Fiona Davis's Blog
August 24, 2020
Watch LIONS on GMA!
I was so thrilled when GMA picked THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE for their August Book Club Pick. Amazing! You can watch the interview and learn more about the research and inspiration behind the book here:
LIONS on GMA
Enjoy and happy reading!
xoxo,
Fiona
LIONS on GMA
Enjoy and happy reading!
xoxo,
Fiona
August 9, 2020
Launch Week for LIONS!
It's been quite a whirlwind this past week, as my latest book, THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE was released on Tuesday. That same day, it was announced as the Good Morning America Book Club Pick for August. I was over the moon, to say the least!
The idea for the location for this book came from you, to be honest. I began looking into the New York Public Library as a location for my next book after so many readers suggested it, and when I learned that the building had a 7-room apartment deep inside, where the super and his family lived, my imagination was sparked.
So thank you for providing me with such a remarkable building as a setting. I hope you enjoy LIONS, and happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
The idea for the location for this book came from you, to be honest. I began looking into the New York Public Library as a location for my next book after so many readers suggested it, and when I learned that the building had a 7-room apartment deep inside, where the super and his family lived, my imagination was sparked.
So thank you for providing me with such a remarkable building as a setting. I hope you enjoy LIONS, and happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
May 16, 2020
Author Q&A for THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE
I'm very excited for the July 21 release of THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE. In it, a series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces. Author Q&A below:
WHAT MADE YOU CHOSE THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY?
Early into my research on the building, I discovered that when the library was built, the architects included a seven-room apartment deep inside, where the superintendent and his family lived for thirty years. He and his wife raised their three children there, and once I learned that, I knew it would make the perfect setting for The Lions of Fifth Avenue. I invented a fictional family – the Lyons – and decided to tell the story from the wife’s point of view in 1913, as well as from her granddaughter’s in 1993.
WHAT DREW YOU TO SET PART OF THE NOVEL IN 1913-14?
That decade was a period of enormous change for women, when they made great strides, socially and economically. The novel brings to life the Heterodoxy Club, an actual women’s group that began in Greenwich Village in 1912, where women were encouraged to speak openly, and attracted icons like Inez Haynes Irwin, Agnes de Mille, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. One of the characters in my book is based on Dr. Sara Josephine Baker, a pioneer in the field of preventative medicine, whose work dramatically lowered infant mortality rates in the slums of New York in the early 1900s.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO FOCUS ON RARE BOOK THEFTS?
The theft in the novel is inspired by one that occurred in 1994 at Columbia University’s Butler Library, in which a thief stole $1.8 million in rare books, manuscripts, and letters over the course of three months. I was lucky enough to interview Jean Ashton, the University’s librarian at that time, as part of my research. Ashton’s testimony at the trial had an enormous impact in the way the court system punished book thieves from that time forward – yet another example of the enormous impact of one woman, speaking out.
The book is dedicated to librarians everywhere, and is available for preorder now.
Happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
WHAT MADE YOU CHOSE THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY?
Early into my research on the building, I discovered that when the library was built, the architects included a seven-room apartment deep inside, where the superintendent and his family lived for thirty years. He and his wife raised their three children there, and once I learned that, I knew it would make the perfect setting for The Lions of Fifth Avenue. I invented a fictional family – the Lyons – and decided to tell the story from the wife’s point of view in 1913, as well as from her granddaughter’s in 1993.
WHAT DREW YOU TO SET PART OF THE NOVEL IN 1913-14?
That decade was a period of enormous change for women, when they made great strides, socially and economically. The novel brings to life the Heterodoxy Club, an actual women’s group that began in Greenwich Village in 1912, where women were encouraged to speak openly, and attracted icons like Inez Haynes Irwin, Agnes de Mille, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. One of the characters in my book is based on Dr. Sara Josephine Baker, a pioneer in the field of preventative medicine, whose work dramatically lowered infant mortality rates in the slums of New York in the early 1900s.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO FOCUS ON RARE BOOK THEFTS?
The theft in the novel is inspired by one that occurred in 1994 at Columbia University’s Butler Library, in which a thief stole $1.8 million in rare books, manuscripts, and letters over the course of three months. I was lucky enough to interview Jean Ashton, the University’s librarian at that time, as part of my research. Ashton’s testimony at the trial had an enormous impact in the way the court system punished book thieves from that time forward – yet another example of the enormous impact of one woman, speaking out.
The book is dedicated to librarians everywhere, and is available for preorder now.
Happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
February 28, 2020
Real Life Inspiration Behind The Chelsea Girls
I was recently asked by a reader if any of the characters in The Chelsea Girls are based on real people. The answer is a definite "Yes." The character of Hazel was inspired by a real-life Broadway actress I interviewed named Virginia Robinson. She unfortunately passed away last year at the age of 99, but lived a long and fascinating life (and remembered the most vivid of details). Virginia was in the USO during WWII, understudied on Broadway, and fought against the blacklist in the '50s.
