Totally Booked with Zibby Brisa Carleton, LAST CALL AT THE SAVOY
Nov 26, 2025
Brisa Carleton, a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and debut novelist, shares her journey from the stage to writing with her novel, Last Call at the Savoy. She dives into the life of Ada Coleman, a pioneering female mixologist, and discusses themes of sisterhood and grief through her characters' eyes. Brisa also explores her experience founding Literati Spirits, combining her love for literature and vodka, and offers insightful advice for aspiring writers. Plus, she dreams up adaptations for her charming story!
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Discovery Of Ada Coleman Sparks Novel
- Brisa Carleton discovered Ada Coleman from a footnote on the Savoy's cocktail menu and couldn't find more about her online.
- That curiosity inspired Last Call at the Savoy as a fictional journey to recover Ada's overlooked history.
Sisterhood Forces A Sudden Maturation
- Cinnamon is a New York party girl who must care for her pregnant sister Rosemary at the Savoy, forcing a sudden coming-of-age.
- The responsibility shifts Cinnamon from coasting to stepping up as she discovers her sister's real struggles.
History's Negative Space Reveals Erasure
- Brisa emphasizes that history often erases women like Ada Coleman, leaving gaps rather than clear records.
- She uses those historical 'holes' as a narrative device to imagine and reinsert marginalized voices into well-known stories.
