Hello Dear Reader, May 2022
I’m happy to write and tell you that interest in gilded age America is alive and well and the AMERICAN GILT TRILOGY has been quickly gaining new fans. As an author, it is good to know that after countless hours of writing and research the AMERICAN GILT TRILOGY has over one million pages read on Kindle E-readers alone!
The gilded age is an era in history that I find intriguing and mysterious – while also being outraged at the social injustice and inhumanity of the time. Tremendous wealth built family dynasties (and egos) while children slept barefoot on New York streets huddled together for warmth. As a young country, America was churning with modernization and industrialization while finding its social identity and defining it into laws.
My intrigue and fascination with one young débutant, Sara Swan Whiting, led me deep into the gilded age as I imagined myself in Sara’s shoes. This true tale was a scandalous stain on both families, therefore, a distinct effort was made to bury the incident deep in the past.
I felt Sara had unfairly borne the brunt of the scandal as a young woman, as did her daughter, Natica. Therefore, I took it upon myself to write the AMERICAN GILT TRILOGY and reintroduce the scandal to modern day America for your consideration.
Try as we might though, our modern sensibilities object to the social constraints of the gilded age. We might imagine ourselves reacting differently in the situations that faced a young Sara; stronger, bolder, braver. But are we?
It is impossible to know as we will always see the past through the filter of the present, and women’s rights and a woman’s place in the world have changed dramatically in the past 140 years or so. For that reason alone women must take notice of their independence gained through time.
I will begin posting monthly blogs and expanding the AG pinterest and instagram pages. Videos, photos and info on podcast interviews and speaking engagements will be posted on the AMERICAN GILT website as well as the Amazon author page. I hope you’ll join in!
In closing, I want to THANK my fans and readers for your interest and support – and for sharing the novels with your friends, book club members and fellow readers.
You made a difference!
Sincerely,
J.D. Peterson
Author – AMERICAN GILT TRILOGY