by Jen Turano
As many readers know, I write historical romantic comedies set in the Gilded Age. More specifically, I write about members of high society who belong to the exclusive New York Four Hundred—those who associate with the likes of Caroline Astor, Mamie Fish, or Alva Vanderbilt. I usually set my books in the glittering worlds of New York City, Newport, or Chicago, but for my latest release, Meeting Her Match, I have taken my heroine, Miss Camilla Pierpont, out of New York and plopped her into Wheeling, West Virginia.
Now some may think this was an interesting choice, but I grew up twelve miles away from Wheeling in a small town called St. Clairsville, Ohio—just across the Ohio Valley River. Before there were malls, everyone shopped in downtown Wheeling. I spent many an enjoyable afternoon with my mom visiting all the family-owned department stores and eating at a place called the Hamburger Inn. One had to climb super sketchy steps to reach the restaurant, but wow, did they make a fabulous hamburger. Their fries were also to die for.
For years, I’ve been wanting to set one of my stories close to where I grew up, and when Camilla Pierpont began to take shape, I thought she might be perfect for Wheeling. She would give me a fish-out-of-water situation to write, given that she’s a New York heiress from the upper echelons of society. In those days, New York society leaders would have never ventured into what they considered the wilds of West Virginia. Camilla is no exception.
After deciding that I would take Camilla to Wheeling, the story began to take on a life of its own. I began reaching out to old friends who’d grown up in the Ohio Valley to get their take on specific places as well as help me with the vernacular of the area. The speech in that area is different from anywhere else in the country. People from the Ohio Valley have a very distinctive accent, and while my accent has faded over the years, every time I return to my hometown, I pick the accent right up again. People will ask me about it for months after I’ve returned home to Colorado.
Besides shaking down my friends for their take on that area, I dove into my regular research process—hunting down books, blogs, and newspaper articles that referenced Wheeling during the Gilded Age. I was amazed to realize how much I did not know about the town, even though I’d roamed around it for the eighteen years.
For example, during the latter half of the nineteenth century, Wheeling had a greater income per capita than New York City. I had no idea. To me, Wheeling always seemed a little shabby and worn around the edges. By the time I got to middle school, a mall had been built in my town which spelled the beginning of the end of downtown Wheeling.
But during the Gilded Age, Main Street bustled with department stores, jewelry stores, a cigar factory (you can still see a painted advertisement for Marsh Wheeling Stogies on one of the buildings,) and a nail factory that produced nails for most of the United States. Main Street was also home to theaters and fine restaurants. The city even had its own version of the “New York Four Hundred,” although there were only two hundred prominent families who participated in the Wheeling social scene. That was two hundred more than I would have imagined before I began my research.
To add more local flavor to my story, I went back to my hometown in person and spent hours exploring Wheeling Island, where many of the old houses still stand. Most are built about a half story higher than normal houses, with steep steps leading to the front door so that when the island floods (yes, it floods often because it’s right in the middle of the Ohio River), the furnished floors are protected. That research is exactly why the hero of Meeting Her Match, Mr. Owen Chesterfield, has a house on Wheeling Island and a second country home that’s been built outside the city. Many prominent families had second homes because the steel mills created intolerable smog.
Researching this story was an absolute delight because it allowed me to wander down memory lane. I hope readers will enjoy this glimpse of a place I still consider home.
About the Author
Named one of the funniest voices in inspirational romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today bestselling author known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publishers Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from RT Book Reviews, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. She and her family live outside Denver, Colorado. Readers can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and at JenTurano.com.
About the Book
Miss Camilla Pierpont, a renowned matchmaker and influential member of the New York Four Hundred, has vowed never to marry after suffering a devastating heartbreak during her debut years ago. However, when she is nearly abducted along the Hudson River, she finds herself rescued by an annoyingly outspoken, albeit fascinating, gentleman who challenges her in a manner she wasn't expecting.
Did You Know?
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Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore
“I walk into a bookstore like a kid entering a toy store. I love exploring my favorite genres in search of a new friend or my next adventure.”
-Debbie W. Wilson, Little Strength, Big God
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