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From Rouge: A Novel of Beauty and Rivalry. Copyright © 2019 by Richard Kirshenbaum and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Press. Chapter 2 A NEW FRONTIER Sydney, Australia, 1922 The heat was unbearable, constant, itchy, and apparently determined to do battle with her skin. It was ironic how brutal the journey had been given that the point of it was to flee a brutal adversary at home. Her mother’s favorite phrase came to mind as she grasped the railing of the ship: “Wherever you go, there you are.” Were her dear mother here right now, she would also be telling Josiah to protect her skin by putting on her hat. Instead, in a flash of rebellion, she stared head-on into the sun as though the sun itself were her enemy and she would win the face-off so long as she did not betray fear. Oy vey ist mir. She could not keep this lament far from her mind as she thought of the distance between her loving mother and herself. The distance increased with every second, along with the ache in her heart. She could practically smell her mother’s distinct scent: sweet, earthy, like the kasha and sweet white…

The legendary rivalry between Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli is well known in fashion history. What drew you to write about this notorious feud in The Last Collection? It seemed, currently, to be a very good time to be writing about strong, powerful women who do not back down from competition or threats.  I once visited a country that did not have freedom of press and information, and I needed a complicated visa to get there. The clerk at the embassy asked me what I did for a living (I was a journalist at the time) and I told him I was a writer.  He jumped up from his desk, truly alarmed!  He asked me what I wrote about, and I said family studies, human development, nutrition, consumer finance.  He sat back down and said , “Oh. Women’s stuff. Doesn’t matter.”  I got the visa, but I also got a strong lesson about what many people think of women’s issues.  This book says that ‘women’s stuff’ really does matter. Europe in the late 30s, as we know, is on the cusp of a tumultuous time that leads to WWII. What did this political landscape add to your story? How did…

All of my books have been set in England and Scotland, so it is natural that my husband and I have visited the British Isles over the years.  Here are my favorite things to do. Visit Winchester Any admirer of Jane Austen will eventually find herself in Winchester. Austen died here and is buried in the awe-inspiring Winchester Cathedral. Chawton Cottage, where Jane lived for many years, is nearby. Here I am near the water meadows of Winchester, where it is believed Keats composed his ode “To Autumn.”    Tour Edinburgh One of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Edinburgh, Scotland, is dominated by the castle, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to the child who would one day serve as both the king of England as James I, and simultaneously as James VI of Scotland. That’s the Royal Mile in the background. It was a beautiful, clear day—but cold. Explore London We love cities, and London is at the top of our list. So much to see and do. A short train ride from Waterloo Station and you can be at Hampton Court, home to many royals, including Henry VIII. There are reenactments and demonstrations of cooking and…