Vicky Oliver is the author of the new novel Firebrands. Her other books include 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions. She is an editor at LIT magazine, and she lives in Manhattan.
Q: What inspired you to write Firebrands, and how did you create your characters Helena and Summer?
A: I have always been a student of history, and in particular, New York history. My ancestors on both sides of my family lived in New York City for many generations. As the person in my own family with a passion for history, I am always the one to whom everyone sends their old photographs, letters, and ephemera. The most fascinating research is often lurking in my own desk drawer!
New York City during 1908 was a time of great upheaval and change. Three movements were occurring in the city at the same moment: the early women’s movement, the early labor movement, and the anarchy movement.
In the course of my research for Firebrands, I discovered that Alva Belmont, the incredibly wealthy dowager who cared deeply about women’s rights, also stood with the shirtwaist factory workers in the strike of 1909. I thought that was highly unusual, since there was a class divide between the ladies who fought for women’s rights and the girls who labored in factories.
As I became deeply involved in my research I felt it would be interesting to have Helena James inspire some of this change in Alva. I also thought it would be fun to have a character such as Summer, brought up in the same household as Helena, but with wholly different values. Summer longs for the creature comforts that many middle-class ladies dreamed of.
While some of the scenes in Firebrands are torn from the headlines back then, the heart of the story is really the bond between these two sisters. I wanted to show the closeness, the love, and sometimes the frustration that exists between two girls who are very close but have different mindsets.
Q: Can you say more about how you researched the novel? What did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: Since I live and write in New York City, I go and visit all the locations I write about. If the building is still standing, that’s a great help. But even if it isn’t, I like to go and check out where it used to stand. I feel the vibe of the setting, and it helps place me so that I can capture it more richly.
This is also true of the scenes in the novel that are set in Providence, Rhode Island. I call this first-hand, boots-on-the-ground research. I do first-hand research as much as I possibly can to give my setting a real feel.
I also read nonfiction books about the time period as well as novels written about the period. I find menus, diaries, travel logs and do ancestry research as well.
The thing I learned that surprised me the most concerned the Pinkerton method of tracking their labor spies. I thought, “I have got to include this,” and so I did.
Q: How would you describe the relationship between the sisters?
A: I find the relationship between the sisters loving but fraught. They love each other so very much, but their values are quite different. Helena is trying her best to protect Summer, but sometimes Summer views it as interference.
It is my hope that the novel asks readers to consider how far one individual should go to save someone who may not want to be saved, and that it raises questions about responsibility, morality, sisterhood, and love.
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: The novel ended differently in the first draft than it did ultimately. I started writing the story the day after I was accepted into the New School MFA program in 2020. About three months into the program, the professor said, “Okay, class, now write the ending of your novels.” So I drafted one.
But, as I got deeper and deeper into the characters, I saw that some of Helena’s agency rubs off on Summer, and the original ending had to change—a lot! In all seriousness, I revised the story about 350 times, so quite a lot changed—characters, plot, complications—and I feel it’s all for the better.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Two novels. A stand-alone work of fiction with some of the same characters along with many, many new ones. And a wholly new work of historical fiction with all new characters.
I am 97 percent finished with the stand-alone and about 40 percent of the way through writing the first draft of the wholly new work. I hope I won’t have to revise the wholly new novel 350 times, but I’m willing to if I have to!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: It’s my belief that writing a novel is an adventure. I learned a lot while writing Firebrands—about New York history, for sure, but also about my characters and myself. I hope that readers will enjoy spending time with my characters as much as I have and will come away with an appreciation for this pivotal moment in history.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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