5 Questions with Cameron Liang
Cameron Liang is a writer and musician from Melbourne/Naarm, Australia. She travels internationally while writing fiction.
No.1
How did your writing practice begin? Why fiction and not something else? What attracts you towards writing romance?
I started writing as soon as I could pick up a pen! I’ve always loved making up stories and using my imagination. I love that when you write fiction you’re basically free to invent absolutely anything you can dream of. I chose romance more recently, the reason being that I love love!
No.2
I read somewhere where you said Eye Contact took you 11 years to complete. Why this period of time, and how did the novella evolve over time?
Yeah, I came up with the title Eye Contact back in 2014; I remember telling my mum that year that one day I would write a book called Eye Contact. And she’s always been my biggest support. I spent the following 11 years thinking and thinking about this woman—Rachael—who’s walking down a New York City street and intentionally trying to make eye contact with strangers. But it’s New York, so they don’t look back, right?
No.3
Eye Contact is self-published, as with your previous book. Can you speak more to this? What led to this decision and what did it look like for you?
I self-published my first book Viral Stories in 2021. I work at Mary Martin Bookshop, my mum’s independent Melbourne bookshop, and thanks to her started selling signed copies of Viral Stories at the Queen Victoria night markets every Wednesday night. (Maybe Liminal readers have seen me there!) The book has been really successful, so self-publishing my second book was a no-brainer!
No.4
Who are some of your favourite writers, Australian or otherwise?
Melissa Lucashenko. Cao Xueqin (曹雪芹). Jane Austen. Tsitsi Dangarembga. Fyodor Dostoevsky.
No.5
How has self-publishing changed your definition of success in the literary world or just even in the creative arts world in general?
Self-publishing is great. It makes it possible for anyone with an internet connection to hold a copy of their own book in their hands. It also makes it possible to disseminate that book throughout a community, a society, and the world. I wouldn’t say it’s changed my definition of success, but it’s undoubtedly made success possible for me and plenty of other writers!
Find out more
Two strangers make eye contact in Times Square: Rachael Ellery is 27 years old and disillusioned with her office job, and Xavier Pang is a Chinese male model who just might be the solution.
But a week later, Rachael is at a corporate party with her best friend. Sage introduces Rachael to the wealthy, charming Harry Davis. And Rachael is forced to do the one thing she can’t: choose...
Then there’s Blaise Chung. And the question: who really are the two strangers who made eye contact in Times Square?
Get it from Mary Martin Bookshop here.