Launch: Heather Walrath’s The Diva’s Daughter

INTERVIEW BY REBECCA ROSENBERG

Heather Walrath is an author crafting new stories while celebrating the release of her debut historical novel, The Diva’s Daughter. Whether they are standing against evil in fractious 1930s Europe or solving a sticky bootlegging mystery in Prohibition-era America, Heather’s relatable heroines make the past accessible and engaging for modern readers. She holds a master’s degree in publishing and a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

How would you describe this book and its themes in a couple of sentences?

A young aspiring singer in 1930s Europe fights to achieve her operatic dreams while confronting personal loss, political pressure and the secrets of her famous mother’s past. Can she ultimately risk everything to stand against the rise of Nazism?

Your author bio mentions crafting stories that make the past accessible. What was the initial spark—a historical detail, musical piece, or character idea—that inspired you to write The Diva’s Daughter?

My novel is inspired in part by the true story of renowned opera singer Lotte Lehmann, who mentors my fictional heroine Angelika in The Diva’s Daughter. During the Nazi era, party officials pressured Madame Lehmann and other performers to form alliances with them. Through the eyes of Angelika, I was able to explore the dangers and decisions these artists faced, including questions about what constitutes complicity or resistance. These issues are still relevant today. For example, here in the United States, Donald Trump’s removal of a bipartisan board of trustees at national arts venue The Kennedy Center has sparked debate about censorship, whether art is political in nature, and how artists and patrons alike can stand up for their beliefs.

Set in 1932 Munich/Vienna, the rise of the Nazis is central. What was your research process for authentically depicting the opera scene, daily life, and the politics of that era?

As a lifelong arts lover, I especially enjoyed bringing the operatic details to life. I reviewed firsthand accounts and archives, attended backstage tours, tried on costumes and had the honor of seeing famous singers and directors coach aspiring artists. In The Diva’s Daughter, I strove to celebrate the ways in which opera reflects time-honored traditions while also adapting and evolving. For instance, one of my characters makes a prediction that the rise of cinema might lead to an increased focus on acting and movement in opera. Angelika additionally performs in an opera that is made more widely accessible over the radio, while today, live broadcasts in movie theaters help bring opera to fans around the world.

Angelika is grappling with her opera diva mother’s “scandalous death” and legacy. How did you balance Angelika’s personal grief with her professional ambition to step out of her mother’s shadow?

Angelika’s struggle to honor her mother’s memory while simultaneously forging her own path as a singer is shown in part through her musical selections and artistic choices. Readers initially see Angelika as a broken shell of her former self, lost without the guidance of her mother, mentor, and dearest friend. Angelika doesn’t believe she has the ability to live up to her mother’s example, and struggles to find her voice. I worked to identify musical pieces that would suit Angelika’s self-discovery and skill as she grows throughout the book. For those interested, there is a playlist available on my website featuring songs from The Diva’s Daughter.

The novel contrasts the respectable world of the opera with the darker social scenes, like the beer garden. What is the symbolism of the beer garden as a backdrop for Angelika’s internal conflicts?

The violent and chaotic Munich beer garden in which Angelika is seen singing during the novel’s opening scene represents the tragic loss of not only her beloved mother, but also the cultured life and promising future she enjoyed in Vienna. It also symbolizes the temptation of a quick and easy path to success. She receives applause and praise at the beer garden without having to put forth a significant effort or challenge herself. Consumed by grief and her own vices, Angelika unknowingly sets in motion the moral dilemmas she must grapple with throughout the remainder of the novel.

How do Angelika’s personal relationships (with Erich and her “sweetheart”) reflect and connect to the larger political choices and dangers she is forced to confront?

Along with being a novel about the intersection of art and politics, The Diva’s Daughter is a story that explores love in all its many forms. Through the evolution of Angelika’s relationships with her wealthy sweetheart Kurt and her faithful friend Erich, readers can see a mirroring of her mother’s past, and ask themselves whether she should make the same fateful decisions or follow a different path. Angelika must also consider the ways in which her decision to sing for Hitler or defy him will impact those she loves, just as Kurt and Erich must each ultimately decide whether or how to resist the Nazis.

As this is your debut historical novel, what was the most challenging aspect of the process—the deep historical research, handling sensitive themes, or the technical aspects of writing a debut?

Like many historical novelists, I faced a challenge in determining which research elements to include and which to leave out. As a debut author not already established in the World War II-adjacent historical fiction market, the querying process was also challenging. Writing a book is a lengthy journey, and market trends can change by the time an author is ready to pitch a novel. If you are a fellow author who finds yourself facing this situation, I encourage you to explore alternative paths beyond the “big five” publishers if that is something you are open to considering.

What is the best writing advice you have to share?

Seek honest feedback, take master classes, join professional organizations, and never stop learning. Also, revise, revise, revise! After getting feedback from peers and industry professionals about a much earlier draft of The Diva’s Daughter, I decided to keep the initial concept, but start over from scratch to create the story that is now published. Although there were certainly times I considered giving up, I’m glad I kept going. Even if the journey is long, keep moving forward, and don’t abandon your dreams.

What is your favorite opera?

Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

What is the last great book you read?

The Hollywood Governess by Alexandra Weston.

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