Readers, today I’m thrilled to share a delightful conversation with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The Personal Librarian.
This conversation originally took place over in our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club community, where Marie and Victoria joined me, our MMD Book Club Community Manager Ginger Horton, our MMD Book Club Co-Host Shannan Malone, and a whole bunch of our Book Club Members for this live event.
Today, you’ll hear that conversation as they bring us behind the scenes of their co-writing process, from why seasoned historical fiction author Marie wanted a co-author for this story and why she wanted it to be Victoria, to how Victoria put off reading Marie’s three-page J. P. Morgan pitch, and a bunch of nerdy writing process details. This conversation feels especially timely to share with you right now, because Marie’s new book The Queens of Crime is out February 11, and Victoria’s new book Harlem Rhapsody—her first solo-written historical novel—is out February 4.
Whether you’ve read The Personal Librarian or not, I think you’ll really enjoy today’s spoiler-free discussion. Let us know if you have a favorite title by either author to recommend to your fellow readers, or if there’s a book you’d love to read in Book Club, by sharing a comment below.
Connect with Marie and Victoria on their websites (Marie and Victoria) and Instagram (Marie and Victoria).
Get the story behind the story in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club
If you loved today’s conversation with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, you’ll love our library of author talks in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club. Along with other events, classes, and programs, we host monthly talks just like this with a wide range of favorite authors. We’d love to have you join us—find out more at modernmrsdarcy.com/club.
Books mentioned in this episode:
• The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• Stand Your Ground by Victoria Christopher Murray
• Passing by Nella Larsen
• Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
• The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
• The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander by Denny S. Bryce
Also mentioned:
• The Morgan Library
• LitHub’s article: How Fiction Helps Bring History’s Extraordinary Yet Forgotten Women to Life
• The Performance of Racial Passing by Brit Bennett
• ‘If You Can Perform Whiteness, Then What Does It Mean to Be White?’ by Lila Shapiro
• MMD Book Club 2021 class: How to Read a Classic Through the Lens of the Harlem Renaissance and Zora Neale Hurston
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