Alice Murphy
Author Interview - Alice Murphy
Author of A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love
New York City, 1897: A new fashion for thin threatens to end the career of proudly fat vaudeville performer Evelyn Cross. When Thomas Gallier, the man behind the promising new palace of entertainment, hears Evelyn sing, he knows he’s found the star of his new spectacular. But neither is prepared for the feelings they develop over rehearsals, dinners, a trip to Coney Island, and dancing at Tin Pan Alley - much to the displeasure of Nehemiah Alban, a media mogul determined to arrange a union between Thomas and his own daughter.
As opening night approaches, Evelyn and Thomas find themselves at the center of a culture war: prudish society types, conniving newspapermen, and corrupt cops versus Evelyn’s effervescent community of fat, queer, BIPOC, immigrant, and working-class artists.
Framing this story, present-day narrator and historian Phoebe steps in to reveal secrets and claim self-love. Inspired by a real-life Progressive Era troupe of plus-size dancers, this is a story about the spirit of community and the power of romance.
Author Interview - Alice Murphy
Author I draw inspiration from:
Sarah Maclean (9 Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake)
Author Interview - Alice Murphy | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
The streetcar! I live in New Orleans and take the streetcar everywhere. There's nothing like riding in a clattering, clacking old streetcar down an oak-lined street while getting lost in a good book.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
My inner child demands that I shoot my shot with (the adult version of!!) king of Narnia and king of my heart, High King Peter Pevensie, heartthrob hero of CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia.
Author Interview - Alice Murphy | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
It's weird how our lives twist and turn - when I became an author, it sort of surprised me. I knew I loved stories and loved reading, but I don't ever remember growing up thinking, "I'm going to become a writer someday." But then, when cleaning out some old boxes, I found a book I wrote for 1st Grade author day at my elementary school. The jacket sleeve author bio ends with, "This is her first published book." Implying that more were on the way! So, little baby Alice must have known a long time ago that we were on this path!
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Audiobook for nonfiction (makes it feel like I'm listening to a fourteen hour podcast); ebook for contemporaries and sci-fi, and paperbacks for fantasy and historical romance. I'm not entirely sure why, but the format always helps get me in the mood for what I'm reading! It's a state of mind!
The last book I read:
Scandal of the Season by Aydra Richards. Like all of Aydra Richards' books, it is absolutely flawless in every conceivable way, and we are all so blessed to live in the timeline where their books exist.
Author Interview - Alice Murphy | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Both! I also write on my phone, on my tablet, on my old rescued 1970s IBM typewriter! I write for film and television as well as books, so I find it's really helpful to reset my brain sometimes. Switching writing formats can assist in shifting my thinking from one project to another.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
This is such a hard question! Maybe Teddy from Mimi Matthews' The Muse of Maiden Lane. No particular reason. He's just the absolute coolest.
Author Interview - Alice Murphy | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
If I weren't an author, I would like to own a one-screen movie house and only show movies I'm obsessed with. Like the slumber party of cinemas, everyone would come for good food and my hyperfixation films.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I love the 1930's and 1940's. As a huge classic film girlie, I am obsessed with the style of that era. The perfect interplay between masculine and feminine aesthetics, the negotiation of old social norms and new, progressive female liberation movements, the constant push and pull between wanting to feel glamorous and the economic realities of the depression and second world war...all stunning. If you haven't seen Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, starring Amy Addams, you must! It has some of the best exploration of the fashion of the time!
Place I’d most like to travel:
I would love to go to Botswana. The culture and history are so rich, the sights are beautiful, and I adore elephants, so I would love to see some up close!
My signature drink:
A martini, half vodka and half frangelico, shaken and served straight. I call it The Teetering Mimi - because the only person I've ever seen drink or order it is my grandmother, who we all call Mimi!
I would also go to war for Dr Pepper Cream Soda Zeroes, and the very short-lived 7-Up Diet Shirley Temples (RIP).
Favorite artist:
There's a composer named Stew, who had a music career in his own right before turning his attentions to composing for the stage. As a musical theater kid, I'd been fed on a steady diet of Rogers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Flaherty & Ahrens...and then this composer comes out of nowhere like a thunder strike and showed me that boundaries are a myth that we're all tricking ourselves into believing. He is radical and different and treats every single syllable like its own work of art. Absolutely life-changing, seeing Passing Strange and hearing Stew's music for the first time.
Number one on my bucket list:
Every year, I make a bingo card of new and exciting things for me to try. This year's list included (among others): ride a mechanical bull, learn banjo, parasail, roller skate in public, knit something that isn't a scarf, attend an obscure sports event live... I've already started banjo lessons and ridden a mechanical bull. I can't wait to see what the rest of my bingo card brings me!
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/alicemurphybooks/
https://www.alicemurphybooks.com/
https://www.unionsquareandco.com/9781454959465/a-showgirls-rules-for-falling-in-love-by-alice-murphy/
About Alice Murphy:
Alice Murphy is the pen name for a prolific Hallmark screenwriter and romance author from the deep south. She collects secret recipes, secret admirers, and secret histories.
