by Jess Montgomery | Apr 16, 2020 | History, Inspiration, Story Behind the Story, The Hollows, The Widows
My protagonist, Lily Ross, is inspired by Ohio’s true first female sheriff in 1925, Maude Collins. In real life, Maude’s husband, Fletcher, was killed in the line of duty as sheriff of Vinton County, Ohio. Maude worked as his jail matron. After his non-mysterious but...
by Jess Montgomery | Aug 22, 2019 | Gratitude, History, Story Behind the Story, The Widows
One of the many delights (and challenges) of writing historical fiction is finding specific historical details that are new to me. In writing THE WIDOWS, I researched coal mining history, specifically in southeastern Ohio and the nearby region. I was stunned to come...