Alice Sherman Simpson: On Characters Shaping the Story
Alice Sherman Simpson, daughter of a legendary eccentric vaudeville dancer, is an accomplished visual artist who taught drawing and design at F.I.T, NY, The School of Visual Arts, The New School, and Otis College of Art & Design. Her unique, handmade artist books about dance are in more than 40 private and international Rare Book collections, including Lincoln Center Library for Performing Arts; Yale; Harvard; and The Victoria & Albert Library.
She is the author of Ballroom (Harper, 2015), which was nominated for Best New American Voices, and The Winthrop Agreement (Harper, November, 2023). Her short stories have appeared in Jerry Jazz Musician magazine, Persimmon Tree magazine, and more. She lives in Southern Califorinia … and dances tango. Visit her at her website.
Alice Sherman Simpson
In this post, Alice discusses how she managed to salvage a manuscript she’d worked on for six years with her new historical fiction novel, The Winthrop Agreement, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Alice Sherman Simpson
Literary agent: Marly Rusoff & Associates, Inc.
Book title: The Winthrop Agreement
Publisher: Harper (HarperCollins)
Release date: November 21, 2023
Genre/category: Historical Fiction
Previous titles: Ballroom
Elevator pitch: The Winthrop Agreement, a Gilded Age tale, follows an immigrant daughter’s rise from life in a Lower East Side tenement to the heights of haute couture, driven by a hunger for a place in society while protecting secrets she must not betray. A work of historical fiction . . . with a twist of Gothic.
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What prompted you to write this book?
A chance discovery of a haunting 1910 photograph of a Lower East Side tenement inspired this story. Three women gossip in the doorway. A young man in an apron and bowler hat sits at the top of the front stoop. But what most captured my imagination is a young girl who gazes out the front parlor window. There is an infant by her side.
What was life like in that building? Was this similar to the building in which my mother and her five siblings lived? No relatives remain in my family who remember our family’s story. My mother, her sister and four brothers chose to forget —in their determination to move “uptown.”
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Beginning in 2015, I had what I thought was a sensational idea for an epic, multi-generational, and quite wicked tale based upon a fictitious private school.
Regrettably, over the next six years, after writing, rewriting, and editing said story—with its cast of thousands—neither my agent nor publisher liked the subject matter. Miserable and certain I would never write again, I awoke one morning in 2022 with the solution of how I might rescue the book— that 1910 Lower East Side photograph!
Who was that young girl in the window with the infant. What was her life like? What were her dreams?
It might have been a simple rags-to-riches story, but I just couldn’t let go of one of my characters—Frederick Winthrop. Such a wicked fellow and unimaginably exhilarating to write about. And thus, The Winthrop Agreement has—a twist of Gothic.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
My debut novel Ballroom (Harper, 2015) was literary fiction and took place during one year—1999.
The Winthrop Agreement begins in 1893 and ends in 1928, during which time a great deal happens in American history. I was astonished by the editing process and all the savvy copyeditors and proofreaders who checked my historical research, Yiddish idioms, timeline, dates, and birthdays. And thank my lucky stars.
They found incorrect dates and ages, which I had overlooked in all the rewrites. I am indebted to these astute individuals who made it possible to correct my oversights before the final edition of the book was printed. I have since pledged never to write another work of historical fiction.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
My characters led me in new and surprising directions— they shaped the story as I wrote.
The three women, Rivkah, Lottie and Mimi, develop in ways I never expected. Mimi’s mother Rivkah, beaten down by poverty, with no means to get ahead, is unable to experience happiness. She hasn’t the means to encourage or emotionally support her child.
Mimi’s “Auntie” Lottie’s determination to become a bookkeeper and rise above tenement life allows her to encourage Mimi to follow her dreams.
Mimi, imaginative, creative and determined, finds her way to the American Dream—despite her entanglement with Frederick Winthrop.
The trip to Raptor, the Winthrop Mansion, in the final pages of the book was a surprise I could never have imagined.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
What I believe every storyteller wants: for the reader to enjoy our story. Engage with and care about the characters. Tell a friend, “I’m reading a book I think you would enjoy. I’d like to discuss it with you when you finish.”
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
If you love to write—write. Don’t let anything stop you … and do not let anyone convince you that you’re too old.
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