The Jersey Shore is more than the beach days we know and love today. Back in the early 1900s, Cape May — the state’s lowest shore point — was a place for smuggling and bootlegging, especially alcohol, during the Prohibition era.
Williamstown resident and historical fiction novelist Laura Quinn became fascinated by this rich piece of New Jersey history, so much so that she wrote “A Cape May Trilogy” based on it. The second book in trilogy, “No Greater Love,” was released on September 29.
Quinn gave an author talk and book signing at the Free Public Library of Monroe Township on September 25, days before the official release, where she told all about her new story, shared her writing journey, read the first chapter of the book and sold early paperback copies to the room full of attendees. Many attendees were already fans of Quinn and had read the first book in the trilogy, “Thicker Than Water,” which was released in the summer of 2022.
The first two books in Laura Quinn’s “A Cape May Trilogy.”
Her debut trilogy is primarily set in Cape May, though it spans across other areas of South Jersey and Philadelphia. It begins in 1916 and follows siblings Danny and Shannon as they each navigate love interests (Danny with his childhood sweetheart, Jennie, and Shannon with Jennie’s cousin, Hugh, who has been infatuated with Shannon), as well as World War I and its traumatic aftermath, criminal and glamorous activity among the island’s historic landmarks, class differences, and plenty of family conflict and loyalty.
“I knew fairly early on that the story was bigger than one book,” Quinn said on her decision to create a trilogy rather than one very long book or one book with cut story elements. It spans across multiple periods of the characters lives, and it accurately reflects the historical backdrop and how individuals native to these areas lived in those periods.
“The novels take place against major historical events, but I always thought of the history as more of the setting part of the story than the plot,” she said. “The story itself is about the people. It’s about family. It’s about loyalty. It’s about the things we do for the people we love, and what happens when doing the right thing isn’t nearly as simple as we would like it to be.”
The second book begins in the early 1920s, and the characters are faced with more external and internal challenges at the shore.
Quinn said she spent about a year and a half writing her debut novel during the pandemic. Prior to that, she spent about three years researching and planning her story before she even began writing. When she began researching the Prohibition era in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area, she “discovered something so much bigger.”
“Our shoreline, Cape May County in particular, was basically designed for smuggling, and it has a rich history of smuggling dating back before the American Revolution,” she said. “There’s miles of coastline, inlets, marshes, creeks, rivers feeding into all of that vibrant fishing community, and everybody had a boat.”
Author Laura Quinn reading the first chapter of her new novel, “No Greater Love.”
As a new, later-in-life author, she independently published her book and found an editor on her own. (Quinn is a wife and mother of two teens. She previously worked in corporate litigation before having kids. Then she has been working in education, some of the time at Williamstown High School, for about 10 years, while achieving writing goals). She has worked closely with her editor on each of her books, and she said the cost of the editor’s expertise is “worth its weight in gold.”
Her passion for writing developed overtime, mostly after she had kids. She said when her kids were younger, she would often make up stories to tell them while they fell asleep. She eventually grew fond of the stories and characters she was curating, and she began to write on her phone in private. After some time, she finally shared her writing with friends, and it was well received.
Her decision to lean into historical fiction is simple: it is her favorite genre.
“I thought if I’m going to pursue my passion, it’s going to be something that I’m really passionate about,” she said.
The final book in “A Cape May Trilogy” is still in the works. Quinn said she knows where the story will go, but she still needs to write it and complete revisions with her editor. She has been focused on marketing “No Greater Love” in anticipation of its release, so the final book has been on the back burner. However, she promises it is coming, and eager readers will be notified when it is on its way.
To learn more, purchase the first two books and stay updated, go to www.lauraquinnwrites.com.
Laura Quinn’s new novel, “No Greater Love,” is the second book in “A Cape May Trilogy.”
