Lauren Edmondson Found Inspiration for Her Latest Novel in Gilded Age Lore
photo by @kyreeeeeeen
Book jacket biographies don’t tell us nearly enough about the authors we love. That’s why Zibby Mag launched the Author Spotlight, giving readers an inside look at the lives and work of your favorite writers.
This week we’re spotlighting the Virginia-based writer Lauren Edmondson, author of the irresistible family drama Ladies of the House. Edmondson’s forthcoming novel, Wedding of the Season, will be released next February.
1. What inspired you to write Wedding of the Season?
When I was visiting Newport a few years ago, we went to visit The Breakers, the grandest of all historic mansions open to the public. There, I learned that the descendants of the Vanderbilt family, who had called the “cottage” home for 120 years, were moving out of their third-floor apartments. This relocation was either voluntary or involuntary, depending on which source you read. The situation sparked my curiosity, and soon I was down the rabbit hole of Vanderbilt and Gilded Age mansion lore.
2. What books are on your nightstand right now?
Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell
Austen Years: A Memoir in Five Novels by Rachel Cohen
The Grand Design by Joy Callaway
3. Where is your go-to place to write?
In bed, which is absolutely the reason I need regular visits to the chiropractor.
4. What is your favorite Indie bookstore?
Bethany Beach Books in Bethany Beach, Delaware
5. What are three books you'd recommend after reading Wedding of the Season?
Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
Gilt by Jamie Brenner
The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
(Click to listen to Zibby’s podcast episodes with Jamie Brenner, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig.)
6. What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I use QVC as ambient noise while I am cleaning, folding laundry, puttering around my house, responding to emails, doing stuff on Instagram. In other words, I tune into QVC a lot. I rarely buy anything, but I have favorite hosts and programs. My husband knows them all, too. He'll sometimes say, "What's David selling today?" and we'll watch David cheerfully sell us a can opener that is also a flashlight. It's all very relaxing. QVC is my most benign addiction.