Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Jess Montgomery's Kinshp series continues: THE HOLLOWS

HALLIE EPHRON: Last year Jess Montgomery's THE WIDOWS came out last year to much acclaim. Library Journal awarded it a starred review, and a tumult of rave reviews praised its gritty historical context, Appalachian setting, and strong female characters.

Good news for us: Now there's a sequel in what Jess Calls her Kinship Historical Mystery Series. THE HOLLOWS is just out, Jess is here to talk about it.

JESS MONTGOMERY:  I didn’t realize that it was the first title in a new series. I thought I’d written a standalone.

Let me back up a bit. I was inspired to write THE WIDOWS after I learned of Ohio’s true first female sheriff, who served in 1925 in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio. The real-life sheriff, Maude Collins, worked as jail matron for her husband, the sheriff, until he was killed in the line of duty. There was no mystery as to who murdered her husband.

But in true writerly fashion, I started wondering… what if there was a mystery? What if no one witnessed the murder, but the sheriff was found dead? What if his wife becomes sheriff, and investigates?

Those what-ifs led to three years of researching, brainstorming, writing and rewriting, and in the process, my first female sheriff in Ohio, Lily Ross, came into being in my imagination and on the page, which she shares with an unlikely ally, Marvena Whitcomb, a widow, union organizer, and childhood friend of Lily’s husband. Their sleuthing plays out against a backdrop of women’s rights, worker’s rights, union miners sparring with management, coal mining, and prohibition.

Honestly, by the time I finished their story in THE WIDOWS, I was tired! I thought I’d wrung out every bit of emotion and detail I could from their story. And creating it had wrung quite a bit of emotion out of me.

Then my brilliant agent sold THE WIDOWS—break out the champagne! —as one of two historical mysteries to be published by Minotaur.
That meant the second mystery could be—but didn’t have to be—a sequel to THE WIDOWS.

So, I started the research for a mystery novel set in the 1960s, a novel idea that I’d had on a backburner of my imagination for quite a few years.

And a few weeks into that process, I had a conversation with my also-brilliant Minotaur Books editor.

I told her about what I was working on, which she found interesting, but…

But she had a what-if of her own.

What if, she suggested, I at least play with the idea of writing further books set in Lily’s and Marvena’s world, in the town of Kinship and in the county of Bronwyn.

My instant response was that I just couldn’t see Lily and Marvena continuing as sleuthing duos without it feeling forced.

Well, my editor said, you don’t have to do it that way. You’ve created a huge cast of characters, built a whole world around them. I want to know more about them, and I think readers will, too. Just think about it.

And so, I did. Truth be told, after hanging up from our chat her words kept echoing in my thoughts: you’ve created a huge cast of characters, built a whole world around them. And my thought in response was: I have?

Talk about being too close to your own work.

With my editor’s nudge, and some more ruminating, I realized that indeed, I did have a whole cast of characters and a story world to play with.

I further realized that in creating a county seat called “Kinship” I hadn’t just named a place—I’d created a setting that symbolizes community. Lily and Marvena both value community, but also their independence, and tension between the notion of serving community versus being true to individual identity and desires strums just under the surface of every scene.

Lily is at the heart of the community, I thought, and as such would need to be one of the main narrators in each Kinship Mystery Series novel.

But just as she and Marvena are dual narrators in the debut title, Lily and another Kinship character could be dual narrators in future novels.

Once I figured all of that out, I put that 1960s backburner standalone idea back on the, well, you know. The backburner. It’s still bubbling away, and I’m sure I’ll give it a stir another time.

I thought back over THE WIDOWS, re-read portions, and realized that there were plenty of secondary characters about whom I, too, wanted to know more. What about her, or her, or him, or…

The secondary character that quietly, shyly, yet insistently, kept raising her hand and whispering, “me, next!” was Hildy Cooper, Lily’s best friend from childhood, and a source of comfort and support in THE WIDOWS.

