Q&A with Julia Bryan Thomas

 

 

 

Julia Bryan Thomas is the author of the new novel The Kennedy Girl. Her other books include The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Kennedy Girl, and how did you create your character Mia?

 

A: When I sat down to write a novel to follow The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club, I was interested in creating a book that took place during the Cold War.

 

I love reading books about historical events, and I’m also huge fan of classic movies, particularly those from the late 1950s to 1960, so I decided to start by giving it a 1960s vibe.

 

There’s so much to work with there: the clothing, the music, the dawn of the modern age, and the freedom they thought they had during the post-war years, feeling like the war was behind them. It was the time of John F. Kennedy’s ascent to the presidency and America’s love affair with its new first lady, Jacqueline.

 

During the early planning for the book, I was drawn to the clothes first and realized it would be exciting to set the story in Paris with my character beginning her career as a budding model.

 

For the character Mia, I decided to create someone who had been cut off from her peers for a couple of years because she had been caring for a dying parent. The strain of dealing with her father’s cancer gave her a natural reticence and innocence about the greater world that made her an easy target for Cold War operatives.

 

However, she also had reserves of strength and courage that made her growth as an international spy more believable. She also had tremendous intelligence and a desire for a formal education. Although she enjoyed the life of modeling and its various challenges, she was envious of the students she saw walking into the Sorbonne every day, wishing she could have an opportunity like that.

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I am fortunate to have been to France a few times, so I was able to write about places where I had actually been. I loved reliving those experiences through Mia’s eyes, because I can remember seeing everything for the first time myself.

 

That said, there was so much practical knowledge to study about many different aspects of the book.

 

For example, telling the fashion parts of the story required immersing myself in every aspect of the fashion trade, from learning about textiles and materials to understanding the ins and outs of the world of modeling. I sourced books and videos from the period as well as visiting textile museums in order to be able to write with confidence about my subject.

 

For the espionage parts of the novel, I studied spy novels from the ‘50s and ‘60s (like Len Deighton’s The Ipcress Files), as well as a number of nonfiction books to understand how things would have worked in Mia’s day.

 

We’re used to watching James Bond and the Mission: Impossible movies, where they have the latest, state-of-the-art techniques, but in 1960, the world was not quite as sophisticated.

 

There was also a great deal of history to sift through: the politics of that era in the United States, Western Europe, and Russia, which highlighted the true cost of the continuing Cold War and its effects on the world.

 

By delving into specific stories with both fictional and historical characters, it made the story more personal and potent for Mia as she navigates her way through both worlds.

 

Perhaps the most surprising part of the research was gaining a greater understanding of the tenuous nature of international politics, which is certainly something that is just as relevant today.

 

Q: The writer Erika Robuck said of the book, “Like her cast of characters, Julia Bryan Thomas’s writing is bold, colorful, and fearless.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: That is the most beautiful compliment I could have received. Every time I sit down to start a book, like many other authors, I deal with a certain amount of self-doubt. It’s gratifying to know that The Kennedy Girl is a book that a wonderful author like Erika finds “fearless.”

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: One of the reviews I read of The Kennedy Girl mentioned that the book is about the unexpected power of women. Besides Mia, my other favorite character is a 74-year-old woman named Chantal, who has a pivotal role in the story.

 

It was my intention that readers come away believing that no matter what age they are (young like Mia, or older like Chantal), they can do amazing, wonderful, important things. We need to believe in ourselves and champion the other women in our lives to be the very best we can be.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am currently working on notes for a new novel, developing my characters and strengthening the plot. I have a few chapters written, which my agent loved, so I know I’m heading in the right direction. It will be a historical novel set in Europe in 1949.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Some people don’t know that I am married to mystery novelist Will Thomas, author of the Barker and Llewelyn books. I’ve edited all 16 of his books and I credit that with giving me the confidence to write my own novels.

 

We both enjoy being married to a fellow novelist, and although we work separately, it’s nice to know there is someone who understands what the process is and how everything comes together.

 

I also credit my success with attending the Yale Writers’ Workshop in the summer of 2019. There, I learned so much about how to edit my own work and how to trust my own instincts.

 

Deborah, thank you so much for inviting me to do this again!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Julia Bryan Thomas.