So one day I was just casually scrolling tumblr, minding my own business, when I see your profile picture. I continue scrolling for a bit. Then freeze.
I double back, staring at your profile pic for a moment.
Then I go: Is that Sophie Fucking Cleverly?
Then I look at your blog and find out that apparently one of my favourite authors as a kid is also a tumblr veteran (and also a discworld fan).
This is the state that my copy of The Lost Twin is in, I've reread it so many times I've lost count (and suprisingly it's in better condition than my copy of The Last Secret, whose back pages have become detached for some reason. I genuinely do not remember how). I found it when I was 11 (i think?), and it influenced my own writing a lot.
(also for some reason the "you found some great cheese?" joke is the one line that's stuck in my head near verbatim because of how hard it made me laugh)
Anyways, there's been one question that's been burning in my head ever since I finished the series. I don't know if anyone's asked it yet, but with this newfound knowledge that you're a tumblr user I feel somewhat more confident in asking it.
That question being: Are Violet and Rose dating? (or at least, as dating as two traumatized 13 year old girls in the 1930s can be) The same question extends to Aunt Sara and Laure.
Because every single time I read about those two interacting, my gaydar went off. And maybe I'm just hallucinating, and they really are just two very codependent best friends, but everytime I look at them my brain goes "gay".
Aunt Sara and Laure. I so badly want to know their story. Because someone doesnt just show up hand in hand with a beautiful lady and both in gorgeous dresses, and then fade out of the explanation without it meaning something. What kind of shenanigans happened in Paris for these two to meet. I need to know.
Anyways, hope you have a fine day, love your books, and i have no idea how to end this.
Hi and thanks for the lovely message! Well, I'm glad you stumbled upon my blog, haha. I've been here forever. It feels very strange that there are tons of adults who have grown up reading my books now, because I swear I just wrote them like... last week 😅 I'm so glad to hear that you loved reading them!
When I was first drafting the story, it was actually going to be a YA book and it was going to have more in the way of queer storylines and teen romance going on. I ended up changing it to a MG book, but I think I retained some of the vibes! Violet and Rose definitely had a close friendship and were very dependent on each other, and I wrote them as neurodivergent (to the best of my understanding at the time, I hadn't realised *I* was yet!). I don't think it would be a stretch to think they could be in a relationship.
Aunt Sara and Laure were, in fact, named after two of my queer Tumblr friends 😆 so your gaydar is definitely correct on that one! I just loved the idea that they had a super fashionable gay aunt who was off doing exciting things around the world. I like to think they'd go to stay with her when they were done with school!
