Author Confessions: Fiona Davis

On her latest novel. Plus, the unforgettable trip that inspired its setting.

I’ll read anything Fiona Davis writes, and it’s been that way long before I was able to call her a friend. So it was with great pleasure that I brought along her latest, The Stolen Queen, on my recent vacation. The novel, out today, is a dual timeline historical fiction novel that transports readers from gritty 1970s Manhattan to glamorous 1930s Egypt through the stories of two fascinating women characters.

A few quick sentences on the plot. It’s 1936 and anthropology student Charlotte has the chance of a lifetime: to join an archaeology dig at the Valley of the Kings. She falls in love, marries a fellow archaeologist and they have a baby named Layla, living in Luxor. Then the unthinkable happens, a scene that had me holding my breath. Charlotte returns to New York and leads a quiet life working as a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Fast forward to 1978. Charlotte, still working at the Met, meets Annie, a young upstart assisting the legendary Diana Vreeland, who is planning the Met Gala while the King Tut exhibit is readying to open. When one of the collection’s most priceless artifacts goes missing on the night of the gala, the story gets even more exciting. “Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt,” reads the book jacket. Love it!

Thanks for stopping by, Fiona. I’m so excited to talk to you about this novel!

You always write a book set in a NYC landmark, and for this one, it's the Met. Please tell us what inspired you to also take readers to Egypt in this novel.
The Met Museum is an intimidating institution, and it wasn’t until I got tours of the building from people with three different perspectives – a former security guard, an Egyptologist, and the head of communications – that I felt like I knew my way into the story. I decided to focus on the Egyptian Art Collection as well as the Met Gala, from the point of view of two very different women in terms of age, outlook, and what they do for the museum. I like to say that the novel is a mash-up of Thelma & Louise, Indiana Jones, and The Devil Wears Prada – a fun blend of glamour and mummies. I have to add that I was inspired to set part of the story in Egypt after reading a wonderful nonfiction book by Lynne Olson called Empress of the Nile, about a remarkable real-life female archaeologist who worked in the Egyptian desert in the 1900s.

Did you travel to Egypt for research? How did your travels shape/inform the book?
I did go to Egypt, which was mind-boggling in terms of how old everything was. I knew I needed to understand the smells, sounds, and tastes of the country and it’s hard to get that from documentaries or YouTube videos. In the book, the character of Charlotte works in the Valley of the Kings as a young archaeologist, which is where many of the ancient pharaohs were buried. To descend into an ancient tomb decorated with colorful drawings and hieroglyphs was incredible, and I hope I’m able to transport the reader there with me in the story.

It's often said that writers return to similar themes in all of their novels. What do you think is something you return to -- and why?
I’m definitely interested in how women’s voices and issues have changed over time, as well as how they haven’t. It’s something that comes up in every decade I’ve worked in, from the 1970s to the Gilded Age to ancient times. For example, I learned in my research that Egyptian women in antiquity had the right to divorce, to own property, and to keep custody of their children, whereas until the mid-1970s, American women couldn’t even get a mortgage or a loan without a man co-signing for them. Quite a surprise.

What do you think is the hardest part about being a writer -- that has nothing to do with the writing? Can you give a specific example of a time where you struggled?
The hardest part of being a writer – one that has nothing to do with the writing – is dealing with social media. It’s a gift in so many ways, in that you have direct contact with your readers, you can get your message out into the world easily and share research and fun behind-the-scenes stories. But it also requires a serious commitment and sometimes that takes up more time than I would like. I do love seeing what other authors are doing, though, and keeping up with friends. Everything in moderation, right?

If you could relive any day in your life, what would it be? And why?
If I could relive any day in my life, I would want it to be the day before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, before I knew what that annoying tremor in my arm meant. Once you get a diagnosis like that, your perspective is changed forever. The good news is that in the almost five years since that day, I’ve met so many people with the disease who’ve inspired me and guided me. PD is now basically integrated into my day-to-day existence. I take my pills, exercise, try to keep stress to a minimum, and go ahead and live my life. It’s just a part of who I am.

Since you've visited New York at all different points in time in your books, which time period do you think was the city's best?
I love writing about the 1920s – the city was changing so quickly and there was a sense of lawlessness and excitement in the air. Also, the clothes and styles were fabulous. Women were starting to come into their own at the time, no longer bound by corsets or social norms, which is always a fun angle to explore in a story. There’s nothing better than reading a novel about a woman who goes from strait-laced to unhinged and finds power and freedom in tossing off the constraints of society, no matter what era it might be.

Lastly, what is the best piece of writing advice you ever received? Why did it resonate with you?
Anne Lamott’s advice to go ahead and write a terrible first draft has been very helpful. There are good writing days and bad ones, and I like having permission to write an awful scene, knowing that I can always go back and edit it later. In fact, some of the worst scenes I’ve written in the first draft have ended up being my favorites in the final version. I do around ten different revisions, so there’s always a chance to layer in more complexity and depth of character down the road.

If you’d like to order Fiona’s new novel, visit here, here or here. Congrats Fiona! Happy Pub Day!

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