A sulfur sky poisoned her family and her heart. Now revenge tastes sweeter than justice.
It’s 1900. In a Pennsylvania coal town tainted by corruption and pollution, Charlotte's world collapses when her parents meet a tragic end. Sent to a foster family in a Maryland fishing village, she’s fueled by grief and embarks on a relentless quest for justice against the ruthless coal boss, Nels Pritchard.
But Charlotte is no ordinary girl. She shares the fiery spirit of her father, whose powerful speeches inspired worker riots. With a burning desire for vengeance, she sets out to uncover the truth behind Pritchard's crimes, unearthing a shocking connection between the town's toxic air and the lifeless fish washing up on the shore of her Chesapeake Bay foster town.
To expose the truth, Charlotte builds a network of unexpected allies. There are gutsy suffragists, a literary society of teenage girls willing to print the truth… and Weylan. The captivating young man lost his own family to Pritchard’s poison. He offers support, but Charlotte questions his true motives when he lures her to break the law. Could she be falling into a dangerous trap, leading her to a fate worse than poison?
With her unwavering spirit and determination, Charlotte must forge alliances and navigate a web of treachery before Pritchard seeks his own ruthless revenge.
The newest book by award-winning author Jennifer M. Lane is perfect for fans of Jeannette Walls’ Hang the Moon and the fiery protagonist in The Hunger Games. Join Charlotte in this small town, coming-of-age dystopian historical saga as she finds resilience, courage, and triumph in her search for identity, independence, and her true home.
Welcome, Jennifer!
Please make yourself at home. Would you prefer tea or coffee, or perhaps something more…fortifying?
<Whiskey please!>
Ooh, a nice treat. I hope you like a nice Irish Tullamore. I'm more of a Scotch whisky aficionado...
Before we begin, please introduce yourself.
I’ve always been a history lover. I remember riding in the car as a child wondering what the road and the landscape looked like during colonial times. Being surrounded by history growing up on the Chesapeake Bay and in the Philadelphia region, history was everywhere, and it inspired my imagination. As an adult, I have a museum studies degree, and I always enjoyed working with primary source documents and Early American Material Culture.
Could you tell us a little about your book and what inspired you to set your novel during this particular period in history?
Downriver is a result of intersecting interests. I’ve wanted to set a book in my Chesapeake Bay hometown for quite some time. I was also inspired by the coal patch town near where my partner, Matt, grew up. The history of anthracite coal country is fascinating. Worker uprising and unionizing, railroad history, the Molly Maguires. There’s murder, mystery, dramatic court cases, criminal justice conspiracies. It’s an endless source of inspiration.
It sounds utterly intriguing – perfect for an historical fiction writer!
When researching this era, did you come upon any unexpected surprises?
The most surprising thing involved another manuscript I wrote, set in a different era. I had already drafted a book set in 1794, during the Whiskey Rebellion. I’d stumbled upon the name Tench Coxe while reading letters sent between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and I loved the name so much I named a character after him. Then, while writing Downriver, I discovered that the land Eckley Miner’s Village sits on was once owned by the real Tench Coxe. He made shingles there before it grandson, Eckley Coxe, shifted to mining.
Your novel deals with environmental damage and workers’ rights, at a time when both were still deemed controversial. How did you approach these topics within their historic setting?
The broader legal issues get more page time in the second book in the series, and I’ve been excited to weave that history into the story. (No spoilers, but in 1900 Missouri sued Chicago for dumping sewage in the river, and the Supreme Court case might help Charlotte.) Because there is no EPA and there are no guidelines or laws preventing the coal boss from polluting the waterways, she doesn’t have a modern legal course to follow. Instead, like the coal miners, she has to rely on the power of the people.
What do you think is the most challenging aspect of writing Historical Fiction during this era?
The Tiffany Effect. The year 1900 is modern enough that high schools existed. You could buy matchsticks, devilled ham in a can, and a ditto machine. There were automobiles, and though they were somewhat rare, they were more locally-made than they are today. Immersing myself in that era has been a fun and much more modern experience than my favorite era of the American Revolution.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
I love Hazel’s snark, but Weylan really gets put through the wringer over the course of the trilogy. I don’t want to give anything away, but goodness does that man suffer. Any time you inflict that kind of suffering on a supporting character, it’s hard not to feel a little extra bad for them.
And lastly, what are you working on next?
I’m still plugging away on the Whiskey Rebellion romance. I’ll return to the sequel to Downriver soon, and I’m researching the life of America’s first woman ironmaster for a work of biographical historical fiction. So many projects and so little time.
That sounds very interesting. I bet your research is fascinating. Best of luck with your various projects!
Many thanks for your time, Jennifer. It was a pleasure to host you.
Thank you for having me! This has been a pleasure!
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