https://vickyoliver.com/firebrands-fiction-author/ https://vickyoliver.com I grew up in the world of advertising. My three parents were all account people: it was like living in a version of the TV show Mad Men, except much later, after the era of the three-martini lunch had passed into oblivion. My three parents believed in "tough love," and so instead of gaining an edge, I started in advertising as a lowly receptionist. I answered phones, was promoted to something called "Traffic" that had nothing to do with cars, was later promoted to something called "Coach" that had nothing to do with sports until I was a Creative Director and could hire people. They would roll into my office thirty minutes late and have no idea who the agency was or who our clients were. About a hundred times I thought to myself, "One day I am going to write about job interviewing, because you, buddy, are blowing this interview!" So one day, I did write a book about interviewing. In that book, I gave out my email address and asked readers to share their interviewing horror stories with me. They did--and that paved the way for five additional nonfiction primers targeting the stressed-out career professional. After publishing six nonfiction career books at medium-sized presses, I decided that I wanted to write a more personal story: about Manhattan, where my ancestors have resided for generations. Two of my ancestors on my father's side were tailors. Equipped with letters from my relatives and photographs, I started my own research. I decided to set my novel in Manhattan during 1908, at the boiling point of the early women's movement, the early labor movement, and the anarchy movement. My protagonist Helena James is a bit of a trouble magnet, and she gets into more trouble in a few hundred pages than I hope most of us will see in our lifetimes!