Jess Montgomery | Places that feel like home (even when, technically, they’re not)

My novel, THE WIDOWS, is set In 1920s Appalachia, specifically in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio. It was inspired by Ohio’s true first female sheriff in 1925, Maude Collins, who became sheriff after her husband was killed in the line of duty.

Lily, my main character, likewise becomes sheriff after her
husband dies in the line of duty, but here, the story diverges into fiction. In Lily’s case, no one
is sure who killed her husband, Daniel, and Lily doesn’t buy into the “escaping prisoner”
explanation.

As she investigates, she meets a childhood friend of
Daniel’s, Marvena. This novel is not a love triangle, but Marvena, as Daniel’s oldest friend,
knows a lot about his background that Lily doesn’t, that Daniel kept from her. Likewise, Lily
knows a great deal that Marvena doesn’t. Together, they solve the mystery of his murder, save
their community from disaster, and in the process, grow as individuals and become friends.

So, since they live just miles apart, how do they not know
each other?

Appalachia is challenging terrain, even today with good
roads in many areas. In 1925, it would have been difficult to travel from one hill or holler to the
other, especially since Marvena not only doesn’t have an automobile, she doesn’t drive!

My family of origin is from Appalachia (Eastern Kentucky) and often talked about how hard it was to get from one place to another. One could be both miles and worlds apart! I once had someone argue with me that Appalachia does not include Ohio-but it does, the southeastern portion, 20-plus counties of the available 88! For THE WIDOWS, I formed Bronwyn County - not an actual county in Ohio, but it takes in portions of the real Vinton and Athens counties, as well as bits of the counties adjacent to the north. I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful rolling hills of Appalachia, the coal mining area, and the farmland.

Though I did not grow up in Appalachia (I was born just
outside, after my parents, part of the post-WWII migration out of the area for factory jobs), I
visited often as a child. As mentioned, my parents and the generations before them were from
Eastern Kentucky. I felt a kinship with the beautiful mountains and valleys-"hills and hollers"-
and though by birthright I wasn't from there, I knew that, deep down, yes, really, I was.
Whenever my parents said, “we’re going home for the weekend,” meaning a visit to my
grandmother’s house, I didn’t question it. I knew exactly what they meant, and how they felt.

I’m fascinated by people’s stories of places they can't
technically claim as a birthplace, yet feel as though it’s “theirs.” By stories of visiting a place
that feels familiar somehow, even with a first visit. Or stories of feeling drawn to a place you
not yet visited.

In this story, I hope readers will feel immediately drawn in, not just by characters and plot, but by the world I’ve created from real places, my own experiences, and my imagination.