Shelley Noble
Author Interview - Shelley Noble
Author of The Sisters of Book Row
A thrilling and timely historical novel of books, banning, and the women who helped save New York’s famed Book Row, from bestselling author Shelley Noble.
1915: Manhattan’s Book Row, an eclectic jumble of forty bookshops along Fourth Avenue, is the mecca for rare book buyers from around the world, and the haunt of locals looking for a bargain. It is also the target of the most vicious censor in American history—Anthony Comstock.
And home to three sisters who vow to stop him.
For the three Applebaum sisters, the narrow, four-storied Arcadia Rare Bookshop is the only home they’ve ever known. Olivia, the oldest, is an expert in restoring rare manuscripts. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, oversees the retail shop and is a favorite with their customers. Celia, the youngest, is left to dust and catalogue, but often sneaks out to do heaven knows what. Little do her sisters know, Celia has joined a group of young people who secretly print and distribute articles on women’s health by hiding them within the pages of ordinary cookbooks, household hints, and sewing patterns, despite the personal risk.
Meanwhile, the Comstock Laws threaten anybody who owns or circulates “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” publications. Even classic literature or fine art could send a person to jail. In the face of such oppression, Celia and the booksellers of Book Row band together. But secrets and a mysterious stranger mean the fate of the famed Book Row is anything but secure.
Author Interview - Shelley Noble
Author I draw inspiration from:
Mary Stewart, she creates a world full of description, action, tension, emotion, suspense, just by the rhythm of her words. That dolphin scene in This Rough Magic… She’s a master.
Author Interview - Shelley Noble | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
My favorite upholstered, padded, comfy, really old and a little saggy arm chair, that I refuse to part with though if the rest of my furniture could talk they would most likely insist that I remove the eyesore from their presence.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I really don’t like elevators, so give me Willy Wonka because Willy would turn that sucker into his Great Glass Elevator of the Roald Dahl stories (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and we’d talk of all manner of things as we soared above the buildings and tree tops. And the elevator music would be so grand.
Author Interview - Shelley Noble | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
It may sound crazy but I don’t quite know. I always wrote things, journals and stories for myself. The reality of writing as a career began one day when I was at the Guggenheim Museum with a friend and we were discussing second careers. She said, you should write a mystery. So I did. It made the short list of the St. Martin’s contest, I got an agent and he sold it in a three book contract. But I’d only written one book. I think it wasn’t until the moment that I realized I would have to write another one, that it actually became real. I’ve written over thirty since then.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback- feels comfortably substantial but cumbersome to carry around. Perfect for staying at home. Paperback- portable, but many have tiny print and small margins and keep closing on you at the most inconvenient times. Ebooks- great for waiting rooms, the train, or when you don’t have much time, but I don’t cuddle up with my e-reader like I do with a book-book. Audiobook- great for walking, traveling, but easy to be distracted from. I rewind a lot.
The last book I read:
I just reread 1984 by George Orwell. I wanted to see if it was as scary and as relevant to today as I remembered it being when I read it for school. It was. And is.
Author Interview - Shelley Noble | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
When I’m doing long stints of writing on chapters, editing or proofing, I work at my computer in my office where I can stay better focused. I use pen and paper and the notes section of my phone for ideas, notes to self, snatches of dialogue, anything however small that will eventually get fed into the story or the trash can.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I can’t decide, and I’m pretty sure that’s because book characters are beings whose life we share for moments. One of my favorite characters that I often revisit is Ariadne Oliver in Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, and Dead Man’s Folly, etc., though I always imagine her as Zoe Wanamaker in the Poirot television series. She’s unique, determined, and though eccentric, has a powerful sense of justice. And she likes apples.
Author Interview - Shelley Noble | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Before I was an author I was a professional dancer, I travelled to wonderful cities and performed in amazing theaters. As a writer I can still travel, (even through time) and never have to leave my office chair. But it’s a little ironic, I went from a profession where I performed in front of hundreds or thousands of people each night to sitting alone in my office in front of a computer screen.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Edwardian 1910s. As a writer of historical fiction I love the drapes and the soft lines of the French designers: no panniers, hoops, bustles or S shaped corsets to impede the actions of my characters. I have written my share of those, though I draw the line at hoop skirts.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Scotland by way of Cornwall. I’ve never fully explored Scotland and it’s forever fascinating, and always Cornwall because it truly feels like Land’s End when I’m there.
My signature drink:
A glass of Sancerre, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire valley, that’s crisp, yet dry and suits my every mood.
Favorite artist:
I have a kaleidoscope love of art. Mozart, Holst, Bowie and Queen, Rodin, Kahlo, and Keith Haring. And the architect, Antoni Gaudy for the sheer fun of his imagination.
Number one on my bucket list:
I bought a way beyond my skillset camera and haven’t mastered anything more than the basics. I’d really like to explore the possibilities it promises, especially at the shore.
Find more from the author:
https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyNobleAuthor/
https://www.instagram.com/shelleynobleauthor/
About Shelley Noble:
Shelley Noble
Shelley Noble is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Whisper Beach, Beach Colors, and The Tiffany Girls, the story of the largely unknown women artists responsible for much of Tiffany’s legendary glasswork, as well as several historical mysteries. A former professor, professional dancer and choreographer, she now lives in New Jersey halfway between the shore, where she loves visiting lighthouses and vintage carousels, and New York City, where she delights in the architecture, the theatre, and ferreting out the old stories behind the new. Shelley is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Historical Novel Society.
