Joan McGlone Interview

Speaker 1 00:00:08 Welcome to pls J'S podcast for the public library of Steubenville and Jefferson County shares with you our favorite quirky questions finds out with leaders in our community are reading interviews, local authors, and so much more. This podcast is part of the out and about series where we talk to business and community leaders, organizations, and anyone outside library doors to learn a little more about them personally and professionally. And as always, we'll find out what they're reading. Speaker 1 00:00:43 Love the Mafia and an Abusive Marriage. The House on Seventh Street by Joan Malone is written as fiction, but steeped in truth of the lives of Joan mother and grandmother set in the late forties and early fifties. Welcome, Joan. Thank you so much for being here today, and you will be making an appearance at our shopper branch library to talk about the book and sell copies of it. So we appreciate the time you are taking to be at the library as well as today. So first the book, I noticed right away wanna talk a little bit about it, but it's dedicated to Nancy and I was just wondering who Nancy is. Okay. Speaker 2 00:01:20 And actually it's dedicated to Nancy, n a n s y, and that is what my children called. Speaker 1 00:01:29 Okay. I just thought it was a different variation of Nancy. So Nancy. Okay. So tell us a little bit about the book in your own words. Speaker 2 00:01:37 So, growing up we always, as adults, we always told my grandmother that her life story would be a great book or a great movie. And, uh, as an adult I just thought her story needed to be told. So, um, that was part of it. And during the pandemic is when I actually sat and wrote it and, uh, it's labor of love basically to get my grandmother's story out there. Speaker 1 00:02:03 Yeah. I feel like I'm sitting with three generations here. Why did you choose to write the book as fiction? Speaker 2 00:02:10 Well, there is fiction in it, but there's a lot of the, uh, of my grandmother's story in there and there's a lot of truth in the book. But, um, I did change some of the names of people in places, so it had to be fiction and then also to make the story flow better, added some fiction in it. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So that was why. Speaker 1 00:02:36 Yeah, because to me it read more like a biography than, you know, than like an actual story. But I mean, it is, you know, sentence story and that's kinda like how I had the sense. I was just more basically just learning about her life. And, uh, did you ever get the chance to ask your grandmother, I don't know how old you were when she passed away, Like why did she stay in such an, a horrific abusive situation? Speaker 2 00:03:00 Yes. Well, back then you didn't leave your spouse. That really, uh, wasn't something that was done back in that day, especially in this town, and especially with the mafia influence. Like, she left him several times only to be brought back. I have a distinct memory as a young girl when she did leave him and she lived in the little apartment of go, my mother and I, I maybe like six years old, we walked to go and see her and my mother was holding my hand and we were going up and down zigzagging through streets and alleyways, and my mom kept looking behind her to make sure that we weren't being followed. Speaker 1 00:03:46 Wait, how did that impact you as a child? Were you wondering like, what is going on here? Speaker 2 00:03:51 Yeah, I I had no clue. She was like, We're gonna go see grandma. Yeah. And, uh, you know, he, he, back then, that was, I don't wanna say the norm, but back then, um, Speaker 1 00:04:05 Different mindset of women. Speaker 2 00:04:07 Exactly. That was your husband, You stayed married to him because, you know, you took, took that bow, you know, strong Catholics. So that was, you know, the, the marriage vows were, uh, held sacred mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, uh, so she just tried to survive as best as she could. Speaker 1 00:04:29 What parts are fiction in the book of the Speaker 2 00:04:32 Story? Okay, so, uh, the Bruno character, um, I, through my re and I did a lot of research, um, uh, at the library and spoke to a lot of different people that knew her and knew the story. But when I was doing that, I thought Bruno's part, I knew certain things about him, but his backstory in Italy mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I knew he was involved with the mafia back there. