We chat with Laura Hankin, the author of Happy & You Know It and the upcoming A Special Place for Women, which follows a journalist on the trail of a secret society in NYC. We got to ask Laura all our questions about her new novel, her favourite secret societies and more!
Hi, Laura! Thanks for chatting with us! Why don’t you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, thanks for having me! I’m a writer and performer living in Washington DC (after many years in New York). I love writing juicy page-turners full of complicated characters, humor, and twists. In my spare time, I… get mad at myself for not writing more, make up funny songs, and love watching ‘90s rom-coms.
What was the last book you read that left you speechless?
The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe had me sobbing at the dinner table. (Yes I did forgo conversation with my fiancé to keep reading, I’m very fun!)
Now, onto A Special Place for Women! What can people expect when picking up Jillian’s story?
The novel follows a down-on-her-luck journalist who decides that, to save her career, she’s going to infiltrate a secret club for the tastemaker women of New York. There are all sorts of shadowy rumors about them — including that they elevated the first female mayor of New York and that, when she came for their fortunes, they brought her down. Jillian goes undercover, only to find that these women might be far more powerful than she ever imagined.
I hope readers feel that, like Jillian, they are being sucked into this secretive club full of fascinating, potentially dangerous women, and they’re not sure who they can trust but dammit, they are having so much fun.
Secret societies are always such an intriguing topic! Did you draw inspiration from existing secret societies for Nevertheless or how did you come up with the concept?
They certainly are! But funnily enough, Nevertheless actually was based more on real-life coworking or networking spaces for women that aren’t secret, but are definitely exclusive (and/or expensive!). I once had coffee with a friend at one of these women-only clubs in New York, and remember being so fascinated by it: it was gorgeous, and I thought I would feel safe and welcomed there but instead I felt quite out of place and self-conscious! But once I started writing the book, I read a lot of books about tight-knit, secretive groups. (The Secret History by Donna Tartt being a prime example!)
Speaking of secret societies, if you were to start a secret society, what would be our first order of business?
Perhaps I should say something cool like taking down our enemies or making the world a better place but honestly, given how much I’ve missed hanging out with my friends this year… we would probably just have a long, soul-baring talk and then hug a lot.
There’s quite the plot twist in A Special Place for Women and without giving too much away, did you always know you were going to include that deeper look into the dark backstory of Nevertheless or did that crystallize while writing about these powerful women?
I did know right from the beginning! In fact, at first I thought we’d find out the twist really early on, so that it wasn’t even a twist at all, just part of the premise. But then as I was delving into how Jillian gets herself into the club, I was having so much fun writing that part that I kept pushing the twist back. Besides, the twist is definitely wild, with the characters revealing the kind of information that would scare Jillian away if she wasn’t already super-deep in!
I loved the way you address feminism and women supporting women in this novel, especially since Jillian is often faced with the choice between getting ahead herself or helping someone else along but sacrificing her own ambitions. It’s a fine line women walk every day in real life as well. What do you want readers to take away from reading A Special Place for Women?
It really is a fine line! This stuff is so hard! I hope readers take away that we might not get it right all the time, but that doesn’t mean that we should give up. Figuring out how to advocate for ourselves in a sometimes-unfriendly world while also lifting up other women takes real hard work, but that work is so worth doing.
Your novel had such a cinematic feel to it! If A Special Place for Women were to get the movie treatment, who would you love to star in it?
I definitely pictured Aubrey Plaza as Jillian. (And funnily enough, when I was reading the audiobook, the director told me that she’d pictured her too!) So, Aubrey, I am here. I am waiting. But I also think Cristin Milioti could be so perfect, and after watching The Farewell, I think Awkwafina has the same balance of comedy and vulnerability too.
With A Special Place for Women releasing soon, are you already working on another project? If so, can you share a tidbit about it with us?
Yes! I’m working on my next book now, about the stars of a High School Musical-esque show in the early 2000s that imploded on live TV. Now, twelve years later, they have to come back for a reunion special where all sorts of old secrets, betrayals, and unfinished business surface.
And somewhat related to your previous question… I’m developing A Special Place for Women for TV with some really wonderful producers, so one of my next projects is adapting the script for the first episode of that! (I can’t believe I was able to type out that sentence without screaming in excitement.)
Last but not least, do you have any bookish recommendations for our readers?
Yes! I’m currently reading The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton, and absolutely loving it. It’s a fictional oral history of a rock duo — a Black woman and a white man — and seems perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six. I also recently finished People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, which is a When Harry Met Sally-esque rom-com that I devoured in a single day.
