I speak with author Liz Riggs about the impending publication of her debut novel, Lo Fi out on Riverhead Books June 9. Liz’s publisher was kind enough to send me an advance copy, and from paragraph one I recognized the reverb-drenched setting —  the live bands, late nights, broken AC, unravelling yard parties, and half-remembered conversations over hand-rolled joints — as my own. 

I was a devoted participant of the world of Lo Fi, namely the post-flood Nashville of the 2010s.

A lot of us hit the clubs, played on their stages, closed down the dive bars. Some remain (The Basement, The Blue Room, The 5 spot) many do not (RIP Mercy Lounge, 12th and Porter, Radio Cafe) but Lo-Fi’s long lines and lazy dreamers was for me an irresistible reminiscence of a Nashville that no longer exists.

Because the protagonist was so well-drawn, I assumed Liz herself worked at a club in town. She didn’t, it turns out. We talk about what she did do, and how her fangirl inclinations (she admits to a teenage fascination with a well know 90s boyband) were easily grafted onto her enthusiastic main character. 

I’m always fascinated to hear an author describe her path to publication — everyone’s is different, and in listening to the particulars of one I find inspiration for my own way forward. We talk about Liz’s journey, from writing drafts in longhand, to the nail-biting weeks, days and hours where she awaited her prospective publisher’s final word as to Lo-Fi’s fate. 

We discuss her decision to set the story in a time that predates the social-media everything culture of today, and how that absence made it easier to tell a story about criss-crossed communication and the innocence of fledgling love. We compared notes and found some shared ground in our attraction to artists who write their own material, as opposed to those who sing the songs other people make for them. 

Finally we talk about what’s great about living in a town with enough neon appeal to be called “It City” by the New York Times, and what’s maybe not so great about that. 

If you like books like Nick Hornby’s High-Fidelity, or Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments, you’ll find a lot to love in Lo-Fi. Here’s a link to pre-order the book, and if you live in Nashville Liz is celebrating with a release show June 9 at the OG Basement with performances by Chris Housman and Vinnie Paolizzi.

Find Liz:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/riggser/

Website https://www.lizriggs.com/

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