P. L. Novak

P.L. Novak was born in New York City and raised in New York’s Hudson Valley. She received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Rochester (New York) and her M.A. in English Literature from the University of Virginia. She then embarked on a 25-year career as a technical editor/writer and eventually manager over the publishing, library, and records departments at a research institute in south-central Washington state. She and her husband now divide their year between small towns in upstate New York and central Washington.

About the novel: "Like my protagonist, Leigh, I’m not much of a city person! But I’ve always been fascinated by New York City and its role in giving immigrants a foothold (however slippery) in the New World. In the New York of the early 20th century, society was just on the cusp not only of the technological advances we associate with modernity but—more important for the story—of establishing the laws and social 'safety nets' we now take for granted. Life was perhaps more challenging then, but people were freer to invent themselves than would likely be possible now.

"The historical research took a lot of time and digging, including checking the language to be sure I didn’t accidentally let the characters use expressions that weren’t current. In a way, that was some of the most fun, too. Without a doubt, though, the best part was bringing this set of characters to life and having them each tell the story from their perspective. Nearly every reader has remarked on the multiple first-person viewpoints, a technique I first saw in William Faulkner's writing and decided it would work well for the love triangle in this story."