Author shares inspiration behind book featuring St. Joseph landmarks
By Chris Fortune
After nearly a decade away from St. Joseph, an author returned to the city that served as the setting of her book.
Anna Loan-Wilsey, author of the mystery novel “A Deceptive Homecoming,” spoke about the book’s inspiration at the Pony Express Museum on Friday afternoon to residents, many of whom are members of St. Joseph Reads, a group that read the book prior to her arrival.
Loan-Wilsey, who currently uses the pen name Clara Mckenna, described the visit as a homecoming. She immersed herself in local libraries and museums to understand the city’s history before she wrote the book.
“I want my readers to be able to go and visit and enjoy the history of that city or town, and Saint Joseph is perfect for that,” Loan-Wilsey said. “Everything from Civil War, Jesse James, the Glore Museum — there’s so much here to see and do.”
St. Joseph residents took a guided tour of locations mentioned in “A Deceptive Homecoming” on Wednesday.
“It’s surreal, to be honest,” she said. “It’s a real honor that people liked the book and were inspired enough to want to visit those places and be inspired like I was.”
Some of the most memorable locations in the book Loan-Wilsey visited were the tunnels beneath the Glore Psychiatric Museum, but the Jesse James home allowed her to set the scene for the 19th century.
“I had fun just incorporating that because my story is set in 1893,” she said. “Kind of going back in time and being able to capture that was something I didn’t expect I was able to do.”
St. Joseph Reads organizer Karen Foley said it is an honor to have Loan-Wilsey come to St. Joseph after taking the time to learn the city’s history.
“The fact that she’s now here and can speak was very definitely the highlight of the week for me at least,” she said.
Those who missed Friday’s event can still attend a meet and greet with author Anna Loan-Wilsey at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Story Collective, located at 114 S. Seventh St.
