no longer healthy or safe. It can be ugly and uncomfortable and really hard.
Early in the story, Penny attempts to outsource all of her emotional support to other people, and can’t understand why it’s so unsatisfying and painful. As she learns from her mistakes, she understands that she has to be her own biggest supporter. That’s a really difficult lesson to learn, and no one can teach it to you but yourself.
I would like to congratulate you on perfectly combining heartfelt, even raw, emotions at times with humour and real laugh out loud moments. No easy feat one would imagine. Was it a challenge to exact such opposites?
There have been times where I’ve found myself having a breakdown on the shower floor — hyperventilating, sobbing, the works — and a voice in the back of my head says, ‘You are being such a drama queen.’ I think a bit of humour and detachment is a deeply unhealthy and totally necessary coping mechanism. Plus, a highly anxious romcom with no comic relief would be pretty tedious to read!
I love that it takes place in my home town of Melbourne. Two things:
1. It would have been hard to walk the streets during our strict lockdown - did you have to rely on memory for some locations?
I got up to all sorts of mischief in Richmond in my twenties, so I already knew the area well! The house I imagined for Penny and Leo was based on one I lived in when I first moved to Melbourne, too. I couldn’t visit the neighbourhood during lockdown, though, so Google Maps and streetview was vital.
2. Also, what are some of your recommended places to visit for those who want to enjoy our great city?
Melbourne feels more like a hundred small towns crammed together rather than one big city, and every neighbourhood has a different identity. The perfect Melbourne day would include a croissant from Lune for breakfast, followed by shopping at all the teeny boutiques in Fitzroy, lunch at Queen Vic Market, a wander through Heide or the NGV or the botanic gardens in the afternoon, a palate cleanser at Lui Bar, Goldilocks or Cookie, then dinner at the Windsor end of Chapel Street (Red Door Yum Cha, Maha East, or Lover if it’s gnocchi night), and finally, a late movie at Sun Theatre.
When you are not writing Genevieve, how do you enjoy passing the time?
Between full-time work and writing a second book, there’s not much time left! Mostly I hang out with my dog, Viktor, see movies (preferably at the cinema, on my own in the middle of the day, without having seen or heard anything about it beforehand — the best film-watching experience), and selflessly search for the best croissant in Melbourne.
Can you tell us some of your favourite authors or recommended reading?
Books I couldn’t get out of my head for weeks include Promising Young Women by Caroline O’Donoghue, Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth, and Expectation by Anna Hope. I love a complicated female protagonist!
Congratulations on such a wonderful debut - what’s next and where can your readers find you?
I’m currently procrastinating writing my second novel by fantasising about the plot of my third, but I hope to have at least one finished in the next couple of months.
You can hear me complain about the writing process and obsessively document Viktor’s every move on Instagram: @genevieve.nvk
Thank you for the lovely tea break and chat Genevieve. Congratulations on the release of your new book and I can’t wait to see what you offer your readers next.
No Hard Feelings by Genevieve Novak was published on 30th March 2022 by HarperCollins Australia. Details on how to purchase the book can be found HERE
My review of the book can be found HERE
