How 'American Girl' Author Samantha Parkington Aged Her Adult Historical Fiction: 'It Will Never Be Spicy'

Mattel's American Girl brand made history this week with the release of "Samantha: The Next Chapter," its first novel for adults. Since her introduction in 1986, Samantha has been widely considered one of the most popular American girl dolls among the millennial demographic, edging out the Edwardian-era character as the first doll to be used.

Mattel's American Girl brand made history this week with the release of Samantha: The Next Chapter, its first novel for adults.

Since her introduction in 1986, Samantha has been widely regarded as one of the most popular American girl dolls among the target millennial demographic, and the choice of an Edwardian-era character as the first used for this adult-historical-fiction-book experience is a perfect nostalgia play. RELATED STORIES Sequel to Vietnamese score 'Sister 3' hits 3,388 for US, Europe, Australia, Taiwan and Japan (Exclusive) 'Death in Paradise' gets first international adaptation in Croatia, promises 'murder mystery, humor, street heat and grit'.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, the book follows the iconic American girl Samantha Parkington, now 25 years old, in 1920. Popular in Variety

"It was a lot of fun, I have to say, because the original stories are so full of fun things to play with. So when I was reading them, ideas were coming to me left and right," Davis tells Variety. "And it made sense for her to want to be a teacher because that's her passion as a young girl, and also progressive education was going on at the time. So there was a really wonderful opportunity to bring the history into it a little bit more and show how in 1920, things were really on the cusp of a big change, so it's a great year to choose."

The synopsis for "Samantha: The Next Chapter" reads: "The year is 1920, and 25-year-old Samantha Parkington works hard to educate women in New York about the right to vote and encourage them to vote in their first presidential election this fall." But when Samantha's large inheritance, including her childhood home in Mount Bedford, is stolen in a shocking scheme, she goes from socialite to shopgirl overnight and experiences a different side of New York City. In search of clues about the theft of his inheritance, he infiltrates the business of a notorious criminal in New York City. Determined as ever, Samantha will do whatever it takes to find answers and preserve her family's legacy."

"It was really taking little bits and pieces of those original stories, which were beautifully detailed, and then bringing them to life," Davis says. And I think the big thing for me about Samantha was that she's kind of a paradox surrounded by wealth. So, if you look at her and think, that girl has everything, and then you dig deeper and oh, she's an orphan. So somewhere in him there is a hole that needs to be filled somehow. And I think that makes her complex and a really interesting character to follow as an adult."

Read on for more from Variety's interview with Davis, including spoilers for Samantha's new book.

In terms of plot, they gave me a lot of freedom. I could really do anything they wanted, and then it was approved by a committee and stuff like that. But it was really up to me what to do. And in the end, I wanted it to be open-ended so we could enter a new phase of his life, and they agreed. I think that just keeps the door open.

Part of it was that there are certain characters that there will probably be books about, maybe in the future. So we didn't want to take too much and I'm allowed to say that. So it was about her core family, her extended family, who are very supportive... and [the American Girl brand] encouraged me to really open it up to new faces and new characters to introduce her as an adult and show that this is a different time and a different age. But then, on top of that, for me, with any character, I want to start from a place of great vulnerability and have them kind of grow. And so, Samantha is surrounded by wealth and this big family that adores her. And my thought as a writer was, what if all of that goes away? If she really has to figure it out on her own using the tenacity she's known for and her intelligence and empathy and just leave her free in New York to try and figure out what's going on and solve a mystery and maybe fall in love and grow as a person and see that she's capable of pretty much anything, as we know Samantha can be. Anyone who knows Samantha knows.

It was difficult because they are known as little girls, so you add an element and you don't want it to be uncomfortable. It will never be spicy. But the people at American Girl were excited to have a love interest or two for her, but we were very careful about the historical accuracy of what that meant as a couple. Do not shake hands in public. You don't kiss in public, and I had to fight hard to get that kiss [at the end of the book]. But they understood. Historical accuracy was really high on their list and I just wanted her to be caught between two men who are so different and present a different side of the world.

Grandma is a popular character, but I felt, at the time, she'd been around a long time and that's what happens in a family: you have joy and then tragedy. And again, at the beginning of the book, the grandmother is a strong connection for him and an anchor. Losing that gives Samantha as a character the freedom to explore different emotions and figure out who she is and what she represents because Grandma's voice is in her head the whole book, which I love. I grew up in a very English family, both my parents are English and you never say [I love you] and so I brought that into that scene. What do you do to not miss an opportunity that you will never have again?

This interview has been edited and condensed.