Writing the rocky love story of a second-generation Chinese-New Zealander and a recent Taiwanese migrant has been the focus of writer Rose Lu's six-month writer's residency at the historic Randell Collage in Wellington. It's the 20th year of residencies at Randell Cottage. Rose's time there has just ended, so it felt like the perfect time for a catch up. Rose's first book was the prize-winning, 2019 essay collection All Who Live On Islands. Lynn Freeman wondered, was she leaving with the manuscript she'd planned to write there, one that was going to include a lot of tramping?