The morning of Feb. 1 began like any other in the life of Jillian Cantor: coffee, breakfast, help get the boys off to school.
But it was hardly another everyday day for one of Tucson’s most popular and successful authors. It was “pub day,” publication day, release day for her 11th novel, “Beautiful Little Fools.”
HarperCollins is betting it will be Cantor’s biggest seller yet. Harper’s first edition in the U.S. had a press run of 100,000 copies — a big number for anyone writing popular fiction. The book released last month in Australia, and was chosen “book of the month” by Australian Women’s Weekly.
Still, pub day came with butterflies.
“I get nervous every time,” Cantor said. “So, I have this book I’ve been working on and thinking about every day for two or three years. Then, at long last, it’s out in the world for everyone to read. I feel the way I did during finals in college. I’ve done all this work. Now I’m about to find out how I did.”
There was a time when authors would start pub days at the airport, embarking on book tours that would include stops at bookstores, libraries and book festivals.
These numbing adventures were grounded by the COVID-19 outbreak two years ago, so today’s “book tours” are digital — virtual conversations shared with readers on Zoom, Crowdcast and Facebook Live.
On Feb. 1, Cantor took part in two of these sessions. One was with a Facebook reading group. The other was staged by the Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and included fellow novelist Fiona Davis.
“If I have my own pub day tradition, it’s a glass of Champagne in the evening,” Cantor said. “I wasn’t out on tour this time, but I did have that glass of Champagne.”
In the last two weeks, Cantor has visited with 10 book groups from coast to coast. In the next week, she will speak with readers in Seattle, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
In-person and on-screen book tours both come with pluses and minuses, she said. “What I miss from an in-person tour is physically being in a bookstore and surrounded by books … and real people who love them. One of the rewarding things about digital tours is being able to present with authors I love to read. Like Fiona Davis. I’ve been in conversations with authors all over.”
In “Beautiful Little Fools,” Cantor revisits East Egg, Pembroke and the events painted so vividly by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his American classic, “The Great Gatsby.”
Fitzgerald’s book concludes with Gatsby at the bottom of his pool. Cantor’s book begins there, with the investigation into the homeowner’s murder.
The women of Gatsby quickly become suspects, so their stories — and their lives — take centerstage in “Beautiful Little Fools.” Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson said next to nothing in Fitzgerald’s novel. It turns out they had a lot to talk about.
Cantor describes her book as part retelling, part mystery and part historical fiction. The cultural context is key. In “Beautiful Little Fools,” Cantor explores the role played by women in the early 20th century, an era better known for loud, brash men.
Strong-minded, underappreciated women have become Cantor’s calling card since she published her first historical novel, “Margot,” in 2013.
It featured Margot Frank, Anne’s sister. “The Hours Count” introduced us to Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. “Half Life” reimagined the career choices made by Marie Currie.
Cantor’s biggest seller so far was “The Lost Letter,” which honored World War II freedom fighters in Europe. It has been translated and published in 12 languages.
Cantor says he she found her “voice,” and her audience, with “Margot.”
“I’ve always been drawn to strong women, extraordinary women who do extraordinary things but have been forgotten by history,” Cantor said. “Margot Frank was the first one I wrote about. I loved doing it. It was pretty well-received. That kind of got me going.”
Cantor was one of the early travelers down the road of historical fiction that featured little-known women. Today, it has exploded into one of the most popular subgenres in fiction. Dozens of such stories dot the bestseller lists. Particularly popular are tales of heroic women during World War II.
“Beautiful Little Fools” is an interesting departure. Instead of featuring real-life characters, Cantor’s protagonists are fictional. No one is likely to complain. Daisy Buchanan may be the most famous woman in literature, perhaps better-known today than any of the women Cantor has featured before.
“It’s been fun,” Cantor said. “Like everybody else, I read the book and saw the movies. At some point I realized we never learned much about Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle. So …”
Not all of Cantor’s upcoming audiences will be digital. She will take part in the Tucson Festival of Books March 12-13 at the University of Arizona.
FOOTNOTES
Writer, author and graphic designer Wynne Brown will serve as the “Writer in Residence” this Spring at the Pima County Public Library. She has written four books and a number of deeply-researched stories for newspapers and magazines. She will offer eight, one-hour, one-on-one sessions each week to discuss your own story or book. She also will do interactive writing workshops on March 12 and April 23. For further information, visit the library’s website, library.pima.gov
Joy Williams, who divides her time between Tucson and Laramie, Wyoming, is a finalist for this year’s Jean Stein Award from PEN America. A Pulitzer Prize winner and finalist for the National Book Award, Williams most recently authored “Harrow.” The Jean Stein Award comes with a cash prize of $75,000.
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed will receive this year’s Founders Award from the Tucson Festival of Books. It will be presented March 11. Gordon-Reed will be here for the book festival, which will begin the following day at the University of Arizona.
