American Historical Novels June Spotlight: Piper Huguley

PIPER G. HUGULEY makes her historical fiction debut in June 2022 with the publication of By Her Own Design: a novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register (William Morrow Publishing), who was the Black fashion designer of Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress. She is also the author of Sweet Tea by Hallmark Publishing and the author of two historical romance series: “Migrations of the Heart”, about the Great Migration and “Home to Milford College. She blogs about the history behind her novels at http://piperhuguley.com and lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and son.

INTERVIEW

I’ll never forget how I first met you, Piper! It was at the 2018 Historical Novel Society convention outside of Washington, D.C., and you were in an elevator that stopped at my floor. In a very lovely manner, you began to introduce yourself and tell me that you had enjoyed my novels when the doors slammed shut! I figured out afterwards that you were Piper Huguley, author of several well-received Black historical romance novels. Since then, I’ve enjoyed following your rising star. And I’m so glad you agreed to be our June Author Spotlight at American Historical Novels. Welcome!

In the past, you’ve written both historical romance novels and contemporary romance. Can you explain to our curious members (me, included), how you’d define “historical romance”?

Historical romance is a story that ends with a Happily Ever After ending set at least 50 years in the past. Historical fiction can have a romance storyline, but may not have a Happily Ever After ending. There may not be equal viewpoints from the hero and heroine. As I see it, historical romance is one of several subgenres of historical fiction.

In your new novel, Ann Lowe’s life only really takes off after she dumps her no-account, controlling husband. How did you manage to go from writing love stories to a story that, if anything, presents a very good argument for not getting romantically involved?  

 I think a good historical story can still appeal, no matter what the story line happens to be.  That’s how I see my job as a historical writer—no matter what subgenre I choose to write my story in.

It’s fair to say that there are still a lot of Black women in history that have not come to light the way they deserve. Ann Lowe is definitely one. What attracted you to her story in particular?

She accomplished the impossible. Trying to be a successful author in an industry that has only recently seen the value of the lives of unsung Black women also seems impossible. I’ve consistently looked to events in the past and people in the past for role models in my own life. I saw potential in Ann Lowe’s story, and I think others will see that role model potential in her story.

The thing that impressed me most about By Her Own Design is your choice to let Ann Lowe tell the story. You created a voice for her, literally giving voice to someone who had not had one in the public sphere. How did you achieve the confidence to write this story in her own voice? What steps did you take to get there?

I’m a Black woman whose ancestors were enslaved just two counties over from where Ann Lowe came from. I’m a Zora Neale Hurston scholar.  Hurston was born in the same region and the same time as Ann Lowe. To be honest, I was born to write this story.

Your novel begins with arguably the most horrifying event in a life filled with horrifying events: The day, two weeks before Jackie Kennedy’s wedding, the pipes burst in Miss Lowe’s studio, ruining the wedding party dresses–including the bride’s. I feel like Lowe’s “make it work” moment after this catastrophe can be seen as a metaphor for the obstacles for Black women in this country faced, particularly but certainly not exclusively those women of her era. It also says something about their incredible perseverance. Do you agree, and can you speak a little about it?

Absolutely. One of the sayings Black women always say is that “We make a way out of no way.” Zora Neale Hurston said that “Black women are the mules of the world.” I believe that Ann Lowe understood these parts of her heritage and they all came together on one of the worst days of her life.

You have a scene in which Jackie apologizes to Ann for not mentioning her name in newspaper reports of her wedding, robbing Lowe of a potentially huge source of future clients and income. In your Author’s Note, you let your readers know that this scene was invented. When did it first come to light that Ann was in fact the designer of Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress? And did Jackie ever right this wrong in some way?

It was mentioned by one writer in the Washington Post after the wedding, but no one seemed to pick up on it, and the correct attribution was erased from history. Or maybe people knew that a Black woman designed one of the most photographed wedding gowns and they didn’t care. In the book, I reveal one way Jackie might have made up for her silence about Ann Lowe.

Turning now to some questions for our writing members:

Are you a pantser or an outliner?

Planster. I write a few chapters first and then outline the rest.

How many drafts do you tend to write before you’re satisfied?

A minimum of three.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer? I.e., do you have an “Achilles Heel”? If so, how do you manage to overcome it?

 Someone said that the pacing was slow in my first novel, and I’ve always been focused on trying to improve that aspect of my work.

A lot of our members will relate to the fact that it took you a while to break through as a writer, and that you originally self-published your work. How do you account for this breakthrough into mainstream publishing? Was it just your own perseverance, the changing climate for BIPOC writers, or some combination of the two?

A combination of both. There are people who were writing in 2014 with me who are not around anymore. And I’m happy that publishing is finally waking up and noticing the amazing work that BIPOC writers have been doing for years.

What are some things we wouldn’t know about you just by reading your work? I.e., are you a sports fan, Salsa dancer, secret Karaoke singer?

I’m a true crime aficionado and the nerdy daughter of two musical fashionistas, but I cannot sing a note.

What books are on your bedside table right now?

Sister, Mother, Warrior by Vanessa Riley and One True Wish by Trisha Thomas.

What’s next for you?

American Daughters, my next novel, is about the secret interracial friendship between Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt, the daughters of Booker T. Washington and Theodore Roosevelt, respectively.