Stories Of Strength

Martha Hall Kelly, whose first novel, “Lilac Girls” (2016), debuted on The New York Times bestseller list, considers careful listening and close attention vital to her process as a writer.

“It’s important to remain open to that little feeling of synchronicity that can occur. You never know when something is just going to grab you,” Kelly, 66, says.

“I pay attention to that little feeling of, ‘Oh, that’s unusual’ or, ‘Hmm — I’m curious about that.’”

Since “Lilac Girls” — which has sold over two million copies in 50 countries — Kelly has had three other books published: “Lost Roses” (2019), “Sunflower Sisters” (2021) and “Golden Doves” (2023, coming out in paperback in April 2024).

Synchronicity may well have played a role in her visit to the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden in Bethlehem, Conn., not far from her own home. Here, the former advertising copywriter found the spark that jumpstarted a new career as a writer of historical fiction. Among the historic home’s artifacts and archives, she discovered the real-life story of Caroline Ferriday, a New York philanthropist, and her relationship with the Rabbits of Ravensbrück, the basis for “Lilac Girls,” and just knew she had to tell this story. The Rabbits were Polish Catholic prisoners who became subject to gruesome medical experiments. Ferriday brought 72 surviving Rabbits to America for medical care after the war.

“Lost Roses” and “Sunflower Sisters” also draw from the lives of the incredible Ferriday women.

For “Lost Roses,” it’s Caroline’s mother, Eliza, set against World War I and the Russian Imperial Court, while “Sunflower Sisters” travels back to the Civil War era and Caroline’s great-aunt. With “Golden Doves,” Kelly revisits the horrors of Ravensbrück (the largest concentration camp for women within Germany’s prewar borders) and two survivors who reconnect after the war to track down a Nazi doctor still at large. Her next novel, set for publication in Spring 2025, takes place on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II.

Kelly’s books are populated by strong women characters facing tough challenges. Although she examines some of the darkest times in modern history, there is always hope. “I look for characters that have overcome adversity, that show there is good in the world. There are wonderful lessons out there worth paying attention to,” she says.

Kelly is married with three grown children and divides her time between Connecticut, New York and Hobe Sound, Fla.