We chat with author Megan Campisi about The Widow Spy, which is a rousing and propulsive novel based on the astonishing true story of the first female Pinkerton detective whose next assignment could end the Civil War.
Hi, Megan! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m originally from California, but now live in Brooklyn with my family. When I’m not writing novels, I teach and direct theater at a professional conservatory in NYC. I also love to swim, hike and watch my kids play capoeira. My favorite weekend would be going to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with my kids and then seeing a play.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I began in theater, first as an actor and then doing something called devising: creating original plays with an ensemble. I realized I enjoyed the process of “building” a story—structure, character, dialogue—more than performing. From there, I moved into playwriting and novel writing.
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!
- First Book- My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
- The Book That Made Me Desire of Becoming an Author- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- The Book I Cannot Ever Stop Thinking About- Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith
Your second novel, The Widow Spy, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Two women spies face off!
What can readers expect?
The Widow Spy is a thriller based on real-life women. Expect to be sucked down a rabbit hole to learn more about The Pinkertons, women undercover spies, and a forty-something Confederate widow who seduced a Congressman and a Union captain in her work as a spy. There’s also a love story you’ll be rooting for until the end!
Where did the inspiration for The Widow Spy come from?
I wrote a play a few years ago about Kate Warne, a Union spy, Pinkerton agent, and the first woman detective. She spent a week in 1861 trying to “break” Rose Greenhow, a Confederate spy under house arrest. I was thinking about the political divisions in our country and how we can ever move forward. It was a fun, raucous play, full of spies and lies. But it only scratched the surface of my questions. So, I started writing The Widow Spy.
As I did, I discovered I wasn’t just exploring political divides, but the divides we create among women. Divides between conservative and liberal, but also pretty and plain, Black and white, rich and poor, immigrant and citizen—endless divisions by which we judge each other. I wondered how we can ever cross those divides. And then came the love story. If we fill our hearts with hate, what’s left? If we can’t see ourselves in others, how do we find our way to love? The Widow Spy is still filled with spies and lies (an assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln! Daring escapes from Confederate villains!) but at its heart it’s a story about the divides we create between others and within ourselves, and whether to bridge them.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love/hated delving into the history of my antagonist, Rose Greenhow. She was fascinating despite her heinous beliefs. She also had one of the most poetically just demises of any person in history . . . which I won’t spoil!
This is your second novel! What are some of the key lessons you have learned when it comes to writing and the publishing world?
My first book, Sin Eater, came out in March 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. It was a hard time for a debut novel. I learned not to worry about what you can’t control. This time around, I’m so excited for an in-person launch party!
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a novel about Isaac Newton and the man he lived with for twenty years.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Babel by RF Kuang and Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo are two of my recent faves!
