Serena Burdick: Be Flexible With Your Work
In this interview, author Serena Burdick discusses how a historic photo helped inspire her new work of historical fiction, A Promise to Arlette.
Serena Burdick is the USA Today, Toronto Star, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of The Girls With No Names. She is the author of the novel The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey, Find Me in Havana, and Girl in the Afternoon. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and published in 12 territories to date. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College, holds a Bachelors of Arts from Brooklyn College in English literature, and an Associates of Arts from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in theater. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
In this interview, Serena discusses how a familial photo helped inspire her new work of historical fiction, A Promise to Arlette, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Serena Burdick
Literary agent: Stephanie Delman/Trellis Literary Management
Book title: A Promise to Arlette
Publisher: Atria Books
Release date: June 17, 2025
Genre/category: Historical Fiction
Previous titles: Girl in the Afternoon; The Girls with No Names; Find Me in Havana; The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey
Elevator pitch: A historical fiction saga that takes you from the seemingly idyllic life of Ida and Sydney in 1950s American suburbia, to Ida’s glistening past in Paris, to the devastation of WWII. It’s a story about love and friendship, trust and betrayal, and how promises made, broken, and ultimately renewed, can determine our fate.
What prompted you to write this book?
I was inspired by a photograph taken by the surrealist artist Man Ray of my grandmother and the artist’s wife, Juliet. I know very little about the story behind the photograph, other than that my grandmother was a model for Man Ray. Looking at these two women, nude and masked and clasped in an embrace, sparked my imagination and I began to spin a fictional story around them.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It’s been over five years since I started this book. So much has happened! I had to set it aside to rework an older novel that was going to publication. My agent had a baby and took time off. When she came back, we decided to pitch it to a new publisher. During this process, I was constantly reworking the plot. Originally, I didn’t plan to write about WWII, but as the novel took shape, I realized that to tell Ida and Sydney’s story in the 1950s, I had to build their past up to the present. It was then I plunged into the art world of 1930s Paris, which naturally led to the war, where I suddenly found myself thoroughly researching this heavily written about time period … all the while thinking, Am I really doing this?
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
This is my fifth book and my third publishing house, so I’ve had a lot of different experiences. With Atria, it has surprised me how much respect I’ve been shown from my team, which is more a reflection of my self-doubt than anything. Each book has built on itself, some have been more successful than others, but I still find myself thinking, Did I do this? Am I, like, an established author? I guess the learning moment is owning this, to feel confident enough to tell myself, yes. Yes, you are.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I am always surprised at what unfolds while I’m writing. I think I have the story plotted and things inevitably take a turn. In this book there’s a major reveal toward the end I obviously can’t give away, but let’s just say when I started out, I had no idea I’d take the plot in the direction it goes toward the end.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
My hope with every book is to take my readers on an emotional journey while thoroughly entertaining them. No matter when, or where, a story takes place, I like to think the universal emotions we have around family, as mothers and fathers and children and lovers, is something we all relate to. My ultimate desire for A Promise to Arlette is that my readers walk away with the sense that we all have the power to change our lives. If my protagonist, Ida, shows us anything, it’s that we’re never stuck.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
To be flexible with your work and not hold onto anything too tightly. Recently, I spent six months writing 200 pages of material, only to have my editor tell me she wanted me to pivot, which meant tossing all of it and starting over. My advice would be to do this willingly and unflinchingly, to take critique and know that in the end, tossing something only means there’s potential for the next thing to be that much better.
