The movie "Anastasia" played a huge part in the creation of "The Gilded Heiress" by Joanna Shupe.
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
I based "The Gilded Heiress" on the Disney movie "Anastasia," which is about a woman posing as a lost princess — but she might be (gasp!) the real princess all along. I mixed a little of the Lindbergh baby mystery in my retelling and set it in the Gilded Age of New York City. It’s a light and fun read about two people who are searching to find their place in the world and happen to fall in love along the way.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
Reading Rainbow speaks to the importance of representation in literature. There should be a wide array of diverse books available in the world so that everyone may see themselves represented in some way. And it’s important these efforts happen all year long, not just during Pride month.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Our world is diverse and has always been diverse. I feel I’m doing a disservice to the reader if I pretend history has only been filled with white, cisgendered heterosexuals. I’ve done a lot of research into African American, LGBTQ, and Latinx history because it wasn’t taught in most of my schools. This allows me to show the world closer to what it actually was, not as some would try to rewrite now.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
I love a con man with a heart of gold. And that perfectly describes Leo, the hero of "The Gilded Heiress." He has to do some shady things to earn a buck after his father’s death to support his mother and five sisters. The heroine, Josie, is an orphan with an incredible singing voice. She hopes to make it to Broadway one way, so Leo poses as a manager and promises to turn her into a star. In reality, he’s using her for a revenge con against his father’s former employers. See? Shady.
In "The Gilded Heiress," I wanted to write about two average people who don’t have a lot of money, but have big ambitions. To rise out of the lower classes in the Gilded Age, you had to have incredible luck and drive. So, what would they do in the name of becoming successful?
What can fans expect from your book?
Lots of old Broadway and vaudeville. A little mystery. A lot of steam. And hopefully, a fun adventure story that ends happily.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
The follow-up to "The Gilded Heiress." I can’t talk about it yet, but it’s based on "Beauty and the Beast."
