Author Interviewing Characters: Jean Burgess
NAVIGATING HER NEXT CHAPTER: A RETRO NOVEL
Jean Burgess’ second Retro Women’s fiction, Navigating Her Next Chapter (Apprentice House Press, 2026), is set primarily in New York City in the early 1980s. It tells the story of Margie Stevens, a twenty-something from a tiny town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, who moves to the big city as an aspiring writer. Burgess’ Retro Women’s series weaves in social and cultural themes of the 1970s and 80s, filtered through Margie’s personal self-discovery journey. Readers often come away with new understanding about how vintage “themes” have relevancy in today’s world.
So, let’s get to know 26-year-old Margie, as readers meet her in Navigating Her Next Chapter, shall we?
AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH CHARACTER MARGIE STEVENS
Author Jean Burgess: Margie, you were born and raised in a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, correct?
Margie: The smallest!
Author: What can you tell us about your home town?
Margie: Gosh, I always say, Church Creek is so small that if you blink while you drive through, you’ve probably missed it. The largest bustling metropolis is Cambridge…and I’m being utterly sarcastic. Hardly a metropolis. But at least it was big enough to have something to offer entertainment-wise. But I will say that one thing I love about where I grew up. It’s surrounded by tributaries of the Choptank River with lots of trees and birds and wildlife. It does have that going for it.
Author: You are thinking of moving to New York City in March of 1981?
Margie: I know…kinda rad, isn’t it? Especially since I’m not known for being very impulsive or adventurous…
Author: I have to disagree. What about the time you hopped in your car, drove to Baltimore, and auditioned for King Vido’s Swing Band a few years ago – the summer of 1978, right? Not only that, but you got into the band and toured the country as a singer! That was both impulsive and adventurous.
Margie: (chuckling) Yeah, that was totally out of character for me. But this move to The Big Apple seems even crazier. It’s prompted by two things, really. First, my writing career here in Maryland is hitting a dead end. Second, my dad is driving me crazy!
Author: Hmm. Let’s start with your writing career. What type of writing are you doing in Maryland and what are your aspirations for moving your career forward in NYC?
Margie: Around home, I write music reviews of bands for local newspapers, which I love. But the problem… it’s absolutely going nowhere.. I need to be in a large city. My goal is to look for an internship in New York, maybe at one of those alternative papers, like The Village Voice, and see where my journalism work might take me. Or maybe I’ll even explore other kinds of writing, who knows?
Author: And what about your other reason for moving…your dad reason?
Margie: Truthfully, I feel I need to get out from under my father’s thumb, you know?
Author: Can you elaborate?
Margie: Ugh! Dad isn’t thrilled about my moving to New York because all he wants is for me to stay in our little town, find some local guy, and settle down. He’s very old-fashioned in his views about women. I mean, come on! It’s 1981 already. He hated the idea of me travelling around the country with King Vido’s Swing Band, but somehow I was able to convince him to let me do it. When I returned though, I guess he figured, “She got that out of her system. Now she’s ready to settle down and have a bunch of babies.” Crap! He’s really been pressuring me about giving up any career ideas, sticking close to home, finding a “suitable mate.” Geez!
Author: I take it at 26-years-old you’re not ready to settle down?
Margie: No! But not only that, I don’t think my dad needs to be dictating what I should be doing with my life. That’s what I mean…I need to get out from under his thumb!
Author: Okay. Let’s change direction…How did this idea of moving to New York even come about?
Margie: The stars kinda aligned really. A friend from high school – really more of an acquaintance – wanted to move to New York to go to fashion school. Her parents weren’t keen on the idea unless she moved with someone they approved of, so Crystal reached out to me. More like pursued me. She showed up at the diner I waitressed at in Cambridge, and at my dad’s general store where I helped out part time…Crystal can be very persistent. Anyway, she lined up a sublet – a small, one-bedroom on the sixth floor of a walk-up on East 65th Street – and we’re making the move in March.
Author: And how do you feel about it?
Margie: Excited. Well, excited and scared…and overwhelmed and nervous. But also inspired! I think I’m conflicted. Ugh! I’m a bit of a mess at the moment.
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Order on Amazon Navigating Her Next Chapter: A Retro Novel by Jean Burgess HERE
Order on Bookshop.org Navigating Her Next Chapter: A Retro Novel HERE
Pub Date: April 14, 2026
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For over 40 years, Jean Burgess has told stories on stage as a theater director and actor. Her debut fiction, That Summer She Found Her Voice: A Retro Novel, was published in April 2024 by Apprentice House Press. The book has received 2024 Top Notable Title recognition by Shelf Unbound. The sequel, Navigating Her Next Chapter: A Retro Novel, was released by Apprentice House in April 2026. Her contest-winning play, “Deleted,” as well as two other short plays, is published in her book, Collaborative Stage Directing: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Positive Theatre Environment (Routledge, 2019.) She presents writing workshops, freelances as an editor, and is available as a speaker on a variety of book and writing topics. Jean holds a Masters in Theatre from Northwestern University and Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University. Her professional memberships include The Authors Guild, Eastern Shore Writers’ Association, and Maryland Writers’ Association.
Category: Interviews, On Writing
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