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| J. A. Morgenstein | |
J. A. Morgenstein has been a competitive ballroom dancer and instructor for much of his adult life. His debut, The League of Dangerous Young Ladies, will be available June 2. When not being bossed around by his pets, Morgenstein enjoys dancing, watching British mysteries, and convincing himself that he can still eat the same things that he did when he was 21.
Ben Rosenthal: Tell us a little bit about your book, The League of Dangerous Young Ladies.
J. A. Morgenstein: Basically, it takes the most famous villains of Victorian literature...and tells the story of their daughters. It’s full of action and adventure, as well as mystery, romance, and lots of humor; kind of like Enola Holmes meets Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I think of it like a fun blockbuster movie for the entire family.
Rosenthal: What makes you choose that comparison?
Morgenstein: When I first developed this story, I would watch it in my head, scene by scene, like a movie. So, my first draft was essentially a screenplay in manuscript format. While the plot and characters grew with every edit, I realized that this cinematic quality was fundamental to the way I like to write.
I naturally tend toward shorter, fast-paced chapters. I love coming up with plot twists and cliffhangers. Most of all, I love writing dialogue, getting to have my characters banter and tease and flirt.
Rosenthal: Tell us a little about your characters.
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Morgenstein: There’s Rose Moriarty, daughter of Sherlock Holmes’s nemesis. She's trying to save the world while struggling with loss. There’s Sefina Moreau. Her father’s cruel experiments have left her with incredible powers and a rage which threatens to consume her. And then there’s Clara, whose joyful ridiculousness contradicts the fact that she’s actually...well, that’s all I can really say here.
Rosenthal: What inspired you to write this book?
Morgenstein: I’ve spent most of my adult life as a ballroom dancer, but during the Covid-19 lockdown, the dance world came to a halt. A friend inspired me to use that time to write, and this started me down the path to The League of Dangerous Young Ladies.
Rosenthal: What has it been like going from dancing to writing?
Morgenstein: The biggest challenge was figuring out a way to make both artforms work together. Then I visited Books on the Square in Providence, R.I., where manager Jennifer Kandarian suggested I use dancing to help promote the book.
Whenever I visit a new bookstore, I’m going to find a volunteer from the staff and teach them to dance...but we only get five minutes. Then we film the results. We’ll call it “Dancing with the Stores.” The goal is to promote local bookstores along with the message that everyone can learn to dance. This idea helped me to go from being nervous about promoting my book to being excited about it.
Rosenthal: What are your hopes for this book?
Morgenstein: Obviously, I’d love for it to do well enough that I can keep telling the story of these dangerous young ladies. Beyond that, I hope my more-cinematic style can help reach reluctant readers and teens who prefer their phones to books. I want to show them that the right story can be just as entertaining as anything they might find on social media.