YA Historical Fiction Month: Anna Godbersen Interview

1. If the girls from The Luxe and the girls from Bright Young Things could spend a day together what would they do?

What all girls do everywhere—talk about boys!

2. Of all your characters which one do you relate to the most?

There is a lot of Letty in me (minus the singing ability), but a lot of Cordelia, too. Astrid is the girl I always wanted to be.

3. What is your favorite Broadway show?

I haven’t seen many, but I was incredibly moved by Cabaret when I saw it by chance a few years ago.

4. If you could travel back to any period in history, where would you go?

French Riviera, 1920s, for sure. Picasso, the Fitzgeralds, various bohemians, sunshine, striped sailors’ shirts, cartwheel hats, villas. Done.

5. Bright Young Things takes place during the Jazz Age, do you have a particular song or songs you think relate to the novel best?

You know, I listened to a lot of Louis Armstrong while I was writing, and that certainly gave me a sense of the playfulness of the times. But I think Cat Power’s “Lived in Bars,” while anachronistic, probably captures the emotional realities of these girls much better. I love that song—it is so broken and so beautiful, so yearning and defeated, it is both sparkly and sad at once.

--

Thanks so much Anna!

For more information on Anna and her books visit her website here.

Also, check out my review of her newest release, Bright Young Things!