Alyssa Maxwell writes the historic Gilded Newport mystery series,
set in the Newport, Rhode Island during the end of the gilded era,
approximately 1880 to 1920. This time and place presents enormous opportunity
for highlighting women’s issues. Murder
at the Breakers, the first of the series, is set in 1895. Murder at Marble House, the second book,
occurs a few days later. The Breakers and Marble House were mansions owned by
two branches of the Vanderbilt family in Newport. Kensington Publishing will
release the third book, Murder at Beechwood, on May 26th, 2015.
Main character, Emmaline Cross, is a poor
relation of the Vanderbilts. Poor, though, is a relative term. Emmaline is an
independent woman due an inheritance from an aunt. That inheritance places her
in the cross wire of society. She is not wealthy, but she has access to the
wealthy due to her family connections. She solves murders that occur at the
mansions all the while struggling to become a professional journalist,
grappling with losing her independence if she marries, and increasing her
income to support her causes, mainly women who are in crises.
I knew most of the history, but as I read the
books, they reminded me of the horrors of the gilded era and the paradox of an
extreme society. Queen Victoria wielded so much power when other women in the
same era had so little.
Please welcome Alyssa Maxwell to WWK. E. B. Davis
Hello and
thank you so much for having me!
What attracted you to this place and time?
It was the
place that attracted me first. I’m married to a “native Newporter” whose family
has been there for generations. Through him, I not only saw the “glitter” and
excitement of Newport, but learned a bit about what makes Newporters tick, and
what makes this such a special place to live whether you’re wealthy or not. I
also loved the island setting, and the fact that during the Gilded Age
(actually right up until the 60s when the Newport Bridge was built), Newport
was cut off from the mainland except by boat or a single railroad heading
north, creating somewhat of an isolated environment very much at the mercy of
the elements. In addition, it’s a small town environment where everyone knows
everyone else and their business, and to me, both qualities are very much in
keeping with the structure of the cozy mystery.
Having
decided on Newport as a setting, I then thought about what time periods Newport
is most famous for, as well as which would provide the most fodder for mystery
and mayhem. Ruthless robber barons, fierce society matrons, heiresses being
used as social and political pawns, not to mention fashions from the House of
Worth for which I have a serious weakness (I can spend hours just pouring
through the Metropolitan Museum’s online collection), and then pitting all of
this against the backdrop of Newport’s very stoic, steadfast, and very New
England working class society of those days – all this made choosing the Gilded
Age a no-brainer.
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Marble House's Gold Room |
The descriptions you write of the houses make
them seem like palaces. There is a real reason for the term “gilded” that
refers to gold, not only wealth but also due to the use of gold in the
finishing treatments of these houses. Are any of them still in existence? Are
they still owned by the Vanderbilts?
Most of the Gilded Age mansions in Newport still exist.
Some are still owned privately – and they post signs saying as
much at their gates to prevent tourists from knocking on their doors. But
houses like The Breakers, Marble House, Chateau Sur Mer, The Elms, Rosecliff,
and Rough Point, to name a few, are owned either by the Preservation Society of
Newport or the Restoration Foundation. Recently, both Beechwood (The Astor
estate featured in book 3) and Belcourt (owned by Oliver Belmont and Alva
Vanderbilt after they married) became privately owned, but I understand the
plans for both are to restore them to their Gilded Age condition and open them
as museums once again. Ochre Court, once owned by banker and real estate
magnate Ogden Goelet, is now part of Salve Regina University.
Emmaline’s situation epitomizes many
heartbreaks of the era. How did you create her character and her personality? Is
the character based on anyone real?
Some of my
inspiration for Emma came from Nellie Bly, a Gilded Age journalist who very
bravely fought for her right to report on “hard news,” rather than the society
fluff thought more appropriate for women writers of the time. Nellie broke new
ground for women journalists, especially when she had herself committed to an
insane asylum in NYC in order to expose the horrible conditions there, and again
in 1889 when she became the first woman to travel alone around the world, beating
the fictional Phileas Fogg’s trip in Around the World in Eighty Days. But in my
mind, Emma isn’t strictly a feminist because she isn’t political. Rather, she
is an individual who believes very strongly in personal responsibility, both in
her private affairs and in her ability to affect change in the world. When
something needs doing, she does it without stopping to ask whether she ought to
become involved or not. The inspiration for this comes directly from my
wonderful mother-in-law who was always ready to lend a hand, whether it was
running the soup kitchen at her church, helping neighbors, making a disabled
coworker’s day a little easier, etc.
Although newspaper owner and journalist
Derrick Andrews saves Emmaline from harm on occasion, she also saves men’s and
women’s lives, which eliminates her from being cast as a damsel in distress.
Was this fine line hard to depict?
Actually,
not really. I always look at Emma as an individual first and foremost, and then
as a woman. Yes, this may be a modern perspective on my part, but I maintain
that there have always been women throughout history who were unafraid to
utilize their intelligence and emotional strength to assert themselves. Again,
Emma’s sense of personal responsibility doesn’t allow her to accept the role of
victim. Instead, she views all adversity in terms of possible resolutions – she
just has to find the right one. Having said that, I do make sure to keep her
aware of society’s limitations on women. When she breaks proper decorum, she does
so fully aware of the possible repercussions, and, for example, when she
investigates dockside pubs in Murder at Marble House, she’s sensible enough to
bring Derrick along with her.
