We chat with author Tatiana de Rosnay about Blonde Dust, which follows a reimagined friendship between Marilyn Monroe and a young maid whose life will be changed forever.
Hi, Tatiana! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Yes, hi, with pleasure ! I was born near Paris to a Franco-Russian dad from Mauritius and a British mum born in Rome. I grew up in Boston, Paris and London. It’s true to say that because of my mixed heritage and the fact that different nationalities are the background to my family, this has given me an open-minded culture as well as being able to read and write in two languages from early on. I find family secrets to be inspiring. There is indeed a secret in every single one of my books. However despite the ongoing secrets, I enjoy changing style and themes with each new novel. Each book is a different challenge. Five of my books have been made into movies which is totally thrilling.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was nine or ten. I loved to read, I was a true bookworm (I still am!) and I wanted to write the kind of books I enjoyed reading as a kid and I remember being terrified and electrified by Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” read to our class by a bold teacher. As young girl, I read and reread Wilde, Zola, Maupassant, Anne Frank, Baudelaire, Woolf. My teachers at school encouraged me and that helped me. I knew from early on I wanted to be a writer. My family also cheered me on. They were the first to read my work.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Sophie’s Misfortunes by Countess de Ségur
- The one that made you want to become an author: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
Your latest novel, Blonde Dust, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Friendship, actress, Nevada, Mustangs, freedom.
What can readers expect?
I want to give my readers a good ride. Literally, as the novel involves wild horses, the superb Mustangs from Nevada. This book takes place in Reno, and I want my readers to feel like they’re right there, with my heroine, Pauline. I want to surprise them and to move them, taking them back to the summer of 1960. I hope they’ll shed a tiny tear at the end.
Where did the inspiration for Blonde Dust come from?
For a long time now, I had been thinking about writing a book around Marilyn Monroe and her final movie, The Misfits. But there are so many publications about her. I wanted to write something different. And that’s when I got the idea that the heroine of the book would not be Marilyn, but a young woman who happens to meet her, and how that meeting changes Pauline’s life. For me, what they share is not a friendship : that would be too easy and not credible. They share a form of sisterhood, a complicity. The woman in the limelight notices the girl in the shadows, and that kindness will give Pauline her wings. I chose Pauline’s point of view because I wanted my reader to be interested in her, in her story, in her background. She is stuck in a humdrum life, but everything will soon change because she will learn to stand up for herself at last. I wanted the action to take place in the intimacy of the Reno hotel suite where Marilyn is staying and where Pauline works as a chambermaid, as well as the beautiful wild plains of Nevada.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I have to admit, I loved writing this book. I still miss it !It was so exciting imaging what the inside of the Mapes Hotel in Reno was like, fleshing out Pauline’s interactions with “Mrs. Miller” as well as her own personal life and story. While I wrote this, I listened to the playlist which is at the end of the book. It sure got me into a sixties mood.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I wanted to get the dates right concerning the filming of The Misfits. The problems on the set were well-known, I had to evoke them without my novel sounding like a bumbling documentary or a biopic. It had to remain a novel above all. Also, I wanted my readers to relate with Pauline and her struggle for freedom. So I had to get her character just right… And because Mustangs are such an important part of the story, I had to get back on to a horse, which I hadn’t done since my teens !
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a theme that is totally new to me : love ! (What has NOT been said about love?) Up till now, I’ve written more about infidelity, splitting up, duplicity, than anything positive about love. So this is quite a challenge…
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I enjoyed Sarah McCoy’s upcoming book Whatever happened to Lori Lovely. As well as 33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen, a haunting debut novel.
