I'm so excited to have Kelly Murphy on the blog today answering my questions. I have to say this is one of the most fun books I've come across lately, and appropriately, this interview was just a blast. I think you'll find you can't help but fall in love with Historical Heartthrobs and Kelly Murphy.
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Interview
Interview
In the Best Worlds: What were you like as a teenager?
Kelly Murphy: HAHA, I was a little weirdo. Gangsta rap was big when I was a teen, so I cornrowed my hair everyday and wore huge hoop earrings and listened to Mary J. Blige exclusively with almost no cultural awareness. I was big on Krispy Kreme donuts and melodramatic poetry. It was fun!
Kelly Murphy: HAHA, I was a little weirdo. Gangsta rap was big when I was a teen, so I cornrowed my hair everyday and wore huge hoop earrings and listened to Mary J. Blige exclusively with almost no cultural awareness. I was big on Krispy Kreme donuts and melodramatic poetry. It was fun!
ItBW: What inspired you to write a book like Historical Heartthrobs?
KM: History gets a bad rap a lot of the time because it’s often
presented in a super boring way. That’s a shame because historical figures are
often total nutcases, and that’s what makes them incredibly fascinating people
to study. The book was an effort to showcase the wild sides of a lot of these
people and expose what makes them tick, which is often what leads to making
them extraordinarily powerful.
ItBW: Your bio says that you currently work in
publishing. Was there anything surprising about publishing from the perspective
of an author?
Great question! Just the reality of being an author is
really startling—and awesome. After working on the campaigns for hundreds of
books for authors around the world, I didn’t realize that nothing could prepare
me for the feeling of actually being published and turning the pages in your
hands for the first time.
ItBW: Was there anything great that you found out
while researching for this book that you weren’t able to include?
KM: Definitely! Here’s a terrible tidbit from Stalin: When
his son Yakov survived a suicide attempt, Stalin disgustedly said, “He can’t
even shoot straight.” Also, check out Greek statesman Pericles—no one really
talks about him, but he was so well-rounded and influential that there was a
whole “Age of Pericles” era named after him.
ItBW: If you had the opportunity to date someone from
this book, who would it be? What do you think that date would look like?
KM: Oh my goodness, so many choices! Dark and mysterious is
definitely my type, so maybe Bugsy Siegel? I don’t think that date would be
great, though—I imagine he’d take me out to a fancy dinner, I’d wear a
knee-length faux-fur coat, then he’d probably get an urgent and illicit call in
the middle of dinner and make a super-smooth but also rude exit to go plan a
giant heist or something.
ItBW: Which two people profiled in this book would
make the best couple? What do you imagine their relationship would look like?
While they probably wouldn’t actually be super compatible, I
would love to witness sparks fly with Dorothy Parker and Lord Byron. A wild
child duo with acerbic, unconventional wit, and a serious disrespect for
authority would definitely be a love story to tune in for.
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ItBW: Finish these sentences…
If I could have been a teenager in any era it
would have been….
The late sixties—so much chaos, so many intellectuals, so
much social progress!
I think Teddy Roosevelt is…
A pretty chill dude and I’m digging the environmentalist
streak, but not really my type ;)
The historical figure I wish could be my best
friend is…
Gloria Steinem! If you’re listening, Gloria, I’m always down
for lunch.
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About the Book
Book Links: IndieBound :: Amazon :: B&N :: Book Depository :: Zest Books
And as a bit of a bonus - check out this slideshow previewing the book on Flavorwire: http://flavorwire.
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About the Authors
Born and raised among the sprawling cornfields of rural Pennsylvania, Kelly Murphy now writes from her child-sized apartment in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Her articles have appeared in Brokelyn, Brooklyn Based,Chic Today, NCTE’s The Council Chronicle, and various other publications. A Penn State graduate, Kelly currently works in publishing. Hallie Fryd is the author of Scandalous!: 50 Shocking Events You Should Know About (So You Can Impress Your Friends), which was a Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Winner in 2012.
