Forced Proximity Interview | Maya Rodale (Hidden Herstories, Dangerous Books for Girls)
On browsing bookshelves instead of algorithms and the joy of women's history
A fellow newsletter author who gave Forced Proximity its first boost by recommending me to her own list, I’m so stoked to share this interview with Maya Rodale! Her book Duchess By Design permanently rewired my brain, as well as my expectations for historical romances, and I’ve loved every iteration of her Substack so far, including its most recent rebrand,
, all about women’s history for modern feminists. Thanks again, Maya!
Forced Proximity: Thanks so much for agreeing to doing an interview! Please introduce yourself, in as much or as little detail as you would give a new friend.
Hi, I’m Maya. I started reading romance novels in college because my mom insisted. She got the last laugh because I soon became OBSESSED with reading them and published my first romance novel shortly after I graduated (with an English degree focusing on women in fiction). In those days, I was fearless and had free time so I just...wrote a novel! And tried to get it published! I’ve been writing funny and feminist historical fiction and romance ever since.
I’ve written about two dozen-ish novels so far—including Regency, Gilded Age, contemporary romance and YA—as well as a book about the stigma against romance novels called Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained. My most recent book was The Mad Girls of New York and its historical fiction based on the true story of Nellie Bly.
I live in New York City with my family (husband, kids, dog) and overflowing bookshelves. These days I’m still fearless, but have very little free time!
How would you explain your latest book to a non-romance reader or a regular reader of romance?
My last published book was The Mad Girls of New York and it was a bit of a departure for those who know me as a romance novelist because...it’s not a romance, it’s historical fiction. It’s based on the true story of Nellie Bly, the original “stunt girl” reporter who famously went undercover in an insane asylum and wrote a sensational exposé about it. Nellie—both real and my fictional version—was such a spunky, sassy and fearless woman that she could totally be a romance heroine.
The novel builds on the world in my Gilded Age Girls Club romance series, about entrepreneurial women in Gilded Age New York. Those novels feature an ambitious seamstress who becomes a sensational dressmaker, a scientist who invents lipstick and a divorce heroine who takes over the family department store. I love this time period because we get the wonderful escape that a historical setting provides, along with really bold and dynamic heroines who would not be anachronist at all.
You’ve not only written romance, but you’ve written extensively about romance as well. What are things that tend to surprise people about the genre or community that you’ve learned?
It’s not about the covers. The snarky attitude people have about women and the fiction by women/about women predates romance novels as we understand it today. When I was researching the history of the novel for my book, Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained, I found that all the attitudes people held about romance—that they were stupid and silly books for stupid and silly women, for example—were there since the beginning of the novel, and long before Fabio.
Having said that, it’s been fascinating to watch the rise of illustrated covers and see how the perception of romance has changed as well. So has the size of these books—most are now published in trade rather than less expensive mass market paperback. Indie bookstores carry them and The New York Times reviews them. Has the genre suddenly changed or has the way we, as a culture, view women and women’s stories?
What’s something you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing career?
Since I started writing oh, twenty years ago, the landscape in publishing has changed so much. This was before social media and before e-books and self-publishing. I had no idea that my job as a novelist would include figuring out the Facebook or Amazon algorithm, formatting digital books or losing years of investment in Twitter. What hasn’t changed: forging genuine connections with readers is what keeps an author going spiritually, creatively and, frankly, in terms of sales. So my advice to my younger self or to any author is to focus on writing great books and building a quality newsletter list. (psst: you can sign up for my author newsletter at www.mayarodale.com).
What’s your writing routine, if you have one? When/where/how do you find yourself at your most creative?
If I am able to get away on a solo writing retreat, I can make magic happen. Especially if there is room service. There’s something about having hours and hours of uninterrupted time where I can stay in the story that I challenge and surprise myself. I think Lin Manuel Miranda says it best: “You write until the rust comes out of the faucet and it’s clear water. Then you write down the clear water.” It can take a lot of time to do that.
Otherwise, on a daily basis, I get up before everyone else for some quiet time to write because I never know what the day will throw at me.
What hobbies do you have outside of work?
I have recently taken up embroidery and sewing. I must now apologize for all the times I mocked characters in my romance novels for being “too into embroidery” like it was a lame thing to do. I now want to write a spy heroine who stitches secret messages of all the things she overhears while people talk freely in front of her because they think she’s just a silly girl, obsessed with her embroidery. (Forced Proximity editor’s note: PLEASE WRITE THIS, MAYA! I have also incidentally gotten weirdly into embroidery lately)
Which of your protagonists would you most like to be forced into proximity with? Why?
If it were one of my heroines, I would say Adaline Black from Duchess by Design so she could help me with my new hobby and teach me to sew and make dresses. She is living out my unfulfilled dream to be a fashion designer!
For heroes, I would say the Duke of Ashbrooke from The Wicked Wallflower. Incredibly smart, but also has my sense of humor (of course) and he knows how to have a wicked good time. Wink wink!
How do you find new authors and books to try? Are you a casual browser, or do you have a network of trusted recommenders?
Call me old fashioned, but my favorite, favorite thing is to browse in a bookstore. I love seeing what’s new, and popular, and also what an algorithm would never think to show me based on past experiences. This is how I found the last few books I purchased and loved.
Is there a romance trope that’s an auto-read for you? What about one you’re suspicious of unless a favorite author tries it out?
I am weirdly obsessed with office romances which is funny because I hate being in offices. I strongly dislike “accidental pregnancy” tropes so I would probably avoid those even if a favorite author tried it out.
What’s a misconception about traditional publishing that early career writers often have, and what’s the truth?
When I talk to writers aspire to be published, they are often wowed by how long the process can take and how slowly the money is paid out. It can be a year or more from getting an offer to getting a book out. And advances are paid out over a long time. And you may never see royalties. This is not a journey for folks who like or need instant gratification ☺
What’s a book you’ve loved recently you want to recommend?
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, Unrealistic Expectations by Andie J. Christopher, and Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored in Economies Built For Men by Katrine Marçal.
What else do you want readers to know about you and your work, if anything?
I went down a research rabbit hole about women and history and I can’t seem to find my way out...and maybe I don’t want to? I’m writing all about it on my Substack, Hidden Herstories: women’s history for modern feminists. Would love for you to join me there!
Find more from Maya on her website | Instagram | Threads
Next week, I’ll be recommending three books with one of the most specific curation categories I’ve ever done… romances surrounding renovating a family inn/hotel!
Don’t forget to save my upcoming debut office romance, Rehabbing the Billionaire, on Goodreads! Pre-order your copy on Amazon, or mark your calendar for August 1st to snag it on Kindle Unlimited!
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
"I now want to write a spy heroine who stitches secret messages of all the things she overhears while people talk freely in front of her because they think she’s just a silly girl, obsessed with her embroidery." Uhhhh, yes, pleaseandthankyou! Especially if she wrote it as a contemporary romance. I don't read historical, but if this was in the contemporary category, I would totally read it. Very clever idea.
Kinda reminds me of that James McAvoy + Angelina Jolie movie "Wanted", where the names of the people they assassinated was supplied by a loom that "coded names of targets through deliberate imperfections in the fabric." I thought THAT was an interesting concept. Also, I'm a huge fan of James Bond movies, so if the woman is a spy, I'm intrigued by that.