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So a lot of his backstory in Italy was, was fiction. That part was, uh, made up. Speaker 1 00:05:09 I know I was wondering too, um, like the part where it sends her down to the basement basically to get, I mean those, all that truth in that Speaker 2 00:05:20 Sometimes Jennifer, I was sitting there typing and I felt like, it's gonna sound crazy, but I felt like my grandmother was telling me what to put on paper. Mm. Yeah. It, it just came and then I would sit and read what I wrote and thought, Wow, where did this Speaker 1 00:05:36 Come from? And did you just find yourself very emotional and, Oh, cry Probably <laugh>, just outpour of, of emotions I would think while writing this and, and at reading the finished product. And how did it feel reading, you know, what you had written Yeah. At the end and parts Speaker 2 00:05:53 Of it were really difficult to write, um, at obviously the, the, uh, abuse parts Yes. Um, were very difficult. And like I said, I feel like she had a part in me writing what I wrote. I would sit and read it back pretty much daily to just see the flow of the story. And, uh, there were many times where my husband would come home from work and I'd be sitting at the computer and with tears in Speaker 1 00:06:19 My eyes. I bet. I bet. How long did it take you to write the book? Speaker 2 00:06:23 It took about a year to write, Like I said, during the pandemic, we, I just stayed Speaker 1 00:06:28 Home. Right, right. And doing a lot of research that you could and in preparation and getting it written. What was the hardest part of writing this book? Speaker 2 00:06:35 Um, I started writing it as two stories with my grandmother and then my mother's story. And, um, at some point it just got too difficult writing my mother's story. I just had to kind of set that aside. It was too, I'm getting emotional now. It was too emotional. Speaker 1 00:06:54 How old were you when she passed? Speaker 2 00:06:56 My mother passed at age 65. I was 25 when she fell and, uh, went into a coma Speaker 1 00:07:04 Because there's a, a part in the book where she falls. Yes. And then when she's in the accident. So you are in your twenties, you said? I Speaker 2 00:07:11 Was pregnant with my eldest daughter when she had her, her little accident. We don't know. Right. To this day we don't know what happened. Right, right. Um, but yeah, she was in a coma for five years and, uh, yeah, my grandmother and my father would go daily to visit and spend the whole day with my mother. So that was very difficult on, uh, my grandmother to see her daughter in that situation. Speaker 1 00:07:37 Oh, absolutely. Speaker 2 00:07:39 So that's tough. Speaker 1 00:07:40 So, okay. So when your grandmother passed, um, how old were you then? Speaker 2 00:07:46 I was in 19, I think 98, so I'm still younger. <laugh>. Speaker 1 00:07:54 Did your grandmother share her stories with you? Like how much information would she share with you? Where did you get most of the stories from? Your mother, your grandmother? Speaker 2 00:08:01 Um, some from my grandmother, some from my mother, some from other people who kind of witnessed certain things. Um, my aunt told me some stories. She's in the book as well. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, so just kind of pieced it all together. Speaker 1 00:08:16 How did your family feel about you writing the story, your uncle Gio, and how did they react? Speaker 2 00:08:22 My uncles passed away, but my aunt, I did speak to her. We had a long conversation and she was very supportive. She said, Look, you're gonna write what truly happened if you're gonna do it. So some of the, uh, the violence in there, um, are stories that kind of came about through, um, different people telling me different things. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I used the newspapers.com website through the library mm-hmm. <affirmative> and found a lot of things that have, that were in the newspaper. So yeah, there was a lot of, uh, it was a paper trail Speaker 1 00:08:57 Yeah. So to speak. Okay. Yeah, because I noticed in the book, of course, I know you changed the names of the characters, but a lot of the streets are the same. You do mention Judy Jordan and Dean Martin, Speaker 2 00:09:09 And those are public figures. Yes. That I kind of added to the story, uh, because I was thinking, well, this is a story about Steubenville, what else can I add? And I tried to tell the history of Steubenville as I went through, through the lens of what my grandmother would've seen Yes. And gone Speaker 1 00:09:28 Through. Yes. And I loved, um, the fact that Judy Jordan actually gave her money, your grandmother money to, to get away. So I was surprised at that. Speaker 2 00:09:37 Well, that is fiction. Speaker 1 00:09:38 Oh, okay. Speaker 2 00:09:39 <laugh>, Speaker 1 00:09:40 Thank you for clarifying that. Speaker 2 00:09:42 It's possible because they say that Judy was a very caring and giving person. Yes. Um, and I do know that Judy did know my uncle and my, the and, and Bruno. Um, I don't consider him my grandfather. My true grandfather passed