Inside 'The God of the Woods': An Author Talk with Liz Moore
‘The God of the Woods’ author Liz Moore, whose Adirondack roots go back to the early 1800s, drew on the camps and ‘culture of the mansion in the wilderness,’ built by dynastic American families — and a 1970s serial killer who haunted the region.
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Transcript for The Girlfriend Book Club’s Liz Moore author talk on “The God of the Woods”
Filler words have been removed for clarity.
Shelley Emling: Welcome, everyone, to The Girlfriend Book Club’s monthly discussion! I’m Shelley Emling, Executive Editor of The Girlfriend newsletter and moderator of our Book Club. This month, our 100,000+ members chose Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall as our June pick—and I have to say, I devoured it in one weekend. It’s a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. We’re thrilled to be joined by Clare herself tonight. Welcome, Clare!
Clare Leslie Hall: Hi Shelley! Thank you so much for having me. I’m really excited to be here.
Shelley: Let’s dive in. How did the idea for Broken Country come to you?
Clare: It was a thunderbolt moment. We live in Dorset, where the book is set, in a very old farmhouse surrounded by farmland—but we’re not farmers. One day during lambing season, my husband went for a run with our son’s new puppy. The dog wandered into a sheep field, and the farmer threatened to shoot him! Luckily, that didn’t happen—but the incident sparked a vivid scene in my mind.
I imagined a farmer and his wife in a field, with a young boy running toward them. I instantly knew the couple had lost their own child, and that the boy reminded them of him. I also felt an intense emotional connection—perhaps even a romantic past—between the boy’s father and the farmer’s wife. It all came together from that moment. That scene in the sheep field was always the beginning.
Shelley: I’m so glad the dog is okay! Was there a particular character or scene that was difficult to write?
Clare: Definitely two: Jimmy, Frank’s brother, and Tessa Wolfe, Gabriel’s mother. Jimmy was difficult because he’s deeply flawed. He lost his mother at nine and grew up in the 1950s with no real support in processing grief. He drinks too much, has moments of violence—but I also wanted him to be lovable in some way. I had to balance that carefully. Tessa is essentially the villain, but I didn’t want her to be a caricature. I know her backstory even though I didn’t put it all on the page. I wanted her to be believable—someone who’s been hurt, and who behaves in a certain way as a result.
Shelley: This is your first U.S. release, right?
Clare: Yes! It’s been a dream come true. The team at Simon & Schuster has been incredible. I’ve visited the U.S. three times now and will be back in the fall. The best part is meeting and talking with readers. After spending four years writing this book—sometimes painfully—it’s so rewarding to hear what people think of the characters and the story.
Shelley: Where are you headed this fall?
Clare: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, San Diego—and even Canada!
Shelley: Broken Country blends several genres: romance, mystery, legal drama. Was that intentional?
Clare: That’s just how I write. My first two novels—coming to the U.S. this fall—also mix love, suspense, and crime. I’m drawn to “dark love stories,” like The Great Gatsby and The Secret History. Broken Country was pitched as “a love story with the pulse of a thriller,” and that really fit. As for the courtroom scenes—I have no legal background! But after two years, I knew I needed a trial in the story. I went to the Old Bailey and sat in on a real murder trial. It gave me the tone I needed.
Shelley: What did you do to make those scenes feel authentic?
Clare: Besides visiting the Old Bailey, I reread To Kill a Mockingbird and Where the Crawdads Sing. But the best advice came from a retired detective turned author. I told him I was stuck on legal details, and he said, “Don’t let real life get in the way of the story.” That gave me permission to focus on Beth’s emotional journey. The rest fell into place.
Shelley: The countryside in the book feels like a character in its own right. Was that intentional?
Clare: It became that way. I live in rural Dorset, but I knew nothing about farming, so I spent time with farmers. I helped with lambing, harvesting, milking cows—I even stayed with a couple on a smallholding who inspired Frank and Beth. The woman knew every plant and bird. That experience made me want the land to feel alive, both beautiful and harsh.
Shelley: I read that the book originally had a contemporary setting. Why did you shift to the 1950s–60s?
