Best-Selling Author Fiona Davis 'Makes History' At Briarcliff High School

Press release from the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District:

“I like doing all of the research myself because I like to find things that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up,” said best-selling historical fiction novelist Fiona Davis, who visited Briarcliff High School recently.

Ms. Davis, whose books have been translated into 20 languages, often features iconic buildings such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Collection and the Dakota Building on the Upper West Side in her work.

She met with students in Julia Fernandez’s book club and some of the English classes to discuss her writing process, how she became a novelist and what keeps her excited during the long process of researching for her books.

Ms. Davis began her career in regional theater, as well as on and off Broadway, and fell in love with writing after getting her master’s degree in journalism and working as an editor and freelance journalist.

“As an actor, I never imagined that I would write a book, but I later realized that when you are reading a play you are reading dialogue, so in a way, I was preparing myself,” she said.

“I saw that my friends were struggling to get roles as they got older and decided to pursue a career in journalism, and that’s when I learned how to shape a story, how to become an expert in whatever the topic was, how to find the right sources and how to create an article pretty fast, because you’re usually on a deadline. Later on, I realized that these skills were helpful for writing a novel,” she said.

She began writing historical fiction after learning about the Barbizon Hotel for Women.

“I got an agent, and it was a case of pure luck, being at the right place at the right time, and coming up with a story that was unique, and then sticking with it for three years,” she said. “And that’s the key: find something that you are so jazzed about, that you know you can work on it for years without making it too boring.”

The book was titled “The Dollhouse,” and after its success, Ms. Davis was asked to write another book.

“Suddenly I became the first one who wrote about historic buildings, and that satisfied the journalist part of me because I needed something to latch onto and investigate,” she said. “When I find a building and begin the research, I am looking for surprises, and I discover them in all kinds of ways.

“One day I received an email from a woman who was a former Rockette at Radio City Music Hall in the 1950s,” she said. “We spoke on the phone, and she told me a lot of behind-the-scenes secrets of the show and sent me material that she’s saved over the years, like schedules, programs and photographs, which I used in my research for a book, that that ended up being titled, ‘The Spectacular.’”

Her novel “The Lions of Fifth Avenue,” which was selected as a Good Morning America Book Club pick, depicts the New York Public Library.

“When I wrote ‘The Lions of Fifth Avenue,’ I worked at the public library and I was writing about a dead body, so I reached out to one of the librarians and asked her ‘If you had a dead body in the library, where would you hide it?’ and she wrote back right away and said she’d put it in the basement. The dead body didn’t make into the final version of the book, but I was very appreciative of her help. The book is my gift to book lovers everywhere, including librarians.”

After the presentation, students were able to ask Ms. Davis questions and were especially interested in learning about her extensive research process.

She shared that she does all of the research herself.

“I have to do it myself because only I know what’s going to get me excited,” she said. “When I was writing about the Rockettes, I learned that in the 1950s there was a man who put bombs in public places like Radio City Music Hall, and they found him by profiling him – this was the first time profiling was used to catch a criminal – so I incorporated that into the book.

“I typically spend three to four months doing intense research, and then I figure out who the characters are and plot each timeline,” she added. “Then I spend a couple of weeks weaving the plots together, which can be hard, because when you have a mystery in the book, every time you change something in one plot, you have to change it in the other.”

Students enjoyed the presentation.

“I thought she was very articulate,” said Emma, a senior and member of the book club. “She’s a great storyteller and very entertaining but also a great writer. We’re currently reading ‘The Lions of Fifth Avenue’ in the book club, which we chose after we went on a field trip to the New York Public Library. I’m about halfway through.”

Thank you to PNW/BOCES Arts in Education and the BPTA for helping fund the event.

This press release was produced by the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.