In an era where historical fiction often focuses on grand societal movements, author Susan Corso takes a different approach. Her “Subversive Lovelies” series, set in New York’s Gilded Age, explores the lives of four sisters who challenge societal norms while adhering to spiritual principles. The penultimate book in the series, Jacqueline Retrograde: The Subversive Lovelies, Book 4, Volume 1, launched last month. In the following interview, Corso shares insights into her writing process, the inspiration behind her characters, and her distinct approach to historical fiction.
The Genesis of “Subversive Lovelies”
Corso’s series was born out of a desire to explore the individuals who start historical trends. “I wanted to know who the original Bohemians were—the people who seeded the trends,” she explains. “Because somebody always goes first.”
The series follows the Bailey sisters—Jasmine, Gemma, Jezebel, and Jacqueline, who is also known as Jaq—four Irish American women living in late 19th century New York City. Their father tells them at a young age that their lives will be wasted if they live them as proper young ladies of the time. At the start of the twentieth century, says Corso, “No woman was ever asked what her interests were, what she wanted to learn, what she thought might make a difference to her world. Instead, the assumption was marriage, motherhood, and mealy-mouthed mummification, hopefully in that order.”
The books are set during a time when immigrants from the Emerald Isle faced significant ethnic discrimination and social challenges. Corso’s protagonists particularly aim to improve the plight of women. “They wanted to teach Irish women skills so that they could always earn a living for their families,” she says.
Vice and Women’s Empowerment
Intriguingly, Corso’s characters become involved in nontraditional business endeavors for women in high society. This choice reflects the reality of the Big Apple at the time. “New York was mired in vice. I mean, scary mired in vice,” Corso explains. However, this involvement serves a higher purpose for her characters. “What they really go into is the business of training women on how to take care of their families all the time,” she says.
The impetus for the entire series is a question Jezebel, the youngest, asks after the sisters have just heard the reading of their father’s Last Will & Testament. She asks, “Jaq, Jas, Gem, if I were to ask you what the absolutely most important thing needing change in this world of ours might be, what would you say?”
Jasmine says, “Birth control for women, safe and honest healthcare for women, choice for women.” Gemma says, “A legitimate place for women in the fine arts.” Jaq’s response is “that womankind get a sexual education and make sexual choices for themselves.” Jaq then asks her baby sister the same question. Jezebel replies, “That women learn their interior spirits and the Divine that engenders us all.”
Dr. Kristen E. Porter, a Visiting Fellow at the University of Massachusetts – Boston and a fan of the series, shares this observation: “What Corso has cleverly done with the “Subversive Lovelies” is to weave present-day issues so seamlessly into this historical fiction that the reader becomes both observer and active participant.”
World-Building and the Writing Process
When asked about her approach to world-building, Corso admits to a somewhat unconventional method. “I don’t write from an outline ever,” she reveals. “I think of the whole process as research. I take [“Outlander” series author] Diana Gabaldon as my inspiration. When anyone asks her who does her research, she tells them she does. I’m the same. I know what I need when I see it.”
This approach results in Corso experiencing a distinct writing experience. “When it’s time to write, I fall into a room in my computer where the story lives and I find out what happens as I write it,” she explains. This organic process sometimes results in unexpected challenges. “About a third of the way through the process of writing any fiction, I have one day of total panic,” Corso says, describing how she sometimes loses track of the timeline within her story.
Spiritual Principles in Historical Fiction
A key aspect of Corso’s work is the incorporation of spiritual principles. “I started writing fiction because I wanted to read books about people who chose to live their lives on a spiritual basis and not on a religious basis,” she says. This distinction is crucial to her work, which focuses on foundational truths rather than religious dogma.
“The universal principles that speak to me are metaphysical,” adds Corso. “What that means is everything has a meaning, and that there is a plan in the world for all of us—and that means all of us, no exceptions.”
The Gilded Age Setting
Corso’s choice of the Gilded Age as a setting was deliberate, allowing her to explore a time of significant change in gender roles. “I wanted them to have some of the freedoms that women were gaining,” she says. “By 1897, women were allowed to go, for example, to a restaurant by themselves. They weren’t until 1868 or thereabouts.”
Dr. Kristen E. Porter believes that “the series is as enchanting as it is provocative in illuminating the vision of who women can be and who they may become.”
Publishing Challenges and Future Projects
Corso’s series is currently available in multiple volumes, a decision driven by Amazon’s printing limitations of 826 pages. “The reason they’re two volumes is because Amazon won’t print a book this long. It’s that simple,” she explains.
Looking ahead, Corso plans to finish the “Subversive Lovelies” series with Jaq Direct, which the author says she’s begun. She also plans to continue add to her “Mex Mysteries” and “Boots and Boas” series. Finally, Corso says she’s researching a new project named Prismatica, focused on the AIDS epidemic. “The new series is about how humanity actually had a whole lot of choices that they could have made to do the kind thing and didn’t,” she reveals.
Writing as Breathing
When asked about her writing schedule, Corso offers a perspective that underscores her dedication to her craft. “I don’t schedule time to write. I don’t schedule time to breathe either. That’s what I do,” she states. This approach reflects her deep commitment to storytelling and her belief in the power of fiction to explore important themes.
“More than anything, I wanted to write stories about people who try to live by their own principles,” Corso says. “One of the things that makes the world difficult right now is that very few people are taught to have their own ethos: What do you believe? What’s important to you? And why?”
Through her “Subversive Lovelies” series and her other works, Susan Corso continues to explore these questions, inviting readers to consider their own beliefs and principles along the way. As historical fiction continues to captivate readers, Corso’s blend of spirituality, social justice, and Gilded Age drama offers a fresh perspective on a familiar era.