Clare: I tried writing it as a modern story, but it just didn’t work. One day on holiday, I realized it had to be a woman’s story set in the past. I wanted to show how class and gender shaped lives—how Beth and Gabriel both got into Oxford, but only his life stayed on track. The 1950s setting made the social divisions more vivid. I was inspired by Atonement and The Go-Between.
Shelley: Beth is such a complex character. How did she come to you?
Clare: She was there from the beginning—a grieving mother. I’ve always avoided writing about grief, but Beth arrived fully formed. Every choice she makes comes from her loss, not just of her son, but of her former self. I understood her completely.
Shelley: One of our members asked how you came up with the title Broken Country.
Clare: The book had several titles—Savages, This Savage Land—but they weren’t quite right. I wanted something poetic that reflected the broken marriage, the grief, and the divided community. Broken Country just felt right. My agent loved it and fought to keep it, and I’m so grateful she did.
Shelley: Did you always know who Beth would end up with?
Clare: Yes, absolutely. That never changed. Gabriel is the poet and dreamer, Frank is grounded and steady. It was always clear to me who she’d choose. I just wish I’d given her a few more weeks with the other guy!
Shelley: Another member mentioned how Beth finds healing through physical farm work. Have you ever used hard work as a way to heal?
Clare: Not physical labor—I’m not very practical! But I’ve definitely used writing as a kind of therapy. Only in hindsight do I realize how much of myself is in these characters.
Shelley: When will your earlier books be available in the U.S.?
Clare: This fall! Pictures of Him and Days You Were Mine. I’m thrilled Simon & Schuster is publishing them. Days You Were Mine is about an adopted son reconnecting with his birth mother. The cover features the exact street I imagined while writing it—it was fate.
Shelley: What have you read recently that you loved?
Clare: Leaving by Roxana Robinson—it’s about first love returning in your sixties. The Death of Us by Abigail Dean—a crime novel, but deeply rooted in a marriage. And The Wedding People, which totally surprised me. I love books that subvert expectations.
Shelley: Was it hard writing Beth at different life stages?
Clare: No, but I was careful with her emotional journey. I lost my own mother young, so I understood some of her grief. I loved writing teen Beth. She felt so alive. My daughter read it and said, “That’s me, isn’t it?” First love is timeless.
Shelley: How about Frank—was he a challenge to write?
Clare: He was my favorite. Whenever I got stuck, Frank brought me back. There’s a scene where he sits on a tree stump—it was always there. I couldn’t give up on him. By the end, I realized how much he grew.
Shelley: Did it really take four years to write the book?
Clare: Yes, with breaks. I over-researched farming and even got distracted by animal rights. But stepping away helped. When I returned, I knew exactly what the story was.
Shelley: What’s your writing routine like?
Clare: I usually write five hours a day. But with this new novel, I’m trying to be gentler with myself. If I’m stuck, I step away. I want writing to feel like a love affair—I try to leave the desk while it still feels good.
Shelley: Can you share what you’re working on now? And… will we see Broken Country on screen?
Clare: Yes! Broken Country has been optioned by Hello Sunshine and Sony. Two amazing screenwriters are involved—and they even have a home in my part of Dorset. It feels meant to be. As for the next book—it’s set at a clifftop hotel on the Jurassic Coast and follows a young widow and widower who fall in love, reluctantly. There’s a murder and two intertwined love stories. I’m 10,000 words in and loving it. I promise it won’t take four years!
Shelley: The Girlfriend is all about friendship. What do you love doing with your girlfriends?
Clare: Laughing with them! My husband’s organizing a Robbie Williams concert this weekend, and I’m going with all my girlfriends. We’ll be dancing, holding hands, probably crying a bit. That’s my idea of heaven.
Shelley: That sounds perfect. Thank you, Clare, for being here! And thanks to everyone watching. Our next author talk is July 15 at 7:30 PM ET with Patti Callahan Henry, author of The Story She Left Behind. We’ll post discussion starters in the Book Club group soon—until then, happy reading!
