Q&A with Lorie Langdon, author of 'Olivia Twist'

Olivia Twist is an innovative reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale Oliver Twist, in which Olivia was forced to live as a boy for her own safety until she was rescued from the streets. Now eighteen, Olivia finds herself at a crossroads: revealed secrets threaten to destroy the “proper” life she has built for herself, while newfound feelings for an arrogant young man she shouldn’t like could derail her carefully laid plans for the future. (Amazon)

After reading Olivia Twist, Lorie Langdon's fun and exciting new version of Oliver Twist, I was able to ask her a few questions about what went into the writing of the novel, and about what's ahead for it!

Gina: You mentioned in your acknowledgments being very influenced by the musical Oliver!, and I caught references to it here and there. What do you love most about it? What did you find most inspiring about it? 

Lorie: What I love most about Oliver! the musical are the characters. Oliver, Dodger, Fagin, Mr. Brownlow, Nancy, and even Bill Sikes stayed with me long after seeing the movie for the first time. I created my own sort of fan fiction to continue their adventures because I could not let them go.

I believe what I find most inspiring is that despite the horrific obstacles each of them faces, they all have hope for a better future. Even if it’s misguided hope, like Fagin and Nancy.  

Gina: You gave Dodger (and Fagin, for that matter) different fates than the book Oliver Twist gave them. How did you come up with what happened to Dodger in the years between the end of Oliver Twist and the beginning of your book? 

Lorie: Well, I knew I needed to bring Dodger into Olivia’s high society world for the plot to be most effective. So, I imagined a Pygmalion sort of transformation for Jack (Dodger)—although he does not fall in love with the woman who transforms him into a gentleman. Their relationship begins as a nefarious business partnership. And since Jack values his freedom above all things, I had to craft those years so that he sees the partnership with Widow March as a means to greater freedom in the long run.

Gina: You chose to have Olivia remain a thief in her new life, but only to use the proceeds to help others. What made you decide to take the character in that direction? Did you consider having her try to help others any other way, or did this way feel the most natural? 

Lorie: I wanted to show this tie back to her past. If she were a perfectly proper English lady, I don’t believe that would realistically reflect the character. The constraints that society placed on women of that time gave Olivia few options to help those suffering the same fate she did as a child. Her ingenuity (albeit illegal) in circumventing those constraints gives her a sense of modern agency, and perhaps heroism.  

Gina: You say that Oliver in your mind was always a girl in disguise, and in the novel, you give a very good reason why Olivia might need to pass herself off as a boy. Was that reason always in your mind, or did you only come up with it when you started working on this book? 

Lorie: No, I created that reasoning for the book. As a child I had a bit of a crush on the Artful Dodger, so making Oliver a female in disguise allowed me to become that character and imagine adventures for the two of them where they eventually fell in love. Once a romantic, always a romantic, I guess.😉

Gina: If a musical, or a movie (take your pick!), were to be made of Olivia Twist, whom would you cast? 

Lorie: Funny you should ask since I am in talks with a production company for the film rights! Nothing has been solidified yet, but they also asked me who I would have play the two main characters. I chose for Olivia: Lily James, from Downton Abbey and Cinderella. And for Jack, I’ve always had one character model in mind: Matt Lanter, who is now on the show Timeless. 

Gina: Besides the Oliver! references, I also noticed occasional references to other Dickens novels. Would you ever consider writing a sequel to one of his other novels? If so, which one? And would you do another gender change, or try something different?

Lorie: I am working on a spin-off that imagines what happens to some of the characters from one of Dickens’ other famous stories, along with characters who were introduced in Olivia Twist. But it’s still in the works, so I can’t share too many details yet. 

Gina: We have an audience of passionate Dickens fans at the blog! If you could give them just one reason why they should try your book, what would you say? 

Lorie: Dickens wrote the line in A Tale of Two Cities, “You have been the last dream of my soul.” This being one of the most romantic lines in literature, I believe he would approve of my reimagining of his characters and their journey to find love. So, I believe true Dickens fans will thoroughly enjoy it!

(One final note from me: I think so too! Here again is the link to the hardback version, and here's one to the Kindle version. Thanks to Lorie for taking the time to answer my questions so thoroughly!)

Comments

[Art]

I'm going to try it! It sounds really fascinating. I am usually skeptical about "reimaginings" but hearing her love for Dickens story... I think it's in good hands.