Ashley Elston, the interview with the writer discovered by Reese Witherspoon

The hardest secret that Ashley Elston had to maintain in his life has not to do with some unspeakable adolescent adventure, but with Reese Witherspoon. As some of you may already know, for several years the Oscar-winning actress has been responsible for a Book Club – The Reese’s Book Club – among the most renowned and powerful in America: being chosen by her means entering the Olympus of literature and seeing your fame and the number of copies of your book sold quintuple. Exactly what happened to The first lie wins, Elston’s novel which is finally released in Italy by Longanesi. «I learned that the book had been chosen by Reese’s Book Club about two months before the announcement, but my editor insisted that I keep it a secret from everyone. Even my husband. I was very excited, but not being able to share that emotion with anyone was a real ordeal for me,” Ashley Elston says over Zoom from her home in Louisianareturning from a regenerating holiday in Switzerland with her three children and her husband. «Encountering a celebrity endorsement presents you with a dilemma: you hope that your book would have made it even without that kind of support, but you wonder if it really would have made it. It would be nice to say that such circumstances were not so important, but, unfortunately, they are”, confesses Elston who, in his book, delves into an intriguing theme: a woman’s lost identityLucca Marino, who for work is forced to gradually build up personalities with different jobs and names until she meets a woman who bears her name, making her understand that something in the secret agency for which she works is not going right.

Why did you choose to build a story around a lie?
“I love stories about scams. I’ve always wanted to write a story like this, but to do so, I had to think about the fact that lies are essential, considering that they must be convincing for the scam to be carried out. Those lies must be said with confidence and out loud, without leaving the slightest doubt in the listener. They must be sold as reality, and this led me to create a character forced to be credible at all costs in order to survive.”

What is Ashley Elston’s relationship with lies?
“I don’t think I tell too many. When my kids were little I would tell a few more, but I don’t think the little ones do much harm. The important thing is to stay away from the big ones, because nothing good comes from them. That said, I admit that writing them is a lot of fun.”

Is telling the truth always the right thing to do, in your opinion?
“I think it’s very important, but it always depends on what we’re talking about. If a friend spent a lot of money to buy shoes that I don’t like, I certainly don’t tell her they’re ugly. It’s necessary, however, to be sincere when things really matter. I think honesty is the only answer for those who want to live authentically.”

Why did you choose an Italian name for your protagonist?
“It has to do with my roots. I know Elston doesn’t sound very Italian, but it’s my married name. My family is Sicilian, and I’ve always felt the need to maintain a connection to my roots: being able to talk about them in the books I write makes that kind of connection real and rewarding. I chose Lucca because I liked the idea that the name of a city could also work as the name of a person.”

In the novel you often refer to the judgment that small communities have towards new arrivals: have you also experienced this?
“I live in a small town even though I’m not originally from here. We moved here because it’s my husband’s hometown, but I’d be lying if I told you it was easy at first. Being accepted into a place you weren’t born in can be very hard, especially when you join a very tight-knit community. But I found it interesting to delve into.”

Let’s go back: what kind of girl was she?
“I loved reading and photography. For many years I was a wedding photographer, turning a hobby into a job.”

Was this what he dreamed of becoming?
“In those days, it seemed like the options for women were very limited. In the South, you could become a teacher, a nurse, or a housewife. People didn’t dream that big in those days, and I think that’s why I didn’t have any big dreams until I got to college. I worked in an office for a while, but that wasn’t for me. So I fell back on photography without knowing if it would really take off.”

Is there something about the world of photography that helped you become a writer?
“Taking wedding photos allowed me to observe the people around me and wonder whether certain couples would make it into their future together or not. You feel like you’re part of the happy day of so many people, but over time it became burdensome. When my third child was born I chose to stop, even though the creative block I felt inside was able to dissolve thanks to writing. It’s an art that I learned on my own, through mistakes and wrong attempts.”

What does writing mean to you today?
“I love getting lost in the worlds I create, just as I love putting myself in the shoes of characters who lead lives I will never lead. Transforming a story so that it is fun and enjoyable for those who read it makes me feel at peace with myself. Giving others the chance to temporarily escape from their daily lives by immersing themselves in what I write is incredibly satisfying for me.”

Do your children read your novels?
“The eldest prefers audiobooks, while the middle one is very similar to me, so much so that I sometimes have him read the novels I write while I’m writing. I like to have his opinion and his point of view on what I produce. The youngest just turned 16, and I don’t want to rush him.”

What does success mean to you?
“On the one hand, feeling like you can pay your bills with the money you make is a peace of mind, but on the other hand, after a book does well, you wonder if you’ll ever be able to make another one as good. And that can generate frustration.”

I read that The first lie wins it will become a tv series: what stage is it at?
«We’re working on it. Hollywood is weird, but the team is incredible: we have on board both the Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and her production company and Krista Vernoff, the former showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy. I have chosen not to be directly involved in the project, but they are very kind in keeping me updated on the developments. We will see where it goes».

What does it mean to you to see one of your books transposed into images?
“I am very proud and grateful to all those who have read and loved my book. My emotion is incalculable.”

You often talk about second chances: have you had one?
“Of course. I think it’s always the little things that have the power to change your life in big ways that you never expected. Years ago, as a wedding photographer, I would never have bet on being where I am now, and this is proof that everything can always change.”

What is he afraid of?
“That my children will not be happy and will not find their way, but I also fear death and the thought that all our efforts will end with us. But I try not to think about it too much, and to go on one day at a time.”

Are you worried about the November presidential election?
“Quite a lot, even though I’m exhausted by everything that’s happening here in the United States. I don’t understand why there’s such great resistance among the parties to work together, as if we just can’t get beyond the differences to pursue a common good. This leads me to be intolerant towards everything that has to do with politics.”

Many of your colleagues, as you know, have no problem taking sides: do you think it is necessary?
“I think it’s necessary to do what makes you feel good. Some people, for example, have no problem showing their private life while I just can’t do it: however, I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to expose yourself. In life and in politics. As for me, I try to personally commit myself to the causes I believe in, making donations so that my voice can be heard, even if in a small way. The fact remains that everyone should have the right to say what they think is appropriate to share with others.”

Are you already writing a new book?
«Yes, I just finished the first draft. I hope it lives up to the The first lie wins, even though there is still a lot of work to do.”