The Swans in the novel are I think based on real-life characters, but exactly who I didn't get. As another character says: Before the session, Kelleigh asked attendees to send in examples of evocative fiction. Here’s what the group came up with:

She reminded us of Capote’s words: ‘rearrange the rules to suit yourself.’ You learn from the best, you bend the rules to suit your purposes, and you make them your own. A rich, sharp, sting of a book. It made me laugh and grimace and pity monsters. I'm still smiling about it Stu Turton, bestselling author of THE SEVEN DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE Swan Song is utterly divine.It swept me up and I just couldn't put it down ... it is the writing in this debut novel that astounds most of all. It is vivid, addictive and whips up a terrific portrait of a deeply contradictory and complex man, contrasting scenes from his unorthodox childhood with those from the gilded bubble he ended up in that he lanced through his own actions. Victoria Sadler

I have to admit that prior to reading Swan Song, I knew almost nothing about Truman Capote; I had, of course, heard of his two most famous books, his much-loved novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s and his non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. And thus it was that for me, Swan Song was not only a riveting read, but it too was an informative insight into one of the twentieth century’s most renowned literary darlings.

A stunning debut novel that seamlessly blends history, fact and fiction in this imaginative re-telling of the life of novelist Truman Capote Woman's Weekly A whirlwind of a first novel. There is great pathos in the Swans' woundings and in their inevitable decline. And the character of Truman himself shimmers through the novel in a wonderful blaze of eccentricity and excess. Outstanding .' ROSE TREMAINWhen he writes his next book “Answered Prayers” his friends can not wait to hear what it is going to be about. Truman says “ It’s called Answered Prayers and if it all goes well, it’ll answer mine” Gorgeous... That glittering world - all Dom Perignon, Sobranies, Quaalude and Chanel - is recreated with a lovely eye for detail Robbie Millen, The Times Brilliantly written, deeply researched, funny, sharp and moving, this wonderful book marks the debut of a major talent. Kate Williams, bestselling author of Josephine

A whirlwind of a first novel. There is great pathos in the Swans' woundings and in their inevitable decline. And the character of Truman himself shimmers through the novel in a wonderful blaze of eccentricity and excess. Outstanding." -- Rose Tremain There was too much jumping around, too many unnecessary, almost sentimental scenes, and honestly, after the first two or three of the swan's stories, I started mixing them all together, casting Gloria as Marella and Lee as Slim... The book is dripping with atmosphere and character and is such a pleasure to read. And Then I Read A Book blog This is a world of celebrity, of rich and privileged people who live superficial, meaningless, empty and sad lives. And it is not a world that I enjoyed spending any time in. It also seems to describe a very old story.A boy pampered and indulged well into middle age, courtesy of his unquestioned genius.”The iconic American author, Truman Capote is remembered best for penning such literary classics as Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood – the latter often held to be a watershed in popular culture. He had a flair for self publicity and, throughout the 1960s, was often photographed hobnobbing with the rich and famous in fashionable nightspots. Even as his writing career declined in the following decade, he maintained his celebrity by impishly declaring his brilliance on TV chat shows. Imagine their horror when they realise, that although their names have been changed, this story is all about them and is revealing their deepest secrets. A sparkling debut vividly captures the high society women who punished Capote for his indiscreet reporting The Guardian

Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott’s memorable first novel is a fictionalised reimagining of the later life of Truman Capote, an author whose work so often took factual events and applied to them the techniques of the novel. Swan Song treads that modish no man’s land between fact and fiction, finding resonance in the interplay between what we know of Capote’s life and what we don’t. If, as Capote said, life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act, then Greenberg-Jephcott has constructed a third act for her hero that does him justice, never shying away from presenting him as the preening, bitchy, rancorous alcoholic he became, but also finding ways to show why so many loved him. Hart, Christopher (20 January 2008). "Love hurts – but why does it feel so good?". The Sunday Times. p.18 . Retrieved 20 April 2019. Greenberg-Jephcott’s debut is fizzing with energy and ideas…The novel has style and substance in spades. ObserverThe day Somebody McSomebody put a gun to my breast and called me a cat and threatened to shoot me was the same day the milkman died.” With a grounding in history, it is a fascinating read about the deepest secrets of an iconic author. Hello!