And so, in THE HOLLOWS, Lily and Hildy are dual narrators, sleuthing together (and sometimes apart), and again experiencing the tension of community expectations and strictures versus individual identities and opinions.

(For fans of Marvena in THE WIDOWS, don’t worry. She’s still in the story, though this time as a secondary character. Some characters, like Hildy, are shy, and others like Marvena… Well, let’s just say she’s not reticent about speaking her mind!)

Now, I look back at my original notion that THE WIDOWS was a standalone—and indeed, it can be read as such—and I must shake my head, just a bit, at myself. On the one hand, I understand why I needed some time, and gentle nudging from my editor, to see the full potential in what I originally created. I’d spent years laser-focused on the story of THE WIDOWS and had grown too close to my own creation. On the other hand, I’m so glad that I finally did understand the potential of The Kinship Mystery Series. It would have been such a missed creative opportunity for me if I hadn’t been open to that editorial suggestion. Rather than feeling like I ‘have’ to write more books in the series, I’m very excited that I ‘get’ to do so.

THE HOLLOWS isn’t just a sequel to THE WIDOWS, it’s the second in the series. As it turns out, I’m contracted for at least books three and four! And I now have ideas for plenty more after that, should I be so lucky.


But in the meantime, I’m celebrating the publication of THE HOLLOWS today! THE HOLLOWS is set in 1926, as Lily runs for election in her own right (rather than in a special appointment and election to fulfill her husband’s term). When an elderly, identified woman is found murdered by the train tracks in a remote part of Bronwyn County, Lily investigates, and soon her friend Hildy is also caught up in the case. Together, they discover a shocking event in their county’s history, even as they deal with the hurts and haunts of their own pasts. I hope you get a chance to read it!

HALLIE: I loved THE WIDOWS so much, and I can't wait to read THE HOLLOWS. I'm guessing the title has more than one meaning, just as the first book did. And I'm eager to go back to that time and that part of the world, and most of all those women.

Prohibition era. Appalachia. Mining. Scrupulous research. Conflict, of course. It all makes for a potent brew that's anything but a traditional mystery series set in "Kinship."


Jess's series got me thinking about the times and places we set mystery novels. St. Mary Meade, of course. Henning Mankell's Ystad. Gillian Fynn's Wind Gap. Louise Penny's Three Pines. And more... books in which the place is virtually a character. What are the settings that have stuck with you?

62 comments:

  1. Happy Book Birthday, Jess! I’m looking forward to returning to Kinship.

    Memorable settings? Julia’s Millers Kill; Harper Lee’s Maycomb, Alabama . . . .

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    1. Thank you Joan! Those are good choices as memorable settings!

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  2. Congratulations on the new release! Your story brought one of my favorite Robert Burns quotes to mind: “Oh would some Power the gift give us, to see ourselves as others see us.” Looking forward to a trip to Kinship.

    Setting is so important, I could happily live in Julia's Millers Kill, that was the first one that came to mind, or Fairstein's New York City with her intricate knowledge of the historical background of the settings.

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    1. Thanks, Kait! What a lovely quote to share! I can see why it's your favorite.

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  3. Oh, goody, Jess! What Hallie said - I can't wait to get back to that setting, era, and most of all, the women. Please thank your editor for me for that nudge, and what a delight you have more books under contract.

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    1. Evocative settings - I love Rhys' early 1900s New York City in the Molly Murphy series, and Vicki Thompson's, too. Frankly, I like to think about my own town of Amesbury in the late 1880s, where I set my Quaker Midwife Mysteries. So many of the old buildings and houses remain and imagining them in an earlier era helps me frame my stories.

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    2. Thanks, Edith! I am blessed to have such a wonderful, sharp editor. Great list of evocative settings. Isn't it amazing how the setting we create in our imaginations can feel just as real as the very place around us?

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    3. I'll put in a fist pump for editors... how lucky can you get when you've got a really good one. And Jess, so many more books under contract!!! Yippee!!

