Bridal Shop Confessions and the Realities of Writing Historical Fiction with Jillian Forsberg
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a wedding? I mean, what happens at the bridal store? Who comes in, who buys what, and why? Enter my friend Jillian Forsberg, owner of Dress Gallery in Wichita, Kansas, who drops in to the pod today to talk about her seventeen years helping women and men get ready for their Big Day. We talk about about the process of picking the right dress, confessions brides have made during their fittings, and the best memories of the best day. For someone who has never had a wedding before, this conversation was such a revelation. In the clip below, Jillian shares some stories from her years in the business.
But Jillian is also the author of a brand new historical fiction called The Rhino Keeper and is kind of famous for her journey to see its publication through (you may have heard of her rejection fence, which you’ll see in the clip below). We talk about her process of discovery, why and how she wrote this amazing book, the heartbreaks and triumphs of getting her first book published, and we celebrate as she shares about publication plans for her second and third books.
Jillian and I go way back as classmates at Wichita State University once upon a time. She’s one of my dearest friends in the world, and that means we have a lot of fun in this conversation. I hope you like it.
About our guest
Kansas author Jillian Forsberg holds a master’s degree in public history from Wichita State University and a bachelor’s degree in communication and history from McPherson College. Her research on little-known historical events led her to discover the true story behind her first novel, The Rhino Keeper.
Jillian is a regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and leads the Manuscript Matchup beta reader program through History Through Fiction. You can find Jillian gardening, browsing the closest antique mall, or reading every label at a museum. She'll most likely be wearing vintage dresses, except when she's at the zoo.
Jillian owns a bridal store and has worked in bridal since 2007. She lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband, child, and pets. Jillian’s second novel is written and she's working on a third. She will always write animal stories.
You can find her on Blue Sky at https://bsky.app/profile/jillianforsberg.bsky.social
Find her on Instagram at @ jillianforsberg
Find The Rhino Keeper
Find The Rhino Keeper on Amazon right here: https://amzn.to/3C1Fc7t
And without further ado, find our conversation right here:
Alright, that should keep you busy today. Y’all be good.
I was not prepared for the story of the bride in the blush pink dress. Wonderful conversation about both her shop and her novels.
The Princess and the Frog - YES!!! Will have to watch again soon 🥰 Loved all the bridal shop stories, will have to go to her site and check out her mother of the groom dresses. Don’t need one, yet 🤞, just like to look. Would be fun to say, here in Spring Hill, Florida (hi from north of Tampa) that I got my dress from Wichita 🤩 And I’ll check out her book. As a retired school librarian and voracious reader of historical fiction I’m in awe of her research skills. I also taught social studies and US history, so A++!