R. K. Johnson
Young Adult Historical Novels
Gilded Girls
Gilded Girls is a tale of four friends, Missy, Hazel, Poppy and Countess, all living in Washington, D.C. during the Gilded Age. It is autumn 1883 and the girls are determined to become members of the Firebirds Club, the city’s leading social organization for ladies. But before the girls can join this sparkling set, they must prove themselves capable of putting on the club’s annual masquerade ball. While planning the extraordinary affair, the girls each meet a suitor who tickles her fancy, including a real life prince from the Ashanti Kingdom in West Africa.
As the girls discover the complexity of planning a ball, they are also faced with the challenge of balancing newly found social pleasures with their responsibilities for the masquerade. But, will the girls’ enchantments prove too distracting? And their biggest challenge of all: How to remain friends through everything. This gilded tale explores friendship, love and coming of age among Washington’s African-American bourgeois after the Civil War.
Gilded Debutante
Gilded Debutante follows the lives of Opal, Clover and Tess Hughes, three sisters living in the beautiful countryside surrounding Washington, D.C. during the Gilded Age. It is winter 1884 and until now, life has been charmed for these daughters of wealthy general store owner, Robert Hughes and although the girls have spent their lives together, they could not be further apart when it comes to their outlook on life.
Being the eldest, Opal takes great pride in her role at Hughes General, while her younger sister, Clover, is equally as devoted to marrying her long time beau, Earle Cullens and securing social standing amongst Washington's most elite. The youngest of this trio, Tess, is neither ambitious nor social, but finds her greatest satisfaction in the moments spent with her treasured pet poodle.
The girls have always had everything they've ever wanted, but on the eve of Clover's debut, their lives take an unseemly twist as they come to face challenges unlike any they've ever known. This gilded tale explores family, love, and loss among Washington's African-American bourgeois after the Civil War.