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  4. Julia's Millers Kill and Craig Johnson's Absaroka County, Wyoming are my two favorites.

    Congratulations on the new release, Jess! I can't wait to read it!

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    1. Thank you, Annette! I hope you enjoy it. Those are two great settings--they feel like real places to me, too!

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  5. I somehow missed The Widows, but will rectify that via my Kindle today. Congrats on your growing series, Jess!

    As for settings, definitely Julia's Miller's Kill (though maybe not in a winter story), and Deb's most recent Cotswold countryside (especially the pubs during Sunday lunch). That said, while the setting must be vivid, for me it's the characters who inhabit the setting that call me back to read more from the author.

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    1. Thank you, Amanda! I'm excited to have a growing series. Mmmm... I've yet to have breakfast this morning, but now I'm dreaming of a Cotswold pub for lunch... So true about the characters needing to feel alive and real for a setting to truly work. I think of setting as informing character, and characters making a setting come to life.

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    2. I keep missing those Cotswold Sunday lunches, too!

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  6. I am chuckling to myself because the opening of Amanda's comment above is word-for-word what I had drafted to say myself! Can't wait to read The Widows, then The Hollows. Your setting is particularly attractive to me because my family roots are from Southeastern Ohio, so I anticipate parts of it sounding like family lore.

    I would LOVE to live in Three Pines, of course. I was also completely charmed by Margaret Maron's Colleton County, N.C. I'm pretty fond of Jenn's Briar Creek, too.

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    1. Susan, fantastic! I'll be interested to hear how the novels resonate with your memories and experiences in SE Ohio.

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  7. Congratulations on your new release! PD James creates settings that assume the role of a major character, especially the isolated beach community on the Norfolk headland in Devices and Desires.

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    1. Definitely! Her books make me want to visit Shetland!

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    2. Thank you, Margaret! Yes, PD James was one of my early influences in understanding that setting is, in its own way, a character.

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  8. Setting is so incredibly important. Some of my favorites Culver Valley (from the works of Sophie Hannah), Ann Cleeves' Shetland, Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha county, Millers Kill as mentioned above, Vance Township (from Annette Dashofy's series), the list just goes on and on.

    I love your method into a series Jess. It will keep things from feeling stale and repetitive, which is always a risk in series fiction.

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    1. Thank you, Kristopher! I'm so excited to keep exploring the world of Kinship and Bronwyn County. It's an area, and era, rich with possibilities.

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  9. Jess, you get extra point for showing up BEFORE BREAKFAST! And just an aside, the reviews have been fantastic. "Skilled storyteller Montgomery takes up the issue of racial prejudice as it existed in that place and time in this historical mystery that shines with its strong and appealing female characters."―Booklist -- and we're so happy to be celebrating its pub day!

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    1. Thank you, Hallie! And thank you for sharing that review! I've now had coffee and breakfast . I'm happy to be celebrating here, too!

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  10. I could see that series coming from a mile away, Jess! But I can definitely understand how you needed that nudge from your editor. Lucky for us!

    For a series not mentioned yet, I find the Todds' settings evocative of time and place--while each of their Rutledge books is set in a different part of England, I feel like setting takes on the aspect of a character in their stories. And completely agree about Millers Kill, Three Pines, and the others mentioned.

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    1. This is Flora trying to chime in; the computer pixies are having a grand time in my computers these days!

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    2. Hello, Flora, and thank you! I'm glad that you could see the series potential. Writers can get so close to their own work, so those wise editorial nudges are helpful.

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  11. Jess,I am not one bit surprised that book was the start of a series!

    Setting is very important to me when I read a story - I don't want it to take place any ole where. I want to get to know the place and feel that it's real even if I couldn't find it on a map. Right now I am thinking of Todd Borg's Tahoe books; the lake and surrounding areas are almost another character in the story.

