Q&A with Danielle Teller

 

Photo by Amy Drake Photography

 

 

Danielle Teller is the author of the new novel Forged. Her other books include the novel All the Ever Afters. She lives in California.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Forged, and how did you create your character Fanny/Kitty?

 

A: I listened to a history podcast about Cassie Chadwick, who was born to poor farmers in Canada and relocated to Cleveland during the Gilded Age; she defrauded banks of millions of dollars and had a brief moment of fame at the time of her arrest.

 

I was intrigued by her brazenness, and I saw an opportunity to create a character who is a female Great Gatsby in an earlier era of glitz and excess.

 

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

 

A: I began by reading novels set during the Gilded Age, such as Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, and nonfiction books about the people who lived during that era, such as Sargent's Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas by Donna M. Lucey.

 

I found historical newspaper articles, menus, and maps online to make sure that I was getting the details right. Throughout the writing process, I looked up everything from dress design to plumbing in 19th century New York.

 

I was surprised to learn some of the more grisly details of urban life in that time, like diminishing life expectancies and rivers of manure in the streets.

Q: The author Kathy Wang called the book a “compelling examination of the pursuit of the American Dream.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Forged is very much about the American Dream. The protagonist is a criminal who takes shortcuts to wealth in pursuit of romantic fantasies, and she is contrasted with another female character who works hard and builds relationships in order to achieve financial independence.

 

The foundations of American wealth creation from industrialization to financial speculation are front-and-center in this novel.

 

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

 

A: I hope that readers notice some of the parallels between the Gilded Age and our current era, and that the story causes them to think about the good vs. bad paradigms we use to judge other people. Mostly, though, I hope they come away having had fun.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m noodling on a Romeo and Juliet story set in 1980s Pittsburgh, where the Montagues are union folk and the Capulets are white-collar types. I’m not sure if it will go anywhere, but I’m excited to explore.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Danielle Teller.