This week on Jen’s Jewels, I’m thrilled to welcome bestselling author Wade Rouse, who writes under the beloved pen name Viola Shipman. Known for his heartfelt novels that celebrate family, tradition, and resilience, Wade’s latest book, THE PAGE TURNER, offers a witty and insightful look into the world of publishing, the power of storytelling, and the voices we too often silence. Inspired by his own journey and the unwavering influence of his grandmother, THE PAGE TURNER is a love letter to readers, writers, and the stories that shape our lives. Join me as we dive into the inspiration behind the novel, Wade’s personal connection to its themes, and what’s next for this talented storyteller.
Jennifer Vido: THE PAGE TURNER gives readers a witty and insightful look into publishing. What drew you to this topic, and how did your real-life experiences influence the story?
Wade Rouse: I recently signed a new, three-book contract, and it made me stop – as I turn sixty – to think deeply about what types of books I wanted to continue to write. That led me back to my grandma – my pen name, Viola Shipman – and to how a woman who never finished high school used her voice and her stories to inspire me, and who first led me to the things that would save me: Books, reading and writing. “When you know who you are, you are free, and that is the greatest gift,” my grandma once told me. “No matter if the world hears your voice or not.” The world didn’t listen to a poor, uneducated woman, but I did: THE PAGE TURNER is about finding the strength to utilize that unique voice God gave each of us to change the world but the voice we too often bury out of fear and compromise. Chances are your voice has grown so dim that you don’t hear it and can’t use it anymore. This novel is about rediscovering the strength to use our voices because - when we finally do - we are not only heard but we change the world – even if we think no one is listening. THE PAGE TURNER is also a tribute to women like my grandmother love unconditionally and sacrifice everything to change our lives. I hope you love it.
Jen: Emma’s struggle between literary expectations and her love for romance novels is
incredibly relatable. How much of your writing journey influenced her character?
Wade: In many ways, I am Emma, and her journey is mine. I grew up reading everything with my grandmothers, who not only volunteered at the local library but also would pull romance novels off the rounders in the grocery store and take them to our log cabin. As I grew older, I read the books they did, from Erma Bombeck and Shogun to Tom Wolfe, Harold Robbins, Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins. Many of the so-called “romance novels” featured women who overcame great obstacles in their lives to find love and success, or who were redefining literature by being the ones in charge in a male-dominated world. I learned to love all kinds of writing, but realized I was drawn to stories – like the stories my grandmas shared with me about their lives and the books we read together – that were “universal” in nature, ones that center on love, family and friendship. Much of this novel centers on what I’ve experienced writing fiction: Why are books that focus on “women’s issues” often deemed less than by some critics and readers? I ask in the novel why books that center on female characters and the issues of their lives – all of our lives – labeled as chick lit, or fluff, when other novels are simply called literature? Why are stories that center on the most important parts of our lives considered less worthy of attention and wide readership if they do not include blood, murder, bad words, or seek to intentionally divide us? All of this has inspired my writing journey and Emma’s in the novel.
Jen: The settings in THE PAGE TURNER - from the Hamptons to Lake Michigan—are beautifully described. Do you have a personal connection to these places?
Wade: Thank you, and, yes, I do. Setting is as big a character in my novels as the characters themselves: I like to look deeply at how place makes us who we are, and how we change when we change where we exist. I’ve been fascinated of late writing about dual settings and the impact that has on my characters. THE PAGE TURNER is set in two stunning resort areas I love, South Haven, Michigan (the blueberry capital of the world) and the Hamptons – that are so similar but so different, and the clash of cultures are rich to explore.
Jen: Family drama plays a significant role in this book. What do you hope readers take away
from Emma’s relationships with her parents and sister?
Wade: THE PAGE TURNER is about the complicated beauty that is family– the good, the bad, the ugly, the unsaid, the screamed – and how they can drive us insane one minute and then wrap us in their arms and save us the next. No family is perfect. We know our parents and siblings so deeply that we know what buttons to push. We also spend so much of our lives trying to please our family, and that takes a toll on us. Many times, our parents (and elders) only show us a fraction of their lives and keep their pasts and pain buried in order to keep us safe. As I write in THE PAGE TURNER, “An acorn is like a secret: Whether or not it ever grows to see the light depends on how deep you bury it.” Family secrets will always come to light.
Jen: Your pen name, Viola Shipman, is a tribute to your grandmother. What’s something about her or your family history that readers might not know?
Wade: Aww, such a great question: My grandmother – like so many of us – suffered great loss in her life, including a child who was stillborn at birth, the death of her daughter (my aunt) at a young age as well as the loss of her grandson (my brother, Todd) at 17. And somehow, someway, every day, she saw the good in life and people and found a way to take a step forward and continue to spread optimism, joy and love. That is a rare gift, and one you don’t realize is a gift until you, too, have experienced great loss and need that foundation in order to move forward a step, a moment, a day at a time. When I get tired, or whine and complain, or take life – no matter how hard it gets – for granted, I remember her, and that gives me hope.
Jen: You’ve written bestselling novels celebrating family, tradition, and resilience. Are you
currently working on your next book?
