CANBERRA-born writer Anna Snoekstra has hit the high spot with her Australian debut novel, “Only Daughter”, largely set in the ACT and now optioned by Universal Pictures and Working Title films.

At the age of 25, Snoekstra worked nights in a cinema and penned “Only Daughter” during the day. Briefly, the plot see sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappearing in 2003. Eleven years later, she is ‘replaced’ when young woman, desperate after being arrested, claims to be the decade-missing Bec.

Set in Canberra, Snoekstra’s psychological thriller draws from a dark and eclectic blend of experiences and inspirations. “I aspired to write a story that could crawl under your skin and stay there,” she says.

Inspired by the story of imposters in the 1956 Ingrid Bergman/Yul Brynner film “Anastasia” and the Gaslight genre of the 1940s, she also drew on her personal experience living through the trauma of the 2003 Canberra bushfires.

Snoekstra moved to Melbourne at the age of seventeen  to become a writer. She studied Creative Writing and Cinema at The University of Melbourne, followed by Screenwriting at RMIT University. After finishing university, Anna wrote for independent films and fringe theatre, and directed music videos. She now lives in Melbourne with her husband, cat and two housemates and works full time writing.

“Only Daughter”, by Anna Snoekstra, to be published on September 15, 2016, RRP $29.99