Hazel's character is also somewhat based on Lillian Hellman, the playwright, and her book "Scoundrel Time" was incredibly helpful in writing the Washington, DC scenes. The character of Maxine is inspired by Elizabeth Bentley, who was written about in a book called "Red Spy Queen" by Kathryn S. Olmsted.
Finally, Roy Cohn is a real person - he was McCarthy's right-hand-man during the trials, and the character of Laurence Butterfield is based on Laurence A. Johnson, a supermarket-magnate based in Syracuse, NY.
Happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
Hazel's character is also somewhat based on Lillian Hellman, the playwright, and her book "Scoundrel Time" was incredibly helpful in writing the Washington, DC scenes. The character of Maxine is inspired by Elizabeth Bentley, who was written about in a book called "Red Spy Queen" by Kathryn S. Olmsted.
Finally, Roy Cohn is a real person - he was McCarthy's right-hand-man during the trials, and the character of Laurence Butterfield is based on Laurence A. Johnson, a supermarket-magnate based in Syracuse, NY.
Happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
September 10, 2019
Q&A about THE CHELSEA GIRLS
Ever since THE CHELSEA GIRLS came out, I've been thrilled with readers' interest in the research behind the book, and figured I'd share some of the most-asked questions below:
WHY THE CHELSEA HOTEL?
To be honest, the idea of using the legendary Chelsea Hotel as the key location in my new book intimidated me at first. So many famous artists, poets, writers, playwrights, and musicians had passed through its doors on West Twenty-Third Street, that researching the place was a little like peering into a kaleidoscope. Where on earth should I focus? There were so many rich eras to mine for inspiration, from the literary, boozy days of Dylan Thomas to the rock-n-roll, drugged-filled epoch of Janis Joplin and Leonard Cohen. I began slowly, interviewing people who’d lived there during its glory days, getting insights from authors who’d written histories of the hotel, visiting current residents, and getting a peek inside. Floor plans that showed a secret tunnel helped me envision the plot, as did the many photos and documentaries that were shot inside the building over the years.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO EXPLORE BROADWAY THEATER AND THE MCCARTHY ERA BLACKLIST?
The decision to focus on New York’s theater world came after an interview with Virginia Robinson, a terrific actress who was born in 1909, traveled with the USO Tour during World War II, and settled in Manhattan just as the McCarthy era sprang to life. Robinson, who was ninety-eight years old when we first met, spoke with such venom about the treatment of actors who were suspected of being communists that she practically levitated into the air. Most of what I’d learned about the Red Scare was limited to the travails and persecution of the Hollywood elite, but she set me straight with tales of New York actors who were made to take loyalty oaths if they wanted to work for CBS Television, of booklets listing the names of suspected communist actors, rendering them unhireable. And how the same organization that blacklisted actors offered up a chance to clear one’s name – for an enormous fee, of course.
DID YOU DRAW ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES AS AN ACTRESS FOR THE BOOK?
Robinson’s account differed drastically from the decade I spent happily working in the New York theater world in the 1990s. I was invited to join a theater company of close friends who put on three shows a year, from Shakespeare to Genet. We hung the lights, pulled the costumes from thrift shops, and sold tickets at the front door (before running backstage to get ready for curtain). As a highlight, one of our shows moved to Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. They remain my closest friends to this day. For THE CHELSEA GIRLS, I drew on my own experiences as well as those of actors who faced the buzz saw of political chicanery in the mid-century, like Lillian Hellman, Judy Holliday, Michael Howard, and Lee Grant.
THE CHELSEA GIRLS draws from my two first loves, New York City and the theater world. It was a joy to research and write, and the Chelsea Hotel – that eccentric, soaring refuge of artists and visionaries – turned out to be the ideal setting.
Happy reading!
WHY THE CHELSEA HOTEL?
To be honest, the idea of using the legendary Chelsea Hotel as the key location in my new book intimidated me at first. So many famous artists, poets, writers, playwrights, and musicians had passed through its doors on West Twenty-Third Street, that researching the place was a little like peering into a kaleidoscope. Where on earth should I focus? There were so many rich eras to mine for inspiration, from the literary, boozy days of Dylan Thomas to the rock-n-roll, drugged-filled epoch of Janis Joplin and Leonard Cohen. I began slowly, interviewing people who’d lived there during its glory days, getting insights from authors who’d written histories of the hotel, visiting current residents, and getting a peek inside. Floor plans that showed a secret tunnel helped me envision the plot, as did the many photos and documentaries that were shot inside the building over the years.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO EXPLORE BROADWAY THEATER AND THE MCCARTHY ERA BLACKLIST?
