1. What
inspired you to write this book? I am a fourth-generation New Yorker whose ancestors lived in
Manhattan during 1908. I have all the family trees, photos, and other ephemera
handed down from my relatives on both my mother and my father’s side of the
family. I have a burning passion for history and for uncovering parts of New
York history that few people know much about. In 1908, Manhattan was a cauldron
for three movements: the early women’s rights movement, the labor movement, and
the anarchy movement. I wanted to set my story against the backdrop of this
fascinating time period.
2. What exactly is
it about and who is it written for? It’s about the love between two sisters who grew
up in the same family but have very different values. Their bond is strong, but
they also confound each other. The older sister, my protagonist, Helena James,
wants to protect her younger sister, Summer James, from making a terrible life
decision.
3. What
do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? Some context. My story takes place over a
hundred years ago, but we see many of the same issues and conundrums replaying
in today’s headlines. I believe that we have to look backwards to make sense of
where we are today. All that said, FIREBRANDS is a very fun, accessible,
“breezy” read. I tried to inject a lot of humor and fun in the story because I
believe that my task as an author is to entertain and inform.
4. How
did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title came right out of the character’s
mouths. Several characters tell Helena not
to be such a “firebrand.” When I considered how many times the people around
her said that and also how many characters in the novel are firebrands in their
own right, it just seemed like the perfect title. I had the initial idea for
the design and worked with several artists to create a mock cover, but the
folks at Histria Books really improved the design and brought it to a whole new
level. My original cover used pastel colors and green, not red. I thought red
was too obvious—until I saw it. But once I saw it, I fell in love with it.
5.
What advice or words of wisdom do you have for
fellow writers – other than run!?
I would never tell a fellow writer to run. The truth is: writers
are driven to write. They can’t help it. If you’re a writer, you have to get up
every day, throw yourself into your words, and love, love, love the process
because you will never work harder at anything in your whole life. My advice,
based purely on my own experience, is that it will take a lot longer than you
ever dreamed to get published; the journey will be rockier and may be
harrowing; but if you stick with it, it can feel exceptionally rewarding.
6. What
trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book
publishing industry is heading? Because so many writers are choosing to self-publish their
stories, the field is cluttered. It’s harder for all writers to get noticed. We
have to push much, much harder than even a few years ago. This can feel
off-putting at times—to be out there, “selling” each and every day, trying to
build our brands. But again, most writers don’t have a choice. They are driven
to write, and then they have to be willing to sell. The expectation is that we will be partners
with our publishing companies and that we will amplify all marketing through
social media and all means at our disposal.
7. Were
there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when
writing this book? Yes. I wrote six career
books, among them: Bad Bosses, Crazy
Coworkers, and Other Office Idiots (Sourcebooks), so I tend to view my
protagonist and the people around her through a career lens. My protagonist,
Helena James, is ambitious, and that’s one of the aspects I love about her.
Before I wrote career books, I was in the advertising business, and one of the
characters in my novel is in the advertising business as well.
8. How
would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing
similar to? I believe that I write
in a lush, cinematic style. I read all the old masters, but I am not aiming to
be any of them. I don’t want to be Henry James. I want my writing to “wink” at
Henry James, but have my sentences be fun, easy, and accessible.
9. What
challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Getting published in this marketplace is a bit
of a feat. I revised my novel about 300 times. Some of these were small
revisions; others large. Today the expectation is that one’s novel should
almost be ready to publish when it’s submitted. I kept revising and tweaking
mine until it was.
10. If
people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?
I feel the characters and the story will resonate—and also, I hope
the story will stay with readers. Even though Firebrands (Histria Books, 2026, distributed by Simon &
Shuster) is about events that take place in 1908, it’s very timely to today.
It’s very much a story of our time.
About The Author: Vicky
Oliver
graduated from
Brown University with a double major in English Honors and Political Science
and received her MFA in Fiction from the New School in 2022. Her novel, Firebrands (Histria Books, 2026), is
distributed by Simon & Schuster, and has won these awards: Killer Nashville
Claymore Award Finalist for Best Historical Fiction; Writers’ League of Texas
Award Finalist for Best Historical Fiction; and 5 Stars, Reader’s Favorite:
“Very Highly Recommended.” Oliver
also writes nonfiction and has published six career books, including 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview
Questions (Sourcebooks), which sold 100,000 copies. She
is the Nonfiction Editor as well as an Art Editor at LIT magazine, the journal
of The New School’s MFA program. Vicky’s savvy career advice has been featured
in over 901 outlets, including the New York Times, WSJ, New York Post, and
Esquire. Learn more at https://vickyoliver.com/firebrands-fiction-author/
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About Brian Feinblum
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For
the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He
formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the
head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the
director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many
first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with
best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen,
Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard,
Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C.
Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.
His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s
The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs
He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers
Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod
Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five
times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and
Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.
His
letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal,
USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester)
and The Washington Post. His first published book was The
Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It
was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
Born
and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids,
and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.
You
can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum
