Writers Who Run: An Interview with Andromeda Romano-Lax, Author of “The Deepest Lake”
Photo courtesy of Andromeda Romano-Lax.
When I spoke with the author Andromeda Romano-Lax, she was recovering from her third Ironman race, the TriCities Washington 70.3. She proudly donned her Ironman finisher t-shirt, beaming. She told me she exceeded her goal with what she describes as a great swimming and cycling portion and finishing with a dreadful run.
“Every mile was tough, but it is so funny, because I can say all that and still say the whole race was fantastic,” she says.
Romano-Lax is no stranger to putting long, hard efforts into perspective this way. She’s a multi-genre author with a long, winding career that started in travel journalism, after all.
Her latest novel, “The Deepest Lake,” published in May of this year, was another new foray for her. But you’d never guess that Romano-Lax had never written a suspense novel before. Like her recent race, writing the novel went mostly smoothly, with only the final stretch giving her pain as she rewrote the ending multiple times.
The reason writing this book was mostly painfree was because for much of it ⸺ minus the heinous crimes ⸺ she was pulling from different aspects of her real life. The book is told from two perspectives: a mother, Rose, who is trying to unravel the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance in Guatemala; and Jules, the daughter who has disappeared. Rose goes undercover at a bougie writer’s retreat where Jules, an aspiring writer, had been working to try and get answers. There she meets Jules’ icon, a memoirist named Eva whose narcissism shines from the moment we’re introduced to her.
I won’t give away anymore of the plot, as that is the majority of the fun in reading thrillers. But I will add that the nuance of the mother-daughter relationship in this book, and what they learn about each other from afar, was my favorite aspect.
Keep reading to learn how “The Deepest Lake” came to be, how endurance training fuels Romano-Lax’s creativity, and what famous writer will make an appearance in a future book of hers.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Do you think writing something as big as a novel is akin to completing an Ironman or running a marathon?
Yes, and originally, that’s how I got into Ironman training. I only started doing half Ironman in 2022, so for many more years, to me, the marathon was the metaphor. You know, ‘focus on what’s right in front of you.’ It’s the fact that it’s so far that it actually feels almost impossible, but just in that perfect way, because it’s almost impossible. And yet, really, almost anyone can do it, especially when you realize it’s perfectly fine to walk. I do it. I tend to do a run/walk protocol of like seven minutes running, one minute walking.
When I was younger, I was never able to run at all until I was told that walking is okay. It’s the same thing with writing. You can take the time you need. Not everyone writes every day. Some people can only write every couple months.
Photo courtesy of Andromeda Romano-Lax.
What else has endurance training taught you about writing?
You're running your own race. That's another one I've been thinking about for the last half Ironman and the full Ironman. It's really not about the pace of people around you. Comparing can make you miserable. You have to focus on what you’re doing, for your own reasons. I have to keep reminding myself ⸺ and it works ⸺ enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
I did that [at TriCities]. I hit the wall, but I was looking around going, ‘this is gorgeous.’ I’m going along the Columbia River and there’s some trees with beautiful shade. And that’s what you have to do as a writer. In both, you’re struggling with doubt (and doubt is normal), and publishing and marketing and promotion is so hard, but if you can’t actually pull back and say, ‘enjoy this moment,’ then there’s really no reason to be writing.
Yes, I remember thinking when I ran my first marathon that it was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done. Instead, I was just in awe of the atmosphere, the scenery, the camaraderie.
People are cheering for you, people are giving you food and drinks. The traffic is closed off. There’s no distractions. You’ve got rewards ⸺ a medal at the end.
How do you turn your writing journey into something like that? Writing doesn’t naturally lend itself to that. But could we invent a way for ourselves that writing could be that way?
That would be amazing. Pivoting a little bit beyond racing itself, how does training inform your writing? Do you think of running as a cleanse or are you going out in order to think more about the stories you’re working on?
It's certainly stepping away from the screen, which really helps, and it's a chance to not think about work. But at the same time, I absolutely end up doing work while I'm running and biking.
I have noticed that above a certain pace, I really can't think about things like plot ⸺ I bet, I could identify the exact heart rate when that kind of logic stops. But there's a rate right below that, so kind of more steady, biking is really good for it as well or combination walk running, where I can work out all kinds of plot issues. And it works best for me when I don't go out with that intention. I know some writers do. But when I'm already out and then it comes to me, and I've had times driving home where I've actually had to pull off the road to make notes because I don't want to lose those thoughts.
Normally, I don't have five hour blocks where I don't look at my phone or go online, but on the bike I do. When I do these really long rides preparing for Ironman, it's such a wonderful break from the world of digital distractions. I mean that in itself is a reason to do some of these endurance events
What was your creative process like in writing “The Deepest Lake”?
It was the easiest thing I've ever written in the first draft because I had so much to say. I'd also been in Guatemala where it was set, so I was able to model it on a real place. In the past, I was a travel writer, as well as a journalist. And so when you're doing that kind of travel writing, where you take a lot of notes on setting, rather than have to imagine the setting.
So I had something that I really wanted to say thematically. I had a setting that felt very real. I had a mother-daughter relationship, and I actually have a daughter the same age. It all came together. And it was also suspense, which is really fun to write. So I wrote a really quick draft. I wrote it in four months, but then I had about two years of revisions. I ended up writing several different versions of the story with radically different endings, which was an interesting experience as well.
I know “The Deepest Lake” was only published in May, but are you thinking about your next book yet?
Always. As my career has progressed, I work on more and more things simultaneously, in different stages. For example, the next novel is also a thriller, coming out in early 2026. That’s one where I just got notes back from an editor. I will be working deeply on that, but meanwhile, that means I set aside a different novel I was working on while waiting for those notes.
The next novel coming out will be number seven. I’ve already sold number eight. I started on number nine while waiting for notes for number seven. And then I’m also working very slowly on a memoir off to the side.
Rapid Fire Round:
In one word, what is “The Deepest Lake” about?
Grief
Where is your favorite place to run on Vancouver Island?
The 707, which is a piece of public land.
Where is your favorite place to run outside of your city?
The desert in Arizona.
If you could go for a run with any of your characters, who would you choose?
I’m working on a historical novel about Sylvia Plath. I would love to go on a run with her.
What are you reading right now?
Writers Who Run is a monthly column by Seattle-based reader, runner, writer, and bookseller Malissa Rodenburg.