- The book explores the experiences of two women at defining moments in their lives. Do you identify more with Anne or Sally Sue? Who would you want as your best friend?
- How are the decisions that Anne and Sally Sue make shaped by the era they live in? How do you think each would do if they switched places in time?
- If you had a green lace corset where would you wear it?
- Elvira tells Sally Sue to find the honey in every heart. Do you think that’s possible?
- When were you rooting for Anne and Sally Sue the most? When did their choices or actions frustrate you?
- How did Anne and Sally Sue’s relationships with the men in their lives evolve as the story progressed?
- What advice would you give Sally Sue or Anne at the beginning, middle, and end of the story?
- The book uses several cinematic elements. If you were to cast the movie, who do you think should play Anne and Sally Sue? Who would play the supporting roles?
- Do you shop at vintage stores? Do you ever wonder about who owned certain items and what their life was like?
- One of the book’s themes is that there are all types of families. At the end of the book how is that especially true for Anne and Sally Sue? Do you think each woman will be successful moving forward with their lives?
The Green Lace Corset
Anne McFarland, a modern-day, thirty-something San Francisco artist in search of spiritual guidance, buys a corset in a Flagstaff resale boutique―a purchase that results in her having to make a decision that will change her life forever. One hundred and thirty-five years earlier, in 1885, naïve Sally Sue Sullivan, a young woman from the Midwest, is kidnapped on a train by a handsome but dangerous bank robber. Held prisoner on a homestead in Northern Arizona’s Wild West, Sally Sue discovers her own spunk and grit as she plots her escape.
Ultimately, both Anne and Sally Sue face their fears and find the strength to journey down their designated paths and learn the true meaning of love and family . . . with a little push from the same green lace corset.
2021 Next Generation Indie Awards Winner in Series
2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Best Cover Design (Fiction)
2021 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Women’s Fiction
2021 NIEA Finalist in Women’s Fiction
2020 CIBA Fiction Series Book Awards First Place Winner
Praise for The Green Lace Corset
“A tribute to the resourcefulness and resilience women of all eras pull forth when faced with life-altering circumstances.”
—award-winning author of The River by Starlight
“The dual timeline interplay between two women, one from the Old West and the other a contemporary San Francisco artist, is pure magic!”
—author of Still I Rise: The Persistence of Phenomenal Women
“You will love this entertaining and unputdownable novel!”
—author of the award-winning Annie Oakley Mysterty Series
BuzzFeed “19 New Historical Fiction Books You Won’t Be Able To Put Down This Fall”
San Diego Union Tribune “Novel links past, present to tell stories of women”
Mission Hills News “Jill G. Hall Releases Wildest Book Yet!” check out page 16-17 for the full story!
These collages, assemblages and mosaics were inspired by The Green Lace Corset or incorporated into it. Many times I used the process of making them to add depth to my writing in a later draft. If you’ve read the novel see if you can recognize which chapters the pieces may have come from.
Things People Pray For
Horsin’ Around
Sally Sells Seashells
Time to Cast Way Stones
You Glow Girl!
Whole Lotta Love
Hugs n’ Kisses
Country Colt
Our Lady of the Garden
Download the Discussion Sheet to print it.