Robin Talley is the author of numerous YA titles from rom-coms to historical fiction, including The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre and Pulp. Her new novel, Everything Glittered, brings readers to the Prohibition days of Washington, D.C., as 17-year-old Gertrude and her two best friends uncover the murder of their headmaster. Talley contrasts the era’s glamorous parties with its seedy underbelly, setting the fast-paced narrative against the juxtaposition of nightlife celebration and secrecy. Talley spoke with PW about the allure of writing historical fiction, the obstacles in accessing queer history, and the timely lesson she hopes audiences can take away from the story.
What originally sparked the idea behind writing a queer murder mystery?
This is actually a book where the mystery came last, but the queerness came first. All my books focus on queer characters, but what really started this one was the setting. I live in D.C., and I’d written another book called Pulp set here. While working on that, I did a deep dive into the history of D.C., and it was fascinating. I realized I wanted to write more about D.C., which is how this book was born.
For Everything Glittered, I wanted to write about a finishing school. I’ve always been interested in the history of women-dominated spaces during times when they weren’t supposed to hold power. Finishing schools, in particular, fascinated me—the idea of privileged girls being sent to these schools to be educated to make good conversation with their future husbands. I discovered that the 1920s was the heyday for them, because so many schools thrived between the World Wars.
Once I had the setting, I envisioned an old Gilded Age mansion in Dupont Circle and started developing my three main characters. It was only after having the characters and the setting that I thought, “Wait, this is the 1920s, a time of rampant crime. This should be a murder mystery!” And that’s how everything came together.
What draws you to writing queer historical novels?
I’m a huge nerd! I’ve written books set in the present, but I really enjoy learning about different periods in history. Queer history, in particular, has been untold for most of our lifetimes. Certainly, in the 20th century, queer history was kept under wraps. It wasn’t considered something that should be included in history books or taught in classes. Most of us never learned about it. Today, historians like Lillian Faderman are working to uncover these hidden stories. I love filling in the gaps, especially for a YA audience, who are very aware of the stories being left out of their education.
Were there any obstacles you faced during your research?
Definitely. The 1920s is a period where documentation is scattered compared to more recent history. For example, I wrote another book called Music from Another World set in 1970s San Francisco, which is much better documented because people were openly talking, and there were newspapers reporting on it. When you go further back, especially with queer history, it becomes more difficult. Fortunately, there are historians who have done the hard work of uncovering these stories, so I was able to pull from their research.
Can you share your thought process behind Gertrude, Clara, and Milly transitioning into a sapphic poly connection rather than a typical love triangle?
It actually started out as a love triangle, but the more I thought about these characters, the more I realized a traditional love triangle resolution didn’t fit them. The dynamics between them didn’t lend themselves to the idea of someone being left out or choosing sides. Instead, I thought, “Does it have to resolve into a triangle, or could it be a circle?” That’s where their story naturally led.
The incorporation of news clips throughout the prose added a distinct layer to the narrative, particularly in how they reflected the death of Mrs. Rose. What led to the decision to include these biased, sensationalist snippets as a way to enhance the story?
It really started as a storytelling device. I needed a way to convey certain information, and while researching historical newspapers, I noticed how biased the language was because sensationalism was the norm, which helped provide a societal lens that my characters—especially Gertie—had to navigate.
Did writing this story reveal any parallels between the 1920s and today that you hadn’t noticed before?
Absolutely. One of the biggest revelations for me was the corruption then, particularly in law enforcement. Prohibition led to organized crime, and there were blatant partnerships between criminals and the police. We’re still talking about corruption today, although things have improved in some ways. Seeing how these issues played out in the past gave me a deeper understanding of how they continue to influence modern-day institutions.
What historical aspects of Washington do you think readers will find surprising?
One interesting tidbit is the inspiration behind the character Victor. He’s loosely based on a real person, George Cassiday, known as “the man in the green hat.” Cassiday was a bootlegger who worked in Congress during Prohibition. He sold alcohol to members of Congress—people who had voted for Prohibition—and he even shared his story in a five-part series in the Washington Post. It was so flagrant, and yet it was happening in the very buildings where these laws were passed!
Was there any real-life inspiration behind Mrs. Rose?
Mrs. Rose isn’t inspired by a single person. There were more women in this period, especially after women had just gotten the vote, who were starting to take on power. One of the categories of women who could take on power were headmistresses of finishing schools. A lot of them, like Mrs. Rose, were not married, which was unusual for that time.
Mrs. Rose embodies the role of a woman who had power, but still had to operate within the constraints of society. She was allowed to interact with powerful men, but she still had to stay in her place as a woman. She serves as a role model for Gertie, who has never been told she could have power outside of her father or future husband’s authority. Initially, Gertie sees Mrs. Rose as a fantasy, but over time, as Gertie starts investigating a murder, she realizes that she, too, could wield power.
What connection do you see between this portrayal and today’s debutante society?
What was happening in the 1920s is that families would sometimes expect their daughters to debut before society, which was essentially announcing they were eligible for marriage. That society was already fading by the 1920s. For a long time, it sort of died off, but now it’s making a bit of a return.
I think it probably has to do with people wanting to flaunt their wealth, which is what they did throughout history as well. Now, we’re seeing people make sure others know how much money they have by giving their daughter a fancy party, fancy clothes, and making sure it’s written about in the media—and probably now on social media. What’s different, of course, is that more women who participate now have more power themselves. They’re more likely to say, “This is something I want to do,” rather than doing it just because their parents expect it, which is definitely a positive development.
What message do you want readers to take away?
The story shines a light on the systems of power that exist, especially for women. It’s about how we can navigate within them, break out of them, or challenge them from within. I want readers to see that there are choices to be made in how we live our lives, and the most powerful choice is to step into who we are, regardless of societal expectations.
I’d like readers to look back on history and think about what has changed, what hasn’t, and what we still need to work on. I live with my wife in the same city where Gertie lives, and that’s something that would have been unfathomable in Gertie’s time. So much has changed for the better in terms of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and other aspects of life, but we still have work to do. We’re still fighting against institutions of power, like book bans. It’s wonderful to see teenagers today working as activists against forces that want to take us backward. We’ve come so far, but we have to keep moving forward.
What can we expect from you next?
I’m working on a new project that’s an otherworldly thriller set in the woods, loosely inspired by The Blair Witch Project. It’s contemporary, and I’m experimenting with an oral history style where multiple characters narrate the same events from their perspectives. It’s up to the reader to piece together what’s true and uncover the mystery. It’s been a lot of fun to work on.
Everything Glittered by Robin Talley. Little, Brown, $18.99 Sept. 24 ISBN 978-0-316-56531-8
