Julia Bryan Thomas: Fall in Love With What You’re Writing
Julia Bryan Thomas is the author of For Those Who Are Lost (2022) and The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club (2023). She is married to mystery novelist Will Thomas. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Justin Greiman
In this interview, Julia discusses how the years that immediately followed WWII helped inspired her new historical fiction novel, The Kennedy Girl, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Julia Bryan Thomas
Literary agent: Victoria Skurnick of Levine, Greenberg, Rostan Literary Agency
Book title: The Kennedy Girl
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release date: January 14, 2025
Genre/category: Historical Fiction
Previous titles: For Those Who Are Lost, The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club
Elevator pitch: Nineteen-year-old Mia Walker is recruited by a Paris fashion house in 1960, only to find herself drawn into the world of espionage during the Cold War, changing the course of her life.
Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]
What prompted you to write this book?
This book was an opportunity to bring together several of my favorite things: Paris, fashion, politics, and history. 1960 felt so removed from World War II, but even though 15 years had passed, the race to steal nuclear secrets was very much alive across Europe and the U.S. It’s not a common topic in historical fiction, and I was excited to have a story to tell in this time frame.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
As soon as I finished The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club in 2022, I turned to the drawing board to think about what I wanted to write next. Almost immediately, I came up with the idea of a naïve, young girl lured by the romance and excitement of a life in fashion, who is taken advantage of by Cold War operatives trying to get their hands on sensitive nuclear information. My original idea didn’t change from start to finish. I write in a very linear fashion, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Some of the smaller details were tweaked along the way, but overall, I saw it very clearly as I was writing.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I am so fortunate to work with my amazing agent, Victoria Skurnick, and my editors, Shana Drehs and Liv Turner at Sourcebooks. It was our third book together, and everything worked like clockwork. There is such a trust relationship between the author and the editor that is critical for the success of any book. I’m grateful for their encouragement and guidance along the way.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
One of my favorite parts of writing is doing the research. I always learn so much as I’m going along. For The Kennedy Girl, I had to do a deep dive into espionage, learning tricks and practices that were used in the 1950s and early 1960s, which are very different from what we’ve seen in recent spy novels and books. It’s important to build the tension and heighten interest without all the high-tech maneuvers that CIA operatives might use today.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
There are several themes that I hope will resonate with readers. First, that no matter a woman’s age (whether young, like Mia, or older, like Chantal), she deserves respect and the opportunity to build the best life she can for herself. Her choices matter. In fact, no one can determine one’s course but oneself. I am also greatly interested in the importance of a thriving, healthy democracy, and how it is our duty to maintain it. History is the greatest teacher, and we have only to look at the past to chart our course.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Believe in yourself. Fall in love with what you’re writing. And most of all, don’t be afraid to hear criticism of your work, especially before you have established yourself as a published writer. It helps one grow and learn to better one’s craft.
