I Was Anastasia

by Ariel Lawhon

I once heard that you should write the novel you want to read. And while that might be good advice for some, I have long since discovered that after spending years researching, writing, revising, and editing my novels, I can’t actually read them. Or maybe it’s that I have already read them—dozens of times. I’ve grown too close to the story. I know whodunit. The man behind the curtain is no longer a mystery to me and I know exactly how the rabbit was smuggled into the hat. Several years ago, I pulled my first novel, THE WIFE, THE MAID, AND THE MISTRESS, off the shelf and read a random paragraph. “Huh,” I said, “I remember writing that. I was sitting in a corner booth at Panera beneath an air conditioning vent. It was freezing.” Also, I spent eight dollars on lunch that day. And my order—in case you’re wondering—was a Greek salad, tomato basil soup, and a French baguette. As it turns out, I cannot read my novels because I so clearly remember writing them. Where I was. How I felt. Time of day. The challenge of thumbing through research material trying to get a very specific detail right. I remember everything. It’s a strange quirk, I know, but it comes in very handy at a moment like this as I revisit the mental and emotional process that led to each of the following popular quotes from I WAS ANASTASIA. I hope you enjoy this peek behind the scenes. Because I have certainly enjoyed revisting my writing process.