The decision to focus on New York’s theater world came after an interview with Virginia Robinson, a terrific actress who was born in 1909, traveled with the USO Tour during World War II, and settled in Manhattan just as the McCarthy era sprang to life. Robinson, who was ninety-eight years old when we first met, spoke with such venom about the treatment of actors who were suspected of being communists that she practically levitated into the air. Most of what I’d learned about the Red Scare was limited to the travails and persecution of the Hollywood elite, but she set me straight with tales of New York actors who were made to take loyalty oaths if they wanted to work for CBS Television, of booklets listing the names of suspected communist actors, rendering them unhireable. And how the same organization that blacklisted actors offered up a chance to clear one’s name – for an enormous fee, of course.
DID YOU DRAW ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES AS AN ACTRESS FOR THE BOOK?
Robinson’s account differed drastically from the decade I spent happily working in the New York theater world in the 1990s. I was invited to join a theater company of close friends who put on three shows a year, from Shakespeare to Genet. We hung the lights, pulled the costumes from thrift shops, and sold tickets at the front door (before running backstage to get ready for curtain). As a highlight, one of our shows moved to Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. They remain my closest friends to this day. For THE CHELSEA GIRLS, I drew on my own experiences as well as those of actors who faced the buzz saw of political chicanery in the mid-century, like Lillian Hellman, Judy Holliday, Michael Howard, and Lee Grant.
THE CHELSEA GIRLS draws from my two first loves, New York City and the theater world. It was a joy to research and write, and the Chelsea Hotel – that eccentric, soaring refuge of artists and visionaries – turned out to be the ideal setting.
Happy reading!
July 9, 2019
REVISED Tour Dates for THE CHELSEA GIRLS
Couple of changes to the book tour later this month. See below for details, and I can't wait to see you on the road!
November 12, 2018
New Book Announcement!
I have fun news! My next book, THE CHELSEA GIRLS, comes out July 30, 2019. I adore the cover and here's what it's all about:
From Fiona Davis, the nationally bestselling author of The Dollhouse and The Address, the bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about the twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women's lives.
From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City's creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine's Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.
Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
PREORDER NOW
http://bit.ly/TheChelseaGirls
From Fiona Davis, the nationally bestselling author of The Dollhouse and The Address, the bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about the twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women's lives.
From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City's creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine's Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.
Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
PREORDER NOW
http://bit.ly/TheChelseaGirls
October 30, 2018
Swag Bags with THE MASTERPIECE
How amazing - I just learned that hardcovers of The Masterpiece were distributed last night in swag bags to many of the top Goodreads reviewers and influencers in attendance at the 10th Anniversary of the Goodreads Choice Awards in NYC.
For those of you who received the book, I hope you enjoy the read and will consider posting a review after - many, many thanks! And thanks to Goodreads for doing so much to connect readers and authors.
For those of you who received the book, I hope you enjoy the read and will consider posting a review after - many, many thanks! And thanks to Goodreads for doing so much to connect readers and authors.
August 28, 2018
Sharing Research from THE MASTERPIECE
Part of the fun of writing a work of historical fiction is going down rabbit holes of research into the era, the setting, and the characters. It's a wonderful opportunity to find out more about the age (in the case of The Masterpiece, the 1920s and 1970s), and I thought it'd be fun to share a couple of links with you.
The first is to a wonderful article about the history of Grand Central Terminal, the setting of the book, which features some great photos of what it looked like back in the day:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/s...
The second is to an article about Helen Dryden, the famed illustrator and industrial designer who is the basis for my character Clara Darden. What a woman she was:
https://wearereplicants.wordpress.com...
Enjoy and happy reading!
Best,
F.
The first is to a wonderful article about the history of Grand Central Terminal, the setting of the book, which features some great photos of what it looked like back in the day:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/s...
The second is to an article about Helen Dryden, the famed illustrator and industrial designer who is the basis for my character Clara Darden. What a woman she was:
https://wearereplicants.wordpress.com...
Enjoy and happy reading!
Best,
F.
August 18, 2018
A Heartfelt Thank You
Writing a book is such a solitary endeavor - researching, writing, and rewriting - that to finally get it out in the world is simply mind-blowing. I've had such fun working on The Masterpiece and wanted to take a moment to thank all the Goodreads reviewers and readers for picking it up and diving into it. Your support and enthusiasm have made this past week so exciting for me.
And for any readers who want to learn more about Grand Central, including some splendid before-and-after photos, check out this article in Architectural Digest:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/s...
Enjoy and happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
And for any readers who want to learn more about Grand Central, including some splendid before-and-after photos, check out this article in Architectural Digest:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/s...
Enjoy and happy reading!
xoxo
Fiona
