We chat with author Anna Downes about Red River Road, which follows a woman desperate to discover what happened to her sister on a solo road trip through the Australian outback.
Hi, Anna! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m a British-born author of psychological suspense living on the east coast of Australia just north of Sydney. I have a degree in Drama at the University of Manchester and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London before moving ‘down under’ to live with my now husband. I loved my new life but desperately missed storytelling, and writing seemed more achievable than trying to re-enter the acting game, so I started shortly after my second child was born. What essentially began as an attempt to reconnect with myself after motherhood eventually became my debut novel, which was published across multiple territories in 2020. I now have three books under my belt and am currently working on a fourth.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t obsessed with reading and storytelling of all different kinds. As a child my mum (a languages teacher) would often take me to see ballet and plays, and my dad (a drama teacher and soon-to-be theatre director) would tell me stories every night before bed. As soon as I could write I penned long and rambling adventures about alternative universes and magic flying buses, all of which I tried to read aloud to my classmates only to find that the school day wasn’t long enough. I developed a passion for Greek myths and legends, which turned into a love for horror and fantasy, which settled into a voracious appetite for any and all stories that made my pulse pound and my breath quicken. I have never not loved drama and fiction in all its forms.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Wizard of Oz (Ladybird’s Well-Loved Tales)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Yellowface by RF Kuang
Your latest novel, Red River Road, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Solo Female Traveller Seeks Safety
What can readers expect?
High stakes action, perpetual motion and an unlikely partnership. An unexpected twist and a satisfying ending. Campervans, lonely roads, red dirt, natural wonders and handdrawn maps. A cast of complex characters, each carrying a secret. Smart discourse around women’s freedoms and safety, psychology, the power of stories. I personally think of it as Wolf Creek meets Nomadland by way of Promising Young Woman, set along the Coral Coast of Western Australia.
Where did the inspiration for Red River Road come from?
During the on-and-off lockdowns of 2021 I was obsessed with travel, and road trips in particular. Falling headfirst into the #vanlife trend, I fantastised daily about converting a campervan and setting off on a long-distance drive around the country. However, for many reasons it wasn’t an option for me so I decided to write about it instead. As a thriller author I wanted to craft something scary and fun, so naturally my initial ideas included serial killers, ghosts and hitch-hiking final girls, but my research took me into more sobering territory. Increasingly fascinated by the realities of life on the road and the true lived experiences of travellers, particularly women on their own, I began instead to tell a story about safety and our differing perceptions thereof. When women say they’re off to explore the world on their own, why do we worry for them? What do we think is going to happen, and how does that compare with what actually does? Where and with whom are women truly safe? Those questions, combined with a highly unusual news story that I happened to read one day (no, I’m not going to reveal which one!), formed the basis for what became Red River Road.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Writing this book was mostly joyful. It went through some heavy structural edits, but I knew throughout the whole process that the idea would work one way or another so I rarely doubted myself the way I often have in the past; I just had this deep faith that it could be done, even at times when it wasn’t working. I also really enjoyed the research, which was tricky at first given that Western Australia’s borders were closed until early 2022, but the landscape, subculture and aesthetic were a delight to explore and it was such a pleasure to meet with and interview solo female travellers over Zoom. And once the borders opened I got to do the trip myself – not solo, I might add, but I have since taken a camper from Perth to Margaret River all by myself and I can confirm that both experiences were spectacular. As for characters, I would say that Katy’s chapters were the most challenging to write (for reasons that will become clear once you’ve finished the book), Beth’s came most naturally, and Wyatt’s really stretched my imagination. I’m very proud of how they’ve all turned out.
What’s next for you?
I’ve recently written an audiobook that’s due for publication in 2025, and I’m now working on the first draft of a fourth novel, another psychological thriller, this time about an estranged mother and daughter on a reconciliation trip to a remote hotel. The first draft is the always the hardest part for me so I won’t say anymore in case it goes horribly wrong and I have to change the whole concept!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Oh my goodness, there are so many but if I had to pick favourites I’d probably say David Nicholl’s You Are Here, All Fours by Miranda July, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Lioness by Emily Perkins, and Green Dot by Madeleine Gray. I also adored Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth, who is an auto-buy author for me. There are hundreds of great books I’m dying to read before the end of the year, perhaps foremost of which are Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay, Liz Moore’s God of the Woods, Entitlement by Rumaan Alam and The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monica Kim. If I could get my hands on any ARC right now it would be Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment.
