Q&A: Liz Allan, Author of ‘In Bloom’

We chat with author Liz Allan about In Bloom, which is a story of class and coming-of-age as a group of best friends investigates the allegations against their teacher.

Hi, Liz! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi Nerd Daily! I am a 43-year-old, sarcastic and profanity-prone English teacher from Adelaide, South Australia. I grew up in a small, seemingly perfect beachside town in the 90s very similar to the location in the novel. Now I am living in London, the land of Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, and Woolf. Although I have been here for two years, I still can’t believe my luck.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I learned how to read quite young and became obsessed with it immediately because I have an addictive personality. My grandparents used to take me on the train with them to the Adelaide City Library (what we called the big smoke) and I would return home with bags full of Sweet Valley High, Goosebumps, and The Babysitter’s Club. I think the borrowing limit was twenty back then and I reached it every time. On our weekly grocery shop my mother sometimes bought me an Enid Blyton book if I behaved and I would be ecstatic. Reading and writing have been my singular passion for my entire life.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The first book I vividly recall reading was The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton. This incredibly rude child had my exact name with only one changed letter: Elizabeth Allen. I was amazed by the audacity of this girl to be so bratty in her privileged circumstances. I knew that I was fated to be a naughty girl in school one day, perhaps even naughtier than her. And some dreams do come true.

• The one that made you want to become an author: My high school English teacher gave me a copy of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and it completely altered my perspective on literature. Until then I had primarily enjoyed reading as a means of escape, but this novel made me realise that books can change your life. I loved that novel so much I’m afraid to read it again because the first time was so transformative. But people assure me it is as utterly perfect as I believed it to be.

• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I think about Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf all the time since I moved to the UK. As soon as I see Big Ben or hear it chime, I’m immediately transported into the world of the novel, rushing around the streets of London as Mrs Dalloway planning for a party. That book was one of the main reasons I have always dreamed of living in London, although there are elements of the city that Woolf did not prepare me for. She never mentioned the pickpocketing, or the piles of garbage all over the pavement.

Your debut novel, In Bloom, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Unlike anything you’ve read before.

What can readers expect?

In Bloom is a story told in the collective voice of The Bastards, a teen girl grunge band chasing their dreams of becoming rock stars despite their underprivileged circumstances. The Bastards are obsessed with escaping Vincent and not repeating the mistakes of their broke single mothers. They are also the biggest Nirvana fans in the world. At times they are heroic and at times tragic, but they never give up on each other. The Bastards are going to take you very quickly to a dark place, but hopefully you will laugh and cry while you’re there and emerge feeling naked and giddy, like when you’ve been day drinking and look directly at the sun.

Where did the inspiration for In Bloom come from?

In Bloom began after a phone call one morning during the first Covid outbreak. I was having a panic attack and I called my mother and asked, ‘Why didn’t you protect me?’ That was the first time we had spoken about the violence I suffered at the hands of her then-partner as a child. The conversation was a healing one and as a result I was able to finally write the story I’ve always wanted to tell.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

The collective ‘We’ voice of the Bastards was a joy to write from start to finish. I admire them because they’re never passive and whiny like I was as a teenager. The Bastards are assertive but loving, and they trust each other with their lives. They are loyal, not only to each other but to all of the people they meet who they identify as fellow outsiders and allies. But unfortunately, their loyalty is not always deserved.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

The main challenge while writing for me has always been time. I became a single parent at the age of twenty, so writing had to come after the priorities of raising my daughter and working to support us. Now she has grown into the most spectacular young adult, so I have no excuse not to write constantly anymore. Which is frightening.

What do you hope readers take away from In Bloom?

For readers who grew up in disenfranchised circumstances, I want them to feel recognised and understood. For readers who grew up in privileged circumstances, I want them to feel a deeper sensitivity for those less privileged, as well as gratitude for the opportunities they have had. Most of all, I want readers to finish this book with a fervent, almost-religious admiration for the power of female friendship. I was lucky enough to form lifelong friendships at a very young age with the most extraordinary and inspirational women. I wish that everyone could be as fortunate.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently travelling around Europe, eating a lot of cheese, and drinking a lot of beer. I’m also working on my second novel about a group of homeless kids living on the Thames, which is kind of a cross between Oliver Twist and The Little Mermaid.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

I’m excited about Whistler by Ann Patchett and Land by Maggie O’Farrell because I love everything they write. For Australian authors, I’m excited about Lady Spy by Chloe Hooper and Capture by Amanda Lohrey. And I’m hoping that Jeanette McCurdy’s Half His Age will be as titillating as promised.

Will you be picking up In Bloom? Tell us in the comments below!