Even though Alva Vanderbilt (William K.) Belmont eventually became
a leader in the women’s rights movement, the competition between Alva and Alice
Vanderbilt (Cornelius) seems petty, as if they were two spoiled brats. Why did
women in the upper classes disservice themselves with displaying this behavior?
I have a
theory about that. From the reading I’ve done, I don’t believe these women were
stupid or even naturally petty. But more than anyone else in their time, they
were narrowly restricted in their actions, despite their enormous wealth. Imagine
an intelligent, ambitious individual being relegated to planning parties and
marrying off their offspring to the best available prospect. Imagine your
primary function in life being to showcase your husband’s power and wealth. I
can see how it would easily become a competition among these women, who had no
other outlet for their talents, and who were raised to believe they would never
be able to contribute anything of true substance to society.
I think
Alva demonstrates this perfectly. Before her divorce from William Vanderbilt,
her life was defined by the Gilded Age ideal of womanhood, and in her mind the natural
pinnacle of this ideal was to become THE Mrs. Vanderbilt, i.e., the grand dame
of one of America’s most powerful families. Unfortunately, her sister-in-law
Alice, wife of Cornelius, had already claimed that honor. It must have driven the
very ambitious Alva crazy. How to get even? By marrying her daughter, Consuelo,
into English nobility. Yet defying society with her divorce seemed to have had a
liberating effect on Alva. Little by little she turned away from the old
restrictions and began redefining her role in society, so much so that Marble
House, once built for petty, self-serving reasons, became a launching pad for
the women’s suffrage movement.
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The Breaker's Entrance |
In Murder
at Marble House, Alva is forcing her daughter to marry a poor, British duke,
which is based on the true story of Consuelo Vanderbilt. Money has always
defined societal rank and yet for Americans, who came to this country to escape
the restrictions of the monarchy and class society, it seems incongruent that the
values of the time seem dominated by British class distinctions even when some
of the British had little money. Why were Americans so enamored with British
society?
Aren’t we
still? Don’t we rush to the TV to see the latest news on Will and Kate? It
could have to do with those fairytales we read as children. But make no
mistake. American Gilded Age society was as – or even more – class conscience
as the British. I can only guess at the reasons, but I do think it’s natural
for humans to divide themselves into groups – us and them – in order to
establish boundaries and a sense of belonging. And safety. It’s as if the
wealthy circled the wagons to protect their interests, and if that left the
vast majority out in the cold, well...it couldn’t be helped. Still, no matter
how rich and powerful those few Americans became, there remained a distinction
between new and old money, the latter being preferred I suppose because it
implied permanence rather than a flash in the pan. Who better personified “old
money” than the Europeans with their titles and landed estates? True, many of
them had lost the bulk of their fortunes by the 1890s, but they hadn’t lost
their prestige or their privileged place in society. With nothing material left
to gain, Americans set their sights on European nobility for that last bit of validation
that they were not only America’s elite, but the world’s.
Did you have trepidation writing fictional
accounts of real life characters? Have Vanderbilt family members read your
books and contacted you?
Funny, but
I had more trepidation about Newporters reading my books. It was so important
to me to portray Newport realistically and in a way that made locals proud of
their home and of these books. My biggest fear was that I’d get emails to the
contrary, but happily that hasn’t happened. In fact, I’ve made some wonderful
contacts with readers from the area who have expressed their support and their
enjoyment of the stories. A couple have even sent me Newport-related gifts,
which I treasure.
I haven’t
heard from any Vanderbilt family members so far, but it was also important to
me to portray their ancestors fairly, and as whole, well-rounded individuals.
As I did my research, I actually came to like Alice, Cornelius, and the rest –
especially their son, Neily – and I feel about them as Emma does. I see their
good and not-so-good qualities but I’ve grown genuinely fond of them. The most
surprising thing I learned about them was how much like the rest of us they
were. Hope, fear, love, pride, uncertainty, determination – they shared these
qualities with the rest of the human race.
Emmaline faces sexual discrimination at work.
Is her boss just a sexist blockhead?
No, I
don’t see him that way at all! Ed Billings, her coworker and rival reporter, most
certainly is a blockhead, but Mr. Millford is simply a man of his time. I feel
his behavior is more paternal than anything else, and his reluctance to allow
Emma to report on hard news is his attempt to protect her from harm and
preserve her womanly reputation. I’m sure that sounds sexist to the modern ear,
but in 1895 it would have been the norm, and no gentleman would willingly send
a young woman like Emma into indelicate situations.
Do you see any similarities between the gilded-age economy and today’s
economy?
All I’m
going to say to that is history has a tendency to repeat itself, especially
when we as a society don’t learn from our mistakes.
What’s next for Emmaline Cross in Murder at Beechwood?
Emma will
find a shocking delivery on her doorstep – a baby. That same night, an
unidentified man is murdered along Ocean Avenue near her home. This, combined
with a scrap of expensive lace tucked into the baby’s blanket, sends Emma to
Mrs. Astor’s estate, Beechwood, ostensibly to report on the woman’s
Season-opening events, but actually hoping to find clues into the baby’s
origins. She does find clues, but they are complicated by yet another death and
accusations that Derrick Andrews might be to blame. What follows involves the
twisted relations between two illustrious families and the testing of Emma’s
faith in human nature.
Are you a beach or mountain gal, Alyssa?
Both! I
love both equally! Surely I don’t have to choose? Both dazzle and inspire me,
put me into an utterly relaxed state, and just make me happy!