Gervais Hagerty
Author Interview - Gervais Hagerty
Author of IN POLITE COMPANY
IN POLITE COMPANY is a peak behind the veil of Charleston aristocracy, where a former debutante learns that sometimes good behavior leads to bad decisions. And while there's plenty of sweet tea and southern charm in this book, you'll find some sex, drugs, and rock in roll in the pages as well. I like to think it's a beautiful, fun, and edgy read.
Author Interview - Gervais Hagerty
Author I draw inspiration from: Sue Monk Kidd
(THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, THE INVENTION OF WINGS, THE DANCE OF THE DISSIDENT DAUGHTER, THE BOOK OF LONGINGS).
I am a big fan of her work, and her readers might be able to pick out her influences in my novel. I mailed her an advance copy of IN POLITE COMPANY with a hand-written note about how much she's taught me about spirituality and feminism through her writing. She later sent a blurb! I was (and still am) starstruck. It's such and honor to have her name on the cover of my book.
Author Interview - Gervais Hagerty | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: In my bed, propped up with fluffy pillows. The box fan is turned on and the kids are sound asleep in the next room.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Oh- such a good question! I would like to be stuck in an elevator with Lilly Forsyth of Patti Callahan's 1838 historical fiction SURVIVING SAVANNAH. Lilly (based on a real person) was traveling with her infant daughter and an enslaved nursemaid named Priscilla when their steamship exploded. They were stuck at sea for days with no food or water. The circumstances forced Lilly to see Priscilla in a new way--as an equal human. The explosion also offered Lilly an opportunity to start a new life, away from her abusive husband (who lived through the explosion but didn't know Lilly also survived). I'd like to ask "Where did you end up?" "What was your life like in the later years?" "How did your relationship with Priscilla change over time?" "What is the biggest lesson you've learned?"
Author Interview - Gervais Hagerty | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I knew I wanted to tell stories long before I knew I wanted to become an author. In college, I joined Toastmasters, a public speaking club, where every week I crafted stories to share with the other members. A few years after college, I felt another pull to write, so I studied journalism and became a news producer and reporter. Later, as a communications professor, I taught public speaking--which is sometimes like teaching storytelling--but it wasn't until I had a finished and polished manuscript that I shared with writer Mary Alice Monroe, who is now my mentor. She said my work was good. She believed in me. That's when I knew it was a possibility-- that I could dare to dream big enough.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I prefer the physical book, but it doesn't matter to me whether it's paperback or hardback.
The last book I read: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. I think she's brilliant.
Author Interview - Gervais Hagerty | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: While I use the computer to do the majority of my drafting, I'm constantly scribbling notes on a legal pad next to my laptop and tacking stickies to the bulletin board above my desk. I also write in the margins of books I'm reading, and I'll draw on my hand if I don't have a piece of paper nearby.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Wow. This is a great question because it really made me have to dig deep in rolodex of characters I've met over the years. I'm going to go with the character Sophie Applebaum from Melissa Bank's THE WONDER SPOT. This character has some of the driest humor-- so witty and often self-deprecating. Often I laughed aloud reading this book, which is tucked away in a special place on my bookshelf in my office.
Author Interview - Gervais Hagerty | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: An astrophysicist, for sure.
I love reading about the stars, black holes, and other galaxies. And I find it fascinating that when I look up, I'm looking at the past. For example, it takes hundreds or even thousands of years for light to travel from the stars to our eyes. Even the sun's light we see is eight minutes old. Wild stuff.
Favorite decade in fashion history: I loved being a teen in the 90s. The eyeliner, the flannel, the Doc Martins. I think now that I'm a novelist (re: work from home) and I don't have to wear business casual, I am embracing those grunge years. I'm digging out the eyeliner and chunky boots; and for my 40th birthday, I got my first tattoo. It's fun to get back to wearing what I want.
Place I’d most like to travel: Lately, I've been dreaming of Paris.
My signature drink: As a composter, I am always trying to minimize food waste. So, my signature drink came from not wanting to throw away perfectly good egg-whites (a friend was making pasta). I learned how to make whiskey sours. There aren't too many ingredients: just whisky, lemons, sugar, and bitters. Also, I don't have a shaker--a mason jar is fine. The drinks turn out nice and frothy and go down easy. Added bonus: the foam makes a nice egg-white mustache.
Favorite artist: Ah, I'll be cheesy here and say my favorite artist is my dad, Richard Hagerty. He's a surrealist painter. I grew up in a quirky home with his giant, vibrant oils and watercolors covering almost every inch of the walls. When my youngest sister moved out, my parents had to turn her room into a storage space for all his art. He's still cranking out his wild dreamscapes. You can find his work in instagram @americansurrealist
Number one on my bucket list: Sell my second book!
Find more from the author:
Instagram @gervaishagerty
Facebook: Gervais Hagerty
Author Bio: Gervais grew up behind Rainbow Row and spent her childhood riding her bike in the drawing room and hunting for pottery shards in the backyard. As a debutante, she got written up for twirling before the seated dinner. She dropped out of her sorority but is a proud graduate of Vanderbilt University. Gervais bopped around the west coast in her early twenties, eventually moving back east to report and produce the news for local radio and television broadcasts. After earning her MBA at The Citadel—The Military College of South Carolina—she was invited to teach communications to cadets. Gervais loved teaching—especially the uniform, complete with a beret!—but in 2020, she finally caved to a strong and bizarre urge to write books. IN POLITE COMPANY is her first novel.
