Novelist’s writing roots run deep to Norton High days

PHOTO PROVIDED

Jen Marie Wiggins

By EMILY CANNING-DEAN
BGNN staff writer

NORTON  With her first novel released, Jen Marie Wiggins was thrilled to see her book mentioned in People Magazine.

But the 1993 Norton High School graduate got her first writing gig at a much smaller publication.

“My aunt, Barb Minier, worked for the Barberton Herald and she got me a job writing for Panther Pause in the Herald,” Wiggins said. “I would write the news about Norton High School. It was a lot of fun. I think deep down I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but I was scared that it seemed too unattainable.”

Now a resident of Savannah, Georgia, Wiggins is preparing for the release of her novel, “The Good Bride,” described as a domestic thriller that takes place in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast.

“It’s a fictional town, but I got the inspiration from a quaint little town in the Florida panhandle called Mexico Beach,” she said. “We vacationed there our whole lives, but the town was decimated by Hurricane Michael in 2018. It was heartbreaking. That was around the time when Prince Harry was marrying Meghan Markle and I remember thinking ‘What if Mexico Beach could get that kind of press to help them recover.’”

The plot of “The Good Bride” takes place one year after a devastating hurricane destroyed the small, fictional town. Bride to be Ruth Bancroft is the youngest of three daughters belonging to a wealthy family and the wedding is carefully curated to promote the town as they struggle to rebuild.

“The middle daughter is a social media influencer and as sisters do, she has taken it upon herself to plan the wedding,” Wiggins said.
But while the plans are well-intentioned, tensions begin to rise between the family and the bridal party. Long-buried secrets come to light and accusations start to fly. A series of gunshots rock the rehearsal dinner and a high-profile guest goes missing.

“One of the things that I think separates The Good Bride from a lot of suspense novels is that the main character is someone you can really root for,” Wiggins said. “Often in a suspense novel, all of the characters are just awful people, but the main character is someone who is very likeable.”

Wiggins’ excitement for the release of this first novel heightened when she saw “The Good Bride” mentioned in People Magazine this fall.

“It was an article where best selling authors were asked to mention what they considered to be the most anticipated books of 2025,” Wiggins said.

“Kimberly Belle, who is a well-known suspense author out of Atlanta, mentioned my book.”

“The Good Bride” is available wherever books are sold published by Crooked Lane Books. Anyone interested in ordering the book can find more information at www.jenmariewiggins.com.

Wiggins earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising and worked in public relations and marketing and also as a teacher. She has also worked as a freelance writer with her writing featured in Southern Coastal Weddings, Savannah Magazine, Literary Mama, Lithub and CrimeReads.
In 2022, she published an illustrated book called Married AF: A Funny Marriage Guide for the Newlywed or Bride.

“Think of it as if Dr. Seuss wrote a book about marriage,” she said. “It’s basically a fun bridal shower gift.”

Currently, Wiggins is working on a second novel.

“I can’t really talk about it yet, but it is another suspense novel,” she said.

Wiggins said she encourages anyone who loves to write to follow their dream.

“I think you just can’t give up,” she said. “It’s a really hard industry, but just put your head down and keep writing and reading.”