away. I do know that they were known to Judy and Judy know them. Speaker 1 00:10:04 As I'm reading, I'm thinking, Okay, what parts of this are true? What parts of this, you know, are made up? So I'm glad that kind of you, you clarified that for me, so thank you. I appreciate that Speaker 2 00:10:13 A lot people are doing that, where they're going through and saying, Oh, is this, you know, did this really happen? Speaker 1 00:10:18 Yeah. Do you have a lot of people, um, approaching you about the book and asking you, Hey, can you reveal this name or can you say this or that? Speaker 2 00:10:26 Uh, there are a lot of people who read it and who know the true names and put, you know, wrote down, Oh, I know this person's true name is this and this person, and this happened in this place. So yeah, there were quite a few, uh, people in town that have not really figured out, but Speaker 1 00:10:45 Piece the puzzle together. Yes. Speaker 2 00:10:47 Piece. Exactly. Yes. Speaker 1 00:10:49 Do you remember the house on seventh Street visiting it? I Speaker 2 00:10:53 Lived there, <laugh>, we lived there. My parents and I, we moved into where we, yes, Speaker 1 00:10:58 We Speaker 2 00:10:59 Lived there until 1970. In 1970 the state bought up, uh, this strip of houses that were there and, uh, there was a gas station on the corner and it got, that all got torn down and a housing project went in. Speaker 1 00:11:15 And your grandmother, she was a wonderful cook working in the restaurant and baking, and I'm sure you got to sample some of her, uh, recipes and lots of great cooking. And what was your favorite? Speaker 2 00:11:26 Uh, she used to make homemade bread and buns and we would go down and, and, uh, yeah, we'd just load up on that delicious Italian bread and her sauce. I mean, you know, you put sauce on and Yeah. It would be great. Speaker 1 00:11:42 Yeah. Um, so I loved at the very end when, um, you know, at her passing and her casket, she had put her wedding dress in there and I just thought how beautiful that was. That love that they had shared together That is true. Is eternal. Speaker 2 00:11:56 It's a true, That part is true. Yeah. Yeah. My, uh, she asked my sister, take me shopping, I wanna get a pink dress. They went and, uh, she didn't care what size, she just wanted something pretty. Yeah. And, uh, then when they got back home, she asked my sister, I have one more favor, Can you take this wedding dress and put it in when I pass? She was a little morbid at times and would, uh, say, Oh, when I'm gone, just this and that. But yes, it was just part of her, uh, it was part of her armor to survive at Speaker 1 00:12:34 Times. I would think she probably held onto that love and those thoughts that she had with her, Um, you know, first husband and, and probably like you said, that just got her through. Again, I appreciate you coming here and sharing that. And anything else that you would like to share with us about the book or any insights or is there, uh, another book coming out? Speaker 2 00:12:53 Uh, I'm working on a second book and it will also have a stupidville flare. I have a, a relative who, um, as a young boy got in trouble. There's a policeman who was with the juvenile division. Uh, his name is, uh, Joe Perone and I met with his family members. He's passed. He was an amazing person, uh, himself, this, uh, police officer Perone. And, uh, so the story will be about how he helps my relative go from bad to good. There's boxing involved because Joe, uh, was a four time golden glove boxing champion, though there's a boxing element with the story and, um, I'm still doing research at the library on different things for that. The police officer is a character and my cousin, this cousin who is a character and how the two of them come together and, uh, they help one another. Yeah. Speaker 1 00:13:57 Well I look forward to that and I hope you, uh, come back and do a talk for the library once that is finished and published and ready to go. Um, I usually like to end my interviews with asking the author, What is your favorite book? Well, Speaker 2 00:14:09 I have a favorite author, Kristin Hannah. I think I've probably read almost every book she has written. One of my favorites of hers is this book called Winter Garden. It's a story about mothers and daughters and the relationships between them and siblings, sisters, and having three sisters myself. And, uh, we have a very close relationship. That is one of my favorite books of Speaker 1 00:14:36 Hers. Well, thanks for sharing and hopefully our listeners move, They want to pick that book up and get started. So thank you again and look forward to the next one. Speaker 2 00:14:44 Thank you for having me. Speaker 1 00:14:50 Thanks for listening to pls J'S podcast. Visit us in person at your library branch or [email protected].