An Evening with Author Martha Hall Kelly

Celebrated author Martha Hall Kelly recently spent the evening with fans in Agoura Hills discussing her two bestselling historical fiction novels, Lilac Girls, and Lost Roses at the city’s first Meet the Author program, sponsored by the Cultural Arts Council (CAC).

A copy writer by trade, Hall Kelly discussed how her bestsellers were inspired by a visit to the Bellamy-Ferriday House tucked away in Bethlehem, Connecticut. She became intrigued by former owner Caroline Ferriday who used her wealth to champion human rights and social justice causes around the globe. She began to extensively research the Ferriday family and their philanthropic efforts. Her first historical fiction book “Lilac Girls” tells the story of Caroline Ferriday who championed the rehabilitation of a group of WWII female concentration camp survivors known as the Rabbits, used for experimentation by the Nazis. “Lost Roses” is a prequel about Caroline’s mother Eliza who aided fallen Russian emigres forced to reestablish their lives in Paris and New York City after the societal collapse and changes created by World War I.

Hall Kelly, who had put her career on hold to raise her children, said she originally had no intentions of penning novels from her research discoveries although she wondered why the historical accounts hadn’t become the basis for books or movies. But that changed the day a Starbucks barista accidentally gave her a caffeinated coffee drink instead of her usual decaf Grande. “I just sat down and wrote about everything I had discovered,” she said, adding that after she showed an editor at Random House the first chapter, she told her to get an agent.

Lilac Girls became a runaway bestseller for the debut author within the first week of release and Lost Roses also made the NY Times bestseller list. When asked what she attributes her books' popularity to Hall Kelly replied, “My characters make it through horrible times and readers often tell me they have helped them get though theirs.”

Hall Kelly is working on her next book in the same historical fiction genre about the extended Ferriday family’s abolitionist efforts during the Civil War due out in Spring of 2021.

The CAC will present more celebrated authors throughout the year and will sponsor the annual One City One Book “Evening with the Author” in April 2020. The CAC’s literary arts program is designed to stimulate reading through group book discussions and other related activities. For more information about upcoming Cultural Arts Programs, visit agourahillsrec.org.