Wade: Yes, and my next novel is very different. It’s a book that has called me to write it for years. It’s titled THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, and it will be published in hard cover in spring 2026 under my own name, Wade Rouse. It’s a hilarious and deeply poignant exploration of family, faith and friendship featuring four men of a certain age (“The Golden Gays”) – each similar in personality to the characters on The Golden Girls – who not only perform a popular theatrical show celebrating the sitcom but also live communally in a beautiful mid-century home in Palm Springs until age, illness, estrangement and secrets test their friendship pact. I couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world.
Jen: Your stories resonate deeply with readers. How do you like to connect with your audience, whether online or in person?
Wade: I take this very seriously and pride myself on personally connecting with each and every reader. I consider my readers to be family and friends. I spend countless hours on social media connecting with readers, and I try to do this in a way that is deeply personal. When I comment on social media, it’s always me. I try to respond to each and every reader. It is the same in person: I take time on tour and at signings to hug on each and every reader, and listen to their stories. They share as much with me about their lives as I do with them. And I am forever humbled and grateful to have this connection: I never take it for granted that readers take time not only to read my books but also to reach out to me. I honor that. That could be reading any other author (And I make my book tours are really fun, too!)
Jen: What’s something about you that readers might be surprised to learn?
Wade: I lost 120 pounds in my thirties at the same time as I was writing my first book (and also when I ran my first marathon), and have kept the weight off for nearly thirty years. My health and my writing are deeply intertwined. I compare writing to running: It’s cumulative. I never thought I could write a book and I never dreamed I could run 26.2 miles, but you write a page, or run a mile, and then add to that the next day, and – all of a sudden – you have a hundred pages, or have put in 12 miles. I write in the morning (from about six a.m. to noon) and then immediately work out or run. As I do (always without music), I work through what I’ve written that morning (the more physically exhausted I get, the more mentally alive I become) and then race back to my office to (sweatily) make edits to what I’ve written, what needs work and where I want to head the next day.
Jen: What’s on your TBR list? Are there any upcoming books you’re especially excited to read?
Wade: I have a loooong list of books waiting, but it’s hard to read right now between book tour, edits to next year’s book and a new book due end of August. I cannot read when I’m working on a new book or doing edits, as other storylines and voices distract me. That said, I have been reading a lot lately, and have been quite moved – and changed – by the Zibby Owens anthology, On Being Jewish Now.
Jen: Thank you for sharing the inspiration behind THE PAGE TURNER! I can’t wait to see what’s next for you.
Wade: Thank you for having me! You know how much I adore you!
A young romance writer makes a discovery that throws her elitist family into chaos in this sharp, witty and entirely delightful family drama for fans of Elinor Lipman and Jennifer Weiner.
Emma Page grew up the black sheep in a bookish household, raised to believe that fine literature is the only worthy type of fiction. Her parents, self-proclaimed “serious” authors who run their own vanity press, The Mighty Pages, mingle in highbrow social circles that look down on anything too popular or mainstream, while her sister, Jess, is a powerful social media influencer whose stylish reviews can make or break a novel.
Hiding her own romance manuscript from her disapproving parents, Emma finds inspiration at the family cottage among the “fluff” they despise: the juicy summer romances that belonged to her late grandmother. But a chance discovery unearthed from her Gigi’s belongings reveals a secret that has the power to ruin her parents’ business and destroy their reputation in the industry—a secret that has already fallen into the hands of an unscrupulous publishing insider with a grudge to settle. Now Emma must decide—as much as she’s dreamed of the day when her parents are forced to confront their own egos, can she really just sit back and watch The Mighty Pages be exposed and their legacy destroyed?
From the wealthy enclaves of the Hamptons to the sparkling shores of Lake Michigan, The Page Turner is a delectable glimpse inside the world of publishing, and Viola Shipman’s most glittering achievement yet!
Women's Fiction Family Life [Graydon House, On Sale: April 8, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781525804878 / eISBN: 9780369732743]
Wade Rouse is the USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and #1 internationally bestselling author of 20 books, including five memoirs, 12 novels and three holiday novellas. 2025 will be a big year with three books being published, including his latest Viola Shipman novel, The Page Turner.
Wade’s books have been translated into nearly 30 languages and have been bestsellers across the world. His novel, The Secret of Snow, was recently optioned for a TV movie.
Wade chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, as a pen name to honor the working poor Ozarks seamstress whose sacrifices changed his family’s life and whose memory inspires his fiction.
Wade’s books have been selected multiple times as Must-Reads by NBC’s Today Show as well as Michigan Notable Books of the Year.
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry, earning acclaim as the award-winning author of the Gull Island series. Her debut novel, "Serendipity by the Sea," secured the prestigious Best First Book award from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. In 2024, Vido's talent garnered further accolades, with Baltimore Magazine readers naming her Best Local Author in their annual Best of Baltimore poll, while the Baltimore Sun acknowledged her with an Honorable Mention in their Best of 2024 Author category. When not writing fiction, she interviews authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, leads water exercise classes, and directs a legal nonprofit. Currently residing in Maryland, she and her husband are proud parents to two grown sons and a rescue dog named Fripp.
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