Renée Rosen, the author of Park Avenue Summer, throws back the curtain on one of the most remarkable feuds in history: Alva Vanderbilt and the Mrs. Astor’s notorious battle for control of New York society during the Gilded Age.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Renée about her latest release The Social Graces, book recommendations, writing, and much more!
Hi, Renée! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I began my writing career as an advertising copywriter, but I have to confess I was a lousy employee. My heart was always in writing fiction rather than TV and radio commercials. I was the girl who had a manuscript in her desk drawer.
I love reading and have developed a passion for working jigsaw puzzles due to Covid. I also rekindled my affection for running because of Covid and moved a monster of treadmill into our living room. I live in Chicago and feel very fortunate to be able to write fiction full time.
After the chaos that was 2020, have you set any goals for this year? If so, how are they going so far?
As of this moment, I’m halfway through the process of being fully vaccinated and am very eager to carefully ease back into the world. My first goal is to get my hair cut. I haven’t been to the salon in over a year, and it shows.
Seriously, travel is high up on our list and we are currently planning a trip to Europe once we’re able to do it safely. I think one overall goal, or perhaps it’s more of a lesson that I leaned from Covid, is to not put things off. Even simple things like meeting a friend for lunch or having that dinner party. I’m not putting things off because as we now know, our world can change in an instant. We have to grab all the living we can, when we can.
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 Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.
I actually wanted to be a writer before I was a reader, so I’m going to turn this question inside out and say that it was Mona Simpson’s Anywhere But Here that really inspired me and showed me what was possible to do on the page.
One book I can’t stop thinking about would be A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Beautiful and heartbreaking. A real gut punch.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
It’s the one thing I’ve always known about myself which is so strange. I have no idea where this came from. I don’t come from a family of writers and as I mentioned previously, I was writing before I was a reader (which is not something I recommend for anyone who wants to write). I’ve just always felt compelled to tell stories. I remember growing up how none of my friends wanted to play Barbies with me because I was too concerned with the dolls’ storylines and their motivations.
Your new novel, The Social Graces, is out April 20th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fun, scandalous, shocking, informative, and opulent.
What can readers expect?
I hope they can expect the unexpected. I know I was surprised by much of the research. Fact truly is stranger than fiction. I think a bookseller friend put it best when he said, “It’s like the original Real Housewives of New York City but in ball gowns.” I also hope that after the year we’ve had, that this novel provides a much-needed escape into a lush slice of America’s past.
Where did the inspiration for The Social Graces come from?
I had written a previous novel, What the Lady Wants, set in Chicago during the Gilded Age and have always been intrigued by this time period. When my agent and my editor both suggested I set my next novel in New York’s Gilded Age, I jumped at the chance to do some preliminary research. It didn’t take long to realize that there was a juicy story in Mrs. Astor and Alva Vanderbilt’s battle for control of society.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
This book really gave me a run for my money. I ended up re-writing it top to bottom three times. The greatest obstacle came down to the characters themselves. At first glance, Mrs. Astor and Alva Vanderbilt came across as superficial social climbers obsessed with status and frivolity. Making these women relatable was an enormous challenge and I never could have gotten there without the help and patience of my editor, Amanda Bergeron. She encouraged me to dig deeper and deeper still until I could see them as wives, mothers, daughters. I also began to think of Mrs. Astor as a CEO of a major corporation, which was how she ran society.
If it’s not too spoilery, were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Oh, there are so many favorites! The balls themselves were a blast to re-create. Themed balls were all the rage among the hostesses who were eager to outspend and out-entertain each other, so readers will be attending costume balls, horse balls, dog balls even a ball honoring a chimpanzee.
I never could have dreamed up such a fun cast of characters to work with. I absolutely loved writing about the real-life Ward McAllister. He was an extreme snob and would scold a hostess who didn’t properly frappé her wine. Mamie Fish was another favorite. She was an outrageous hostess known for insulting her guests with her razor-sharp tongue.
What drew you towards writing historical fiction?
It was a happy accident. To be honest, I never realized that I was writing historical fiction. I’d always had a love affair with the roaring twenties and spent about ten years researching, writing and re-writing and then after that book, Dollface, was published my editor asked me for another historical novel and thankfully another one after that. I kept writing and never looked back.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
The best was from the author, Lauren Baratz-Logsted. I went all fangirl on her at one of her events. I was approaching almost 300 agent rejections at the time and asked for some encouragement. She looked at me and said, “No one but you can take you out of the game.” That was exactly what I needed to hear. I was at a fork in the road and it was up to me to either keep going to throw in the towel. It wasn’t easy, but I’m really glad I followed her advice.
The worst writing advice I ever got came from a perfect stranger, seated next to me on a plane who, after learning I was an author, said I should write his life story and proceeded to tell me detail by boring detail.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on a historical novel about the cosmetic icon, Estee Lauder. She was a fascinating woman and a real trailblazer. I’m still searching for a title but the novel will be out in 2023.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
- The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray
- The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
- Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
- Shuggie Baine by Stuart Douglas
