Literary phenomenon Taylor Jenkins Reid first entered our consciousness with the hedonistic novel, Daisy Jones & The Six. Following a fictional rock band inspired by Fleetwood Mac, it was later turned into a successful TV series starring Elvis’s granddaughter, Riley Keough. So far, so cool. But it was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo she wanted readers to discover. Her vivid stories, set in key historic moments, feature unforgettable characters grappling with their past. Her latest novel, Atmosphere, set in the 1980s, is a love story set against the backdrop of the memorable space-shuttle programme. The global bestselling novelist talks to woman&home magazine’s Zoe West.
When I finished Carrie Soto is Back, I wanted to do something different and go somewhere I’d never been before.
I’d delved into all these male-dominated spaces and enjoyed writing about the females who occupy them. I thought, ‘What’s a male-dominated environment that makes me curious about the women who thrive in it?’ It was then I wondered what it would be like to navigate NASA as a woman and be aboard a spaceship.
I knew nothing about space.
There were times I’d declare I couldn’t do it. It was the first time I couldn’t find the answers in a book. I was humbled at who showed up when I searched for help, including one of the former flight directors at NASA, Paul Dye. He helped me with the technical aspects and how astronauts are always thinking of a contingency if something doesn’t work. He was incredibly helpful.
Astronauts are so courageous.
They know they are putting their life on the line and trying to push forward our understanding of the world. It’s so much bigger than their own achievement.
Since having my daughter, this novel was my first opportunity to explore what it’s like to be a mum as a writer.
The lead character in Atmosphere, space trainee Joan Goodwin, has a special relationship with her niece, Frances. I was grateful to have an outlet to write about what it feels like to adore a child and centre your whole life around them. There’s a desire to achieve, but you need to ask what is filling your soul and who you are.
I’ve written about the limitations on queer romances in society – and it’s a real part of their lives – but I wanted to keep the focus on how joyful Joan and Vanessa’s love is in Atmosphere.
So finding a balance between being realistic about how the world works, but still giving them the space to be happy in their day-to-day lives, is something I worked very hard on.
I write about women who feel real to me.
It’s what I see in my friends or in the world. I don’t put as much focus on likeability as much as I believe this person exists, which means they are flawed and make mistakes. But then they do something wonderful and surprising.
I knew when I was writing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ...
... that I was changing the kind of writer I was. It was a turning point and I knew it was the book I was supposed to write. But that book didn’t take off until Daisy Jones did. Daisy got all the attention. I wanted to shout out, ‘Guys, if you like Daisy, you might like Evelyn.’ When they did discover her, the reaction was huge. That was the book I felt so connected to, so I was thrilled people found it.
I’ve given a bit of myself to each one of my characters.
But when I look at Daisy Jones, I realise I didn’t put a lot of myself in her – more so in Billy. Seeing what a beautiful job Sam Claflin did in the TV adaptation, I told him I saw parts of my character come alive in his role as Billy, which I hadn’t realised before. His vulnerabilities were so real to me.
When I wrote my first story, I wanted to see if I could do it.
I had no illusions about it going anywhere – what changed that was the support of my friends. It was a short story, but my friends and husband were so encouraging and forced me to take myself seriously. I don’t know if I’d have had the courage to do it without them.
This article originally appeared in womanandhome magazine.
Atmosphere is out now.
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