An epic saga from New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray based on the true story of an extraordinary castle in the heart of France and the remarkable women bound by its legacy.
We chat with Stephanie Dray about her new novel The Women of Chateau Lafayette, book recommendations, writing, and more!
Hi, Stephanie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a big history and government nerd, who loves cats, pasta, and baby animal pictures.
After the chaos that was 2020, have you set any goals for this year? If so, how are they going so far?
I’m working on a new novel about America’s first female cabinet secretary, Frances Perkins, and I had set a goal to finish my research by March. Alas, I don’t think that’s going to happen. These days we’re just all taking it a day at a time. I’m fantasizing about traveling and having gatherings with my family though.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I remember reading was Papa’s Pizza: A Berenstain Bear Sniffy Book. The book that made me want to become a historical fiction author was Margaret George’s Memoirs of Cleopatra, and the one I can’t stop thinking about presently is Julie Orringer’s The Flight Portfolio because I aspire to write prose like that.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I became a storyteller in the back of my grandmother’s lime green Ford Fairlane. She used to cart me and the other grandkids around while she was shopping garage sales, and it was my job as the oldest to keep everyone in the car. The only way I could do it was to spin stories like Scheherazade to keep everybody entertained.
Your new novel, The Women of Chateau Lafayette, releases on March 30th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Lafayette ladies leave lasting legacy.
What can readers expect?
A historical story of adventure, courage, romance and more. The most amazing and shocking bits of this story are all true: secret tunnels, false identities, wartime love affairs, cloak-and-dagger resistance, stolen statues, hidden historical relics and so on. It’s a story that reminded me that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary acts in difficult times, and that we must learn from the women who came before us.
Where did the inspiration for The Women of Chateau Lafayette come from?
Like most fans of an obscure little broadway musical Musical called Hamilton, I have a big historical crush on “America’s Favorite Fighting Frenchman” the Marquis de Lafayette. When I started working on this novel, I was excited to introduce readers to Adrienne Lafayette, our French Founding Mother, and her remarkable story of love and courage. But I also wanted to make a more modern connection. To show that Lafayette’s humanitarian legacy doesn’t belong to a forgotten age of powdered wigs, but has been relevant in every century since, including our own.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you overcome them?
One of the challenges of this novel was that the history kept changing underneath me. While researching at the New York Historical Society, I discovered that one of my heroines, Beatrice Chanler, had been writing letters in code to avoid the censors in WWI. Unraveling the mystery of this 20th century starlet, sculptress, author, philanthropist led me to uncover a century-old secret love affair. Then, after I’d rewritten the book, I learned that Beatrice wasn’t even who she said she was. It was my desire to honor Beatrice and tell her truth insofar as was possible that kept me going even when it meant rewriting everything again.
What was the research process like?
The research for the Lafayettes is mostly easily available in books and online; the research about Beatrice Chanler led me to the aforementioned New York Historical Society and that was crazy. I didn’t have nearly enough time to go through all the unsorted boxes of Chanler papers, and had to call in emergency help. My dear friend Laura Kamoie jumped in a taxi cab and helped me take thousands of photographs before the place closed.
If it’s not too spoilery, were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
My favorite scenes to write are when characters surprise me. When I think someone is going to be a villain, but they turn out to be more complicated than that. Or when they turn out to be actually heroic. That happened a number of times in this novel, and I loved every time.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
The best advice I ever got was not to put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t put all your hopes and dreams in one story or manuscript. The worst writing advice I ever got was, “You’re a good writer, but historical fiction isn’t your strength. Write something else.”
What’s next for you?
My next novel, tentatively titled Madame Secretary, will explore the wildly unlikely and incredibly inspiring life of Frances Perkins–our first female cabinet secretary, the architect of the New Deal, and quite possibly the most important woman in American history.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Yes! One of the perks of what I do is getting to read advanced copies of great books that are coming out. I’d like to recommend Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code, which made me ugly cry. Also, Denny Bryce’s Wild Women and the Blues, which makes me want to dance. And don’t pass up Renee Rosen’s The Social Graces.
