Jen Marie Wiggins's first book, the gifty nonfiction title Married AF: A Funny Guide for the Newlywed or Bride, was published in 2022. She has a background in advertising and public relations, and her writing has appeared in Southern Coastal Weddings, Savannah Magazine, Savannah Homes, and elsewhere.
Wiggins's new novel is The Good Bride.
My Q&A with the author:
How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?Visit Jen Marie Wiggins's website.
The Good Bride plays into the story on several levels. Ruth has been talked into this large wedding as a means of promoting her beloved coastal summer town which was decimated by a hurricane. She is also a people pleaser and concerned with doing the right thing in the impossible situations she’s placed in by her family.
What’s in a name?
I gave my main character the name of Ruth because it means loyal which is a trait that defines her on many levels. At the beginning of The Good Bride, she struggles with being able to stand up for herself to her family. When things go awry and all these creepy things happen, I wanted part of her journey to be finding and drawing on a new strength within herself.
How surprised would your teenage reader-self be by your novel?
Very! I don’t think my teenager self would believe I wrote one. I always loved reading and writing but the idea of being a writer terrified me. It was somethingI always wanted to do and came to later in life after I turned 40 and summoned the courage. (so I suppose maybe I am a bit more like Ruth than I realize lol)
Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change
I start with the end in mind and tend to bounce around. With my new book, I am using more of an outline than I have in the past. Writing is progressive and it’s usually one scene, one character’s point of view that stokes the muse.
Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?
I think everyone struggles with wanting to please others. I definitely have a much stronger personality than Ruth. I tend to say what I think. I do have two sisters like Ruth (though they are nothing like her crazy sisters.) It was fun to draw on that playfulness that sisters share and how only family can and will say certain things to you.
What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?
Pat Conroy made me want to become a writer. There was something about the honesty in his writing that really spoke to me. Carol Joyce Oates and Wally Lamb also influenced me.
My Book, The Movie: The Good Bride.
--Marshal Zeringue