Finola Austin

Finola Austin, also known as the Secret Victorianist on her award-winning blog, is an England-born, Northern Ireland-raised, Brooklyn-based historical novelist and lover of the 19th century. Bronte's Mistress, her first novel, was published by Atria Books in August 2020. Bronte's Mistress explores the scandalous historical love affair between Branwell Brontë and Lydia Robinson, giving voice to the woman who allegedly corrupted her son’s innocent tutor and brought down the entire Brontë family. By day, Finola works in digital advertising.

Twitter: @SVictorianist 

Instagram: @finola_austin

Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?

There is some evidence that the character of Mrs. Robinson in the book and film The Graduate was inspired by my Mrs. Robinson, the woman rumored to have had an affair with Branwell Bronte. What's more, you can't write a story about an older woman and a younger man without evoking this famous cultural reference. Because of this, despite the different worlds of 1960s American and 1840s England, I put in a few echoes of the most famous lines from the iconic movie in my very Victorian novel!

What’s the oddest thing a reader has ever asked you?

I've had readers who know me say which characters they think are me and which ideas they think are mine in my novels. This always perplexes me. Every character is a part of me and every idea a character expresses had to originate in my head!

If you could create a museum exhibition, what would be the theme?

In Tennessee Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire, the character Blanche says, "Everyone has something he won't let others touch because of their—intimate nature..." I would love to create an exhibition of people's private, almost sacred, objects—the objects we keep in our nightstands, in locked boxes, in secret drawers, each one accompanied by the story of what makes it so special.

What’s the difference (at least for you!) between being a writer and an author? How do you shift gears between the two?

My day job is in marketing so I'm comfortable with the self-promotion that comes with being a published author. However, when I'm in writer mode, I have to take my marketing hat off for a while and tell the story I want to tell without worrying initially how it will be received. 

Is there another profession you would like to try?

I'm not proud of this, but the amoral part of me would love to be a reality TV producer. It's the closest I could come to playing with real people the way I can play with my characters. Being the director in The Truman Show? Sign me up.