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    1. Judi, thank you! I like that--"I don't want it to take place any ole where." Right! I want to feel as though I've dropped into the place of a story and am experiencing it along with the narrator(s).

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  12. The new book sounds most tantalizing Jess, congratulations. Book locations have had a profound placement in my life. While Arthur Ransome's series Swallows and Amazons is not a mystery, it is the reason why we now live by a lake here in Maine. But to address the topic. Dona Leon's Venice makes me feel I could find my wY around with her maps. Dorothy Sayers, descriptions of Oxford in Gaudy Night. Nevada Barr with our national parks, and Dana Stabenow? spelling, I'm sorry, with images of Alaska. Not to forget Miller's Kill, Key West and Debs' heart tearing description of London. Then there's Ian Rankin's Edinburgh. Oh, it's time to stop, thanks for the question too.

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    1. Celia, I can loan you my copy of THE WIDOWS. It's really good.

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    2. Thank you, Celia! (And thank you Julia for your offer to Celia, and your comment.) How fascinating that a novel setting inspired your current locale. Those are all great settings and authors. Now I want to go re-read and re-explore them!

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  13. I apologize for the off-topic comment. Julia, can you email at cathyaj @ icloud.com? I have a fibromyalgia question for you.

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  14. What a fascinating thought process! And in standalones, you know, unless everyone dies :-) it’s just a slice of life… And If it is a real life, like the one in your book, then it has to go on, right? It’s just a question of whether we know it. This sounds absolutely wonderful. Would you suggest reading them in the order they were written?

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    1. Thank you, Hank! Good point about standalones.THE WIDOWS and THE HOLLOWS can be read independently of one another. I purposefully tried to make it that way for THE HOLLOWS--a little tricky, but worth it, I think. I do know, though, that lots of readers like to read series in order. Either way, I hope readers enjoy dropping into the world of Kinship!

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    2. Yes, it can be tricky, I agree...and some people will NOT read them out of order. I love love that they can, though!

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  15. I loved THE WIDOWS, and had the funniest moment at a party in Bouchercon. I was chating with this interesting woman, and we introduced ourselves, and I said, "Jess Montgomery...Jess Montgomery...why do I know your name?"

    Well, I knew her name because her debut was literally on top of my bedside table back at home. (Another cool moment at the same party was seeing Jess's editor eat a piece of chicken fried steak as big as her head. It was inspiring.)

    Anyway, I loved THE WIDOWS, I think the book worked perfectly as a stand-alone, but I'm really happy THE HOLLOWS is coming out as a sequel! Thank heavens I'm involved with JRW; this is where I get 99% of my book release information from.

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    1. Julia, thank you for sharing that anecdote. I really enjoyed our chat--and lots of laughter. Thank you for your comment about THE WIDOWS too! And I was at the other end of the table from my editor, so I didn't know she'd ordered chicken fried steak!

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  16. Kudos on the new book, Jess. I so enjoyed The Widows and meeting you at Bouchercon. Of course I’ll read the new one!

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    1. Thank you, Finta! So glad you enjoyed THE WIDOWS, and I hope you enjoy THE HOLLOWS too. I will be at both Malice Domestic and Bouchercon again in 2020, so hopefully will see you again!

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  17. The setting usually gets me hooked, but the plot and characters keep me reading. The Widows sounds fascinating. I always love stories about strong women. My favorite settings are usually set in the U.K. but I also love Julia’s Miller’s Kill and Vicki Delaney’s West London(Cape Cod).

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    1. Thanks, Teri! Interesting that setting gets you hooked. I can completely understand that. That's one of the thrills of reading--going somewhere far, far away (in time or place) through a book from where you might actually be--whether in your living room or on a bus or in a coffee shop.

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  18. Jess, The Widows and its background sound absolutely fascinating. Not only the time and place, but the background of your finding the story to write.

    Yes, setting is always a big draw for me. I love books that could not possibly take place anywhere else, in any other time.

    Such as Rhys Bowen's Lady Georgie series in 1930s UK and elsewhere. The place of the series isn't specific, but the community sure is.

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    1. Susan, thank you! I think you make a terrific point about books "that could not possibly take place anywhere else, in any other time." That's my criteria for thinking about the time and place of my stories, especially historicals.

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  19. Congratulations, Jess! It's so nice when we have people who can alert us to the potential in our work.

    I think Mary Pryor does a great job with Paris, and Debs does the same with England (in all the various places).

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    1. Thank you, Liz! I agree-it's wonderful to have people who fill the role of mentors and coaches, no matter their official titles. It took me a little while in my youth to finally 'get' and appreciate the power of being 'coachable.' Now I'm dreaming of Paris and England...

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  20. Congratulations, Jess! And Welcome to Jungle Reds! Great idea to write a mystery on "what ifs".

    Diana

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    1. Thank you, Diana! It's an honor to be here today.

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  21. Congratulations, Jess! I love the premise of your book and can't wait to read it!

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    1. Thank you, Jenn! I appreciate your lovely comment, and hope you enjoy reading THE HOLLOWS!

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  22. Jess, your post sent me down a rabbit hole. As I grew up in Maysville, KY across from southern Ohio, I was curious about your setting and how it connected to a place I treasure. I'm wary of authors writing about Appalachia and where it is and isn't. My hometown is west some miles and hours of where the Appalachia area is, and with the stereotype that has often been projected about Appalachian people, I was a bit protective of assuring people that I was not Eastern Kentucky/Appalachia. Of course, we have the beginnings of hills in my beautiful home. I got over the concern that people might think I'm from "the hills." Of course, now I know what a rich and varied history "the hills" has. In reading about the people of Appalachia and areas surrounding it though, I am picky about the accuracy of location and people. I don't like the term "hillbilly," and I don't like a whole population of an area in Appalachia being portrayed as such. So, it is with care that I choose books set in any of the states in which Appalachia covers. I'm concerned, too, that the awful conditions imposed on people by the coal companies is not sugar coated. So, I looked up Maude and Vinton County, Ohio, where she lived and became sheriff. The seat of Vinton County, McArthur, is only a little over two hours from my hometown of Maysville, but while Maysville got more of a Southern influence, I'm guessing that McArthur got the Appalachian influence, and, of course, the beautiful scenery that goes with it. We didn't really go east in traveling when I grew up. We went west to Cincinnati and southwest to Lexington, KY. Now, I think I should take a trip west of Maysville when I next visit my hometown.

    So, the books set in Appalachia. I've read most of Silas House's fiction and The Dollmaker by Harriette Simpson Arnow (book about an Appalachian mother having to relocate to Detroit with her family). I just finished The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, a book featuring the WPA Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky, and loved the story and characters. That has lead me to order a non-fiction book about the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians, Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt. So, I have become fascinated with the cultures and peoples of Appalachia (and since there are different states involved, that's interesting, too), and I am now on the lookout for stories set there. I just put on my to-buy list Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers (non-fiction, just out on Jan. 7th and a microhistory of the author's Appalachian family, her mother's becoming a mother in her teens). And, now, finally Jess, and of course, not at the least last, is your series that sounds like a great addition to my reading, so going to be adding The Widow and The Hollows to my reading collection on Appalachia. Besides the theme of Appalachia, I seem to be focused on the women of Appalachia, and anyone reading just a couple of books with these strong characters will know why that is.

    Oh, and Jess, in the Wikipedia article about Maude Collins, it says she is a direct descendant of the McCoy clan, through her mother, Fanny McCoy. The Hatfield and McCoy feud is so well-known, but it can be a stereotype. Does your character Lily Ross have this connection? Congratulations on your new book and series that should interest lots of readers.

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    1. Such a thoughtful post, Kathy - thanks for sharing.

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    2. Kathy, thank you for your post!

      I'm a first generation "Buckeye" (Ohioan). My people on both my mother's and father's sides are all from Eastern Kentucky for numerous generations. (Both sides came mainly from Ireland, by way of Virginia, and then settled in Eastern Kentucky.) They were tobacco farmers, with a few coal miners.

      Then, post WWII, they dispersed to various places, but mostly migrating north to work in factories. My father was a tool & die maker, and eventually ran his own machine shop. My parents had me a bit later in life, which is how I ended up being the first person on either side to be born outside of Eastern Kentucky for many generations.

      Though there were pockets of Appalachians in and around the Ohio city where I grew up, there were few and far between in the suburb where we lived. So I heard several taunts outside the home--hillbilly was one. The one I really didn't like was "briar hopper." Somehow, that one bugged me more. And I was in a linguistics class in the local state college before I found out that "might could" and "used to could" and other turns of phrase I took for granted were not considered "standard English."

      Yet, I also was occasionally teased in my extended family, on my mother's side, for being a "Buckeye."

      On the other hand, when we went anywhere outside of where we lived, it was (with one exception when I was 2, so I don't recollect it) to my Grandma Lou's house in Eastern Kentucky. Both parents called it "going home."

      For years, I wished to write about Appalachia, but I felt conflicted. I'm a child of Appalachia, for sure, but I'm also a "buckeye!" It wasn't until I started writing THE WIDOWS that I found that voice--my version, at last, of going home.

      All of this is to say that I hope I've respectfully yet accurately captured the area. Cousins who still live in Eastern Kentucky are fans, and I've heard from many folks who say I have.I do love Silas House's fiction--so good--and I have The Giver of Stars on my TBR list.

      I did know that Maude is descended from the McCoy clan. Eventually, I may weave this in.

      I hope you get a chance to read my work, and that it resonates with you! Thank you again for your post.

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    3. Thanks, Hallie. Jess, I love hearing about your connection to Eastern Kentucky. I hope to meet you in person one day soon and talk more about it. I have to ask you what you called the back of the car where packages were stored. I grew up calling it the boot, one of those English influenced words that drifted down from Appalachia into my part of Kentucky. When I moved to Western Kentucky, after I married, the first time I said boot of the car to my mother-in-law, she asked me what I was talking about. She knew it only as the trunk. Hahaha! I am excited about reading your books, Jess, and if you're at Bouchercon this year, we must meet up.

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  23. Your books sound wonderful, Jess! Years ago when we lived in NE Ohio we had some land down near Barnesville. Whole other world there! The locals had a name for the big city folks they didn't care for-Akronites. As for settings, I'm trying to dredge up some that haven't been mentioned yet. Santa Fe. Regency-era London. Definitely the Appalachians.

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    1. Thank you, Pat! Yes, southern Ohio and norther Ohio are very different. I'd even say the four quadrants are very different from one another. Those regionalisms are probably true of every state, for those who know the state intimately. Hope you get to read my books, and hope you enjoy them!

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  24. I can't wait to read these books.

    Setting is what takes me from simply reading a book to actually experiencing it. I feel like I've been served a warm croissant in Oliver's bistro, played board games at the kitchen table with Gemma and Duncan, walked the streets of Long Piddleton with Melrose and Richard.

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    1. Thank you, Amy! I hope you enjoy them. I like that comment--"Setting is what takes me from simply reading a book to actually experiencing it." So true--and what lovely examples you give!

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  25. I started reading this morning, hadn't gotten far when my memories took over, I remember the panel discussion at Bouchercon and wanting to find your book. A woman doing anything that is considered new or unusual for the time fascinates me. Thanks for reminding me to find your books. Location, location, location: I want have a meal in Bruno's part of France. Of course I'm going to visit Three Pine and Miller's Kill. Key West is a place I never would thought to visit either. Julia Keller's West Virginia is now temping me.

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    1. Deana, thank you, and so glad you're reading my book--and thrilled you remember the wonderful panel I was on at Bouchercon! And yes, those